This Week in Congress

I issued the following statements regarding my votes on the border security and government funding bill (H.J. Res. 31) and the Yemen War Powers Resolution (H.J. Res. 37):

FY 2019 Appropriations
With control of our elected government partially divided between Republicans and Democrats, bipartisanship and compromise are sometimes necessary to pass legislation to keep our government funded, and to keep our nation safe and secure for our families. The funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies accomplishes that objective.  

While this bill is not perfect, voting against it would essentially give-in to the demands of the liberal, open-borders, catch-and-release, Defund-ICE extremists in Congress. The bill averts another partial government shutdown, provides an important down payment on a physical border barrier to address the security crisis along our southern border, all of which will be built in Texas, and gives ICE the resources they need to detain violent criminals. In addition, the bill funds key initiatives to improve border security technology and to address the humanitarian crisis in our border states. The bill funds vital programs to protect life, promote health and economic prosperity and rein in Obama-era EPA regulations. It also includes increased funding for our nation’s aging infrastructure as well as the National Science Foundation, which supports critical research activities at universities in the 17th Congressional District.

After careful consideration of the pros and cons of this legislation, I elected to support President Trump by voting for the bill. I cannot and will not ever vote against a national security funding bill when there is not another achievable option to enable the federal government to fulfill its most important Constitutional mission.

The primary job of the President of the United States is to keep our nation and our hardworking American families safe. In light of this responsibility, President Trump has the legal and Constitutional authority to issue a national emergency declaration to address the security crisis along our southern border. If President Trump elects to take this action, I will support his actions to fulfill this responsibility. I will also continue to work with President Trump and my House colleagues to achieve border security.

Yemen War Powers Resolution
This week, I voted against a misguided resolution calling for the removal of U.S. forces in Yemen. The Pentagon has stated that U.S. forces, while not directly engaged in hostilities in the region, are providing limited assistance to our allies fighting against Iran-backed terrorists. Rather than voting on flawed bills to harass President Trump’s authority, we should be working to help with the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and to help bring this conflict to an end.   

While I voted against the underlying resolution, I did, however, support a Republican Motion which added language to the resolution to condemn anti-Semitism. This motion was made in part to respond to a stream of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments made by a Democratic Congresswoman from Minnesota. There is no place in Congress or anywhere else for anti-Semitic and anti-Israel hatred, and this motion reaffirms our commitment to a crucial ally in the Middle East.

Issues: 
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