Hurricane Harvey
October 13th, 2017
After a late night meeting with leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives, and consulting with Governor Abbott, members of the Texas delegation have identified nearly $15 billion of emergency funding for Texas to be...
October 11th, 2017
Yesterday I participated in a roundtable discussion on storm recovery efforts with local community leaders in Beaumont. There, I shared my priorities for recovery, and how storm-impacted Texans can receive significant tax...
October 3rd, 2017
Representatives from Harris County, the City of Houston, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and other volunteer agencies will be available to answer questions and help...
September 28th, 2017
As Hurricane Harvey’s hammering floodwaters crept closer and closer to their home, Annie and her husband, Gary, became nervously anxious because, you see, Annie was pregnant and needed to get to the hospital.
September 27th, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Tuesday, Reps. Ted Poe (TX-02), Brian Babin (TX-36), John Culberson (TX-07), Al Green (TX-09), Gene Green (TX-29), and Pete Olson (TX-22) introduced the bipartisan Texas Flood Accountability Act of 2017,...
September 22nd, 2017
On Thursday, I appeared on KRIV-Houston ‘Fox 26 News at 5pm’ and KTRH’s ‘Michael Berry Show,’ to discuss the path to recovery for Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey’s damage and destruction along Gulf Coast...
September 20th, 2017
By now, we all know the numbers: over 50 inches of rainfall; at least 130,000 residences lost; and at least 500,000 vehicles damaged or destroyed. We've seen the images, too. Houstonians floating on air mattresses, the few...
September 18th, 2017
Last week I visited the Houston neighborhood of Meyerland, and then traveled to Port Arthur, and Rockport to visit volunteers, storm victims, and first responders, and survey storm damage.
September 14th, 2017
Yesterday on the Senate floor, I highlighted recovery efforts led by our military during natural disasters, like Hurricane Harvey, as the Senate considers the National Defense Authorization Act. Excerpts of my remarks are...
September 12th, 2017
A star-studded benefit concert and telethon will be simulcast across multiple networks to raise money for Hurricane Harvey relief.
October 12th, 2017
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the state’s congressional delegation could get “rolled” on a hurricane relief bill that is about to be voted on in the House of Representatives. The governor expressed his disappointment in...
October 9th, 2017
Last week, I had the pleasure of welcoming the annual Coastal Bend to D.C. (CB2DC) delegation to Washington. The delegation was comprised of local elected officials and industry leaders who came to advocate for local...
September 29th, 2017
"We're all in this together." To quote Bill Lumberg from the cult classic Office Space, "I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there." Many of you know that Mayor Turner is proposing a temporary tax hike to...
September 27th, 2017
Undaunted by the massive 50 inches of hammering rains and devastation of Hurricane Harvey, Texans quickly volunteered to help other water-soaked neighbors.
September 26th, 2017
Last week, I joined Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) and members of the Texas congressional...
September 21st, 2017
First let's be clear, the Harvey historic flood was going to be a problem even if we had gotten everything right, because of the biblical scale we suffered.
September 19th, 2017
Hurricane Harvey is shaping up to be a major theme for the next Texas legislative session. House Speaker Joe Straus is asking committees to begin working on long-term solutions to Harvey-related problems. Straus wants...
September 18th, 2017
As power is restored, debris cleared and water in the northern party of the district I represent recedes, people are starting to rebuilt their lives after Hurricane Harvey. It is important that people are aware of resources...
September 13th, 2017
Symbolic of poor planning and neglect of our regional flooding problem, the City of Houston has a proposed bond issue for November of around $1.6 billion, and the amount for flood control is zero! This time we need to get it...
September 12th, 2017
As Hurricane Harvey rampaged across Texas, the heavens opened up and 50 inches of rain hammered down on the Houston area.