The Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Democrats approved their nearly $60 billion, partisan contribution to Speaker Pelosi’s $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation tax and spending spree.

Broken Promises: At least half of the proposed spending in this T&I package represents duplicative spending that was addressed, or purposefully not included, as part of the infrastructure bill negotiated by the White House and passed by the Senate.  This violates the President’s promise that issues litigated and addressed by the Senate infrastructure agreement would not be considered in the second reconciliation package, a promise the T&I Chair clearly did not intend to keep.

Reckless Spending: With this package and other spending, the Majority intends to spend approximately $7 trillion over the first 9 months of this year.  This is after Congress provided $6 trillion last year to address COVID, and before considering the need to fund the government at the end of September for the next fiscal year.

Hyper-Partisanship: Nearly all Republican common sense amendments offered at markup were rejected, including mine.

My amendment would prohibit federal funds from being used to provide U.S. Coast Guard Academy training based on critical race theory (CRT). 

My amendment does not prohibit free speech, educational research, or independent study.

I was alarmed, in June 2021, when I heard the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, testifying at a House Armed Services Committee (HASC).  What alarmed me was the fact that Gen. Milley indicated that CRT was being taught in the military.

While most service academies fall under HASC’s jurisdiction, the Coast Guard Academy is one that falls under T&I Committee’s jurisdiction.  The U.S. Coast Guard Academy educates the future leaders of America's maritime safety and security Service.  And the Coast Guard is the only armed service with law enforcement authority.

Given the 200 officers that are commissioned each year, I am deeply concerned that the Academy should NOT be endorsing any theory that promotes ideas such as:

• that any race is inherently superior or inferior to any other race;
• that the United States is a fundamentally racist country; or
• that an individual’s moral character or worth is determined by his/her race.

This week I joined Representatives Bob Gibbs (OH-7), Andy Biggs (AZ-5), and Brian Babin (TX-36) in filing an additional three articles of impeachment against the President -- H.Res.671. 

Since the moment President Biden has taken office, we have seen crisis after crisis which have directly resulted from the President's actions. 

Here is newest list of impeachable offenses: 

1. Failing to execute the office of the president to defend the constitution by failing to protect the border
   1. Stopped the border wall construction.
   2. Attempted to end Migrant Protection Protocols “remain in Mexico” policy.
   3. Put private organizations in charge of testing for COVID-19 rather than CBP.
   4. Released thousands of illegal immigrants into U.S. without an immigration court date set.
   5. Transported COVID-19 positive immigrants across the U.S.
2. Failing to execute the office of the president to defend the constitution by illegally extending the eviction moratorium
   1. Violated the separation of powers by extending the eviction moratorium with no legislative directive from Congress.
   2. Biden knew the moratorium was unconstitutional and broke his vow to uphold the constitution by intentionally violating it to “keep it going for a while”.
   3. When announcing the new moratorium Biden said the “bulk” of scholars believe it is “not likely to pass constitutional muster,” but that several “key scholars” think it might and is “worth the effort.”
   4. Biden said that even if the courts strike down the new moratorium, the appeals process will “keep this going for a while,” providing temporary relief to renters.
3. Failed to execute the office of the president to defend the constitution with regard to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan
   1. Aided and abetted the enemy by not securing or destroying billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment, leaving it in the hands of the Taliban. 
   2. Stranded thousands of Americans, putting their lives at risk
   3. Weakened America’s ability to prosecute the Global War on Terror by leaving the government in the hands of a terror-supporting regime
   4. Failed to execute the office of the president and defend the Constitution by colluding with a foreign leader to knowingly lie to the American people and our nation’s allies

Our Constitution ensures that America will always be a nation ruled by laws, not by men. President Biden has blatantly violated the presidential oath of office on several occasions by failing to defend the Constitution. Regardless of which party is in the majority, I will uphold my oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and not stand idly by as Biden violates his. 

Sponsored and Co-sponsored Legislation

This Week's Co-Sponsorships 

• H.R. 5294 - Make the Migrant Protection Protocols Mandatory Act of 2021
• H.R. 5327 - To direct the Secretary of Education to establish a grant program to make grants to the parents of students served by local educational agencies that require students to wear face masks during in-person instruction, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 5328 - To direct the Secretary of Education to establish a grant program to make grants to the parents of students served by local educational agencies that teach critical race theory, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 5333 - To impose sanctions and other measures with respect to the Taliban, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 5340 - To provide for fiscal gap and generational accounting analysis in the legislative process, the President's budget, and annual long-term fiscal outlook reports.
• H.R. 5311 - To appropriate amounts to be made available for the procurement of an Iron Dome system by Israel, and for other purposes.
• H.Res. 671 - Impeaching Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

The Department of Education recognized 325 public and private schools across the country as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2021. These schools are recognized for their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student groups, demonstrating that all students can achieve to high levels. I am proud to announce two TX-14 schools have earned the National Blue Ribbon designation.

A.P. Beutel Elementary School in Lake Jackson

Principal: Mrs. Laura Johnson Morris

AND

Calder Road Elementary School in Dickinson

Principal: Ms. Sophia Acevedo

The 2021 cohort of National Blue Ribbon Schools will be formally recognized at an awards ceremony on November 4th and November 5th in Washington, DC. At the ceremony, each school will be presented with an award plaque and a flag as symbols of their accomplishments.

We are so proud and thank you for all of your hard work!

County Judge Matt Sebesta signed the Brazoria County disaster declaration on (09/14/2021). Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, tasked the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to make damage assessments in coordination with local officials to provide damage and debris assessments. 

Governor Greg Abbott on Monday (09/14/2021) afternoon issued a disaster declaration for 17 counties ahead of Hurricane Nicholas.

We are urging residents of all three counties who have been affected by Hurricane Nicholas to complete the Self Reporting Damage Survey to help the state identify damages to private homes and businesses and to assist emergency management officials assess the damages that occurred. This data will determine if the state of Texas and our communities meet federal thresholds for disaster assistance. The voluntary survey, available in both English and Spanish, can be accessed by visiting https://damage.tdem.texas.gov/  Reporting damage to TDEM is a voluntary activity, is not a substitute for reporting damage to an insurance agency, and does not guarantee disaster relief assistance.

This survey, for the state of Texas and our community, will help determine if our area will meet federal thresholds for disaster assistance.

Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) Damage Survey link below or follow the QR code.

Please submit one survey per impacted address.

 Galveston County residents are also encouraged to complete this survey:

Hurricane Nicholas Damage Assessment Survey 

• Submit Hurricane Nicholas Damages (English)
• Enviar Daños por el Huracán Nicholas (Español)
• gov.texas.gov/hurricane – Safety Tips & Recovery Resources

As you already know, on September 10th I introduced articles of impeachment against President Biden for his August 31, 2021 telephone conversation with Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani -- H.Res.635. 

This week, I joined my colleagues in filing an additional three articles of impeachment against the President -- H.Res.671. 

Last Week's Poll Results

If the allegations against General Milley are proven to be true, what do you think of General Mark Milley providing military information to China in the final months of former President Donald Trump's term?

League City Office Move

I am pleased to announce that our League City District Office has officially moved locations.

The new office is located at 303 East Main Street, Suite 250, League City, Texas 77573.  The phone number remains the same – (281) 316-0231.

2021 Congressional App Challenge

I am pleased to announce that my office is hosting a 2021 Congressional App Challenge.

The Congressional App Challenge is a competition aimed at encouraging middle and high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications.  The Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education.

The House of Representatives knows how crucial these skills are and wants to encourage students to engage in these fields.  By encouraging and recognizing our nation’s young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills.

This competition is open to all students who meet the eligibility requirements, regardless of coding experience.  We strongly encourage students of all skill levels to participate, enabling them to learn how to create their own apps.  Students are encouraged to register online and submit their apps by November 1st.  To learn more about the competition or to submit an app go to weber.house.gov.

Student Registration 

Rules
Learn to Code
Prizes 

For over 100 years, our great service academies have produced some of America’s greatest leaders.  Not only are these programs producing military leaders, they are also molding better citizens for America.  They prepare our youth to be well-rounded leaders and agile thinkers who will take their lessons of discipline and leadership with them into both military and civilian careers.

Part of my responsibility as a Member of Congress is that I am authorized to nominate candidates for appointment to the U.S. Service Academies.  Every year, I look forward to reviewing those applications.  I am always impressed by the character, selflessness, and—above all—the devotion to the ideals of our great nation.

The honor of attending a service academy comes with the obligation and commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation.

Each member of Congress may nominate up to ten individuals for each vacant academy slot allotted to our district for appointment to four of the five U.S. service academies: U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY; the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, MD; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY.  The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), New London, CT, does not require a congressional nomination for appointment.

Below you will find all the information  to start the process, including checklists and important dates.  This year's deadline is Friday, October 15, 2021.  I would also encourage you to watch the videos linked here called “The Five-Pointed Star.”  It’s a great overview of what each of the US Service Academies have to offer.

• 2021 Academy Day Nomination Application
• 2021 Academy Day Nomination Checklist
• 2021 Academy Day Nomination Personal Evaluation

To request a Military Academy Nomination from our office, please contact Jared Bargas, at jared.bargas@mail.house.gov or (281) 316-0231 for more information. 

Best wishes to you as you pursue your goal of attending one of the U.S. Service Academies and serving our country!