113th Congress
June 5th, 2014
HOUSTON, Texas—President Barack Obama accepted the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Friday and named Deputy Secretary Sloan D. Gibson as acting Secretary. The rare display of accountability leaves...
June 2nd, 2014
As a senior member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I released the following statement in response to the Obama Administration’s proposal to drastically increase regulations on carbon emissions.This...
May 31st, 2014
On Thursday, I voted in favor of H.R. 4660, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2015. This bill provides funding for vital law enforcement, national security, and public safety efforts...
May 29th, 2014
I met with local veterans’ groups, including members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, in Houston today. I heard about the challenges these veterans face and the unacceptable delays some have experienced...
May 22nd, 2014
HOUSTON,Texas—The U.S. House of Representatives passed a series of bills on Tuesday attacking various aspects of our national problem of human trafficking. Texas is currently one of the nation’s hubs for human trafficking...
May 22nd, 2014
I voted in favor of H.R. 4031, the Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014. The House passed the bill by a vote of 390-33.The bill gives the Secretary of Veterans Affairs authority to...
May 20th, 2014
Our nation’s veterans have sacrificed to keep America safe, and we owe them not just our gratitude, but the best possible care. Recent allegations that VA healthcare employees in Arizona and Colorado falsified records to...
May 15th, 2014
This Administration’s politicization of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is unprecedented. Respect for the rule of law is the foundation of our Republic, and the Administration’s complete disregard for it is frightening....
May 13th, 2014
Last week, I joined Senator Ted Cruz to introduce legislation that would amend the tax code so that the IRS no longer creates its own definitions to determine whether an organization is engaging in political activity. H.R....
May 9th, 2014
On September 11, 2012, terrorists stormed the American consulate in Benghazi. Four Americans were murdered. 19 months later, their killers still roam free. Today, there are more questions than answers. The American people...
June 2nd, 2014
Today’s Supreme Court ruling in Bond v. United States is an important victory for federalism. For the tenth time since January 2012, the Court unanimously rejected the Obama Administration’s argument for increased...
June 2nd, 2014
The House of Representatives has passed the Intelligence Authorization Act (H.R. 4681) to ensure that our intelligence community has the tools it needs to protect Americans from terrorist attacks both here at home and abroad...
May 30th, 2014
The more we hear about the VA’s treatment of veterans, the worse it gets. Dozens of VA facilities nationwide are being investigated for cooking the books, ensuring that the long wait times that sick veterans have to endure...
May 28th, 2014
Unfortunately, human trafficking is a growing criminal activity that occurs outside of the public’s eye and is too often ignored. An estimated 100,000 children are sold in the sex trade in the United States each year. No...
May 22nd, 2014
The NSA is out of control. It seizes massive amounts of data on Americans without their consent, without their knowledge. This action violates the Fourth Amendment and the PATRIOT Act.The USA Freedom Act is supposed to halt...
May 20th, 2014
I released the following statement after voting for the passage of the bipartisan, bicameral Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014.The Water Resources Reform and Development Act stimulates our economy,...
May 16th, 2014
America’s intelligence community has a responsibility not only to protect our national security but also to respect our civil liberties. Following September 11, Congress gave the intelligence community additional authority...
May 15th, 2014
$12. In Nigeria, $12 is the cost of a bride slave. Recently, around 200 girls went to school and never came home. They were kidnapped and, for $12 apiece, sold to the Islamic militant terrorist group Boko Haram. They were...
May 12th, 2014
Last Wednesday, I spoke on the House floor about problems with VA system and shared a story about a veteran from our home who lost his life do to VA delays. To watch my statement click here.
May 8th, 2014
I voted yesterday to hold former IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress for her refusal to testify regarding the IRS targeting scandal. The House also approved a measure calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to...