Over the last couple of weeks, we have watched horrors unfold in the Middle East. Our greatest ally, Israel, has been under attack by the deranged Iranian-backed terrorist group, Hamas. The United States has a duty to support one of our strongest allies in their fight to defend themselves. President Biden and Senate Democrats wanted to pass a $106 billion package that would have included aid for Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, humanitarian aid and more. This town is hellbent on tying everything into one massive spending package. Each issue is separate, and Congress should vote on them separately. I was glad to see Speaker Johnson strip Israel aid from the package and vote on it as a separate issue.

House Republicans passed the Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act, to provide $14.3 billion to support Israel’s missile defense systems like the Iron Dome and additional military equipment for the Israeli Defense Forces.  This legislation also replenishes U.S. weapons stocks and fully offsets the cost of this assistance. This emergency supplemental appropriations package deals strictly with providing aid to Israel and ensuring our own military readiness.

We know how dire our financial situation is at home, so we redirected the $14.3 billion of the $80 billion awarded to the IRS to instead support our ally, Israel. This is the same funding the IRS planned to use to hire 87,000 new agents to increase audits on the middle class.

The United States will continue to support one of our strongest allies, Israel, in their fight against Hamas and other Iranian proxy terrorist organizations.  

The United States is $33 trillion in debt. This is irresponsible and unsustainable. As a nation, we have kicked the can down the road again and again. Now it's time to stop. House Republicans have made it a priority to change the way Washington has worked. The last time we passed all 12 appropriations bills was in 1996. These single-subject government funding bills are the best way to get our nation back on track by cutting woke, weaponized, and wasteful spending. For the last few months, we have been working on passing a single-subject spending appropriations bill in the House. So far, we have passed seven conservative FY24 appropriations bills: Military Construction & Veterans Affairs, Defense, Homeland Security, State & Foreign Operations, Energy & Water Development, Legislative Branch, Interior & Environment. We have passed over 70% of annual appropriations and are on track to pass the rest of the bills over the next few weeks.

I want to highlight some of the WINS in the Appropriations bills:

• Builds up our nuclear stockpile
• Blocks China from receiving U.S. oil reserves
• Increases our energy security
• Invests in Ports on the Gulf Coast of Texas and waterways
• Ensures continued oversight of the Biden Administration
• Prevents funds from being used to implement, administer, or enforce woke initiatives
• Forces the Homeland Secretary to build the wall by allocating $2.1 billion for constriction and prevents the dismantling of existing barriers at our southern border
• Increases military readiness
• Innovates and modernizes our weapons system
• And a lot more…

This week, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer revealed how Joe Biden received $40,000 in laundered China money from the account of his brother, James Biden, and his sister-in-law, Sara Biden, in the form of a personal check.

The money trail begins in July 2017 when Hunter Biden demanded payment from his Chinese Communist Party (CCP) linked associate. On July 30, 2017, Hunter Biden sent a message to Raymond Zhao—a CEFC associate—demanding a $10 million dollar capital payment and claimed his father, Joe Biden, was sitting in the room. CEFC is a Chinese energy company linked to the CCP. The Bidens began working with CEFC when Joe Biden was Vice President.

On August 8, 2017, Northern International Capital, a Chinese company affiliated with CEFC, sent $5 million to Hudson West III, a joint venture established by Hunter Biden and CEFC associate Gongwen Dong. That same day, Hudson West III sent $400,000 to Owasco, P.C., an entity owned and controlled by Hunter Biden. On August 14, 2017, Hunter Biden wired $150,000 to Lion Hall Group, a company owned by President Biden’s brother James and sister-in-law Sara Biden. On August 28, 2017, Sara Biden withdrew $50,000 in cash from Lion Hall Group. Later the same day, she deposited it into her and James Biden’s personal checking account. On September 3, 2017, Sara Biden cut a check to Joe Biden for $40,000 for a “loan repayment.

A few weeks ago, we exposed a $200,000 payment James made to his brother Joe that came from funds provided by a now bankrupt health care company called Americore.

Like the payment to Joe from Americore funds, it’s certainly plausible that this payment where James and Sara used funds from China was indeed a loan repayment to Joe.

But even if this $40,000 check was a loan repayment from James Biden, it still shows how Joe benefited from his family cashing in on his name – with money from China no less.

Without his family peddling his name and his son threatening a CEFC associate with consequences that he said Joe Biden knew about, James wouldn’t have had the money to write the $40,000 check to his brother Joe. 

It’s also worth remembering that the Biden family's efforts to secure millions from this Chinese company began when Joe Biden was still Vice President.

In taking funds sourced to a CCP-linked company that wanted to advance China’s interests, Joe Biden exposed himself to future blackmail and put America’s interests behind his own desire for money.

We will continue to follow the money and get to the bottom of the shady dealings of Joe Biden and the Biden family. 

Thank you to everyone who stopped by Passport Day in Galveston County on Saturday. We were able to help constituents apply for or renew their passports for upcoming travels. Thank you to our great Galveston County District Clerk John Kinard and his staff for opening their doors on a Saturday and helping folks get their passports. It was great seeing a bunch of you there. On Friday, Team Weber attended the Mid-County Madness football game. Port Neches-Groves won 41-16 over the Nederland Bulldogs. What a great tradition! This week, Team Weber toured the Beaumont VA, where they learned about issues they are facing and met with the Beaumont area Veterans. They also toured the Cheniere Sabine Pass Plant and the Beaumont Prison. 

Legislation cosponsored:

• H.R. 1492 - CBO Show Your Work Act 
• H.R. 5932 - To authorize additional assistance to Israel using assets confiscated from the Iran, and for other purposes. 
• H.R. 6126 - Making emergency supplemental appropriations to respond to the attacks in Israel for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes. 
• H.R. 6138 - To evaluate U.S. Customs and Border Protection's implementation of a integrated biometric entry and exit data system in the United States, and for other purposes. 
• H.R. 6170 - To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to cease all immigration functions at ports of entry along the southern border until the United States is secure, and for other purposes. 
• H.Res. 834 - Supporting, recognizing, and establishing legislation that affirms the sense of Congress that Israel ought to be provided with sufficient material to defend itself against rocket artillery attacks from Hamas and its allies.
• H.R. 6090 - To provide for the consideration of a definition of antisemitism set forth by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for the enforcement of Federal antidiscrimination laws concerning education programs or activities, and for other purposes. 
• H.R. 6114 - To impose additional sanctions with respect to Iran and modify other existing sanctions with respect to Iran, and for other purposes. 
• H.R. 6118 - To prohibit funding for the United Nations Human Rights Council until it condemns Hamas. 
• H.R. 6123 - To prohibit the Secretary of State from requiring United States citizens who is evacuated by the Department of State or for which the Department of State provides government assisted departure from a crisis situation abroad to pay for the costs associated with such evacuation or departure.

It is a privilege to represent our district in Congress.  While we’ve faced many challenges in recent years, through strength and prayer, we have persevered. 

Please know that we are always a resource for you.  Call or stop by any of the offices (YOUR offices, we work for you), whenever you need assistance or want to talk about an issue before Congress.

For assistance or more information, please call or go online to visit us at weber.house.gov.

God Bless you and God Bless Texas!