Texas Delivered, And Texans Got Reimbursed

On September 18, the Department of Homeland Security issued Texas a Notice of Award for $7.5 billion in federal reimbursement for the border security costs the state carried through Operation Lone Star while the Biden Administration refused to secure our borders.

The Working Families Tax Cuts Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, created the State Border Security Reinforcement Fund so states that stepped up where Washington wouldn't could get paid back. As Chairman of the Texas GOP Caucus, I worked diligently since then with the rest of the Texas Republican delegation to get that money back for Texas taxpayers. We worked in tandem with the Office of the Governor to press the Department of Homeland Security to secure the reimbursement funds that were authorized and appropriated last year.  And, this last week the $7.5 billion reimbursement notice followed.

As the Texas GOP Caucus said in a joint statement:

“For four years, the Biden Administration refused to secure our southern border, so Texas stepped up, and Texas taxpayers footed the bill. When we voted for the Working Families Tax Cuts, we made sure states like Texas would be reimbursed for exactly these kinds of costs — recently, that work delivered a huge win for every Texan. This is precisely how Republicans should work together at the state and federal level for their shared constituents, and it's a model for making Washington work for the people of Texas.”

We're grateful to Governor Abbott for his work securing these funds, and we'll keep working with his office to secure the border and protect Texas taxpayers.

Read more from the Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott. > >

Standing Up to China's Grip on Critical Minerals

China doesn't just compete in the critical minerals market — it dominates it. At a glimpse:

• China is the leading global producer of 30 of the 50 minerals the U.S. has designated as critical;
• China controls roughly 70% of rare earth mining, and handles nearly 90% of rare earth processing and refining worldwide. This includes heavy control of the heavy rare earths our national defense systems depend on; and 
• China controls 4 of the 5 largest lithium mines in the world and refines 70% of the world's battery-grade lithium.

Beijing has shown before that it's willing to use that control as leverage by banning rare earth exports to Japan in 2010 over a diplomatic dispute and temporarily restricting mineral access to the United States in 2025. America cannot afford to depend on a supply chain that runs through China.  So, I’m working hard as a member of the Ways & Means Committee and the Select Committee on Competition with the Chinese Communist Party to change the status quo.
This week, I traveled to New York to find solutions to this problem. I joined DOE Associate Under Secretary Alex Fitzsimmons, LG Energy Solutions President Bob Lee, and EnergyX CEO Teague Egan for a conversation with others in the industry on building out America's critical mineral supply chain, including how projects like Project Lone Star and development of East Texas's own critical mineral resources—including lithium—can help anchor the next generation of American industrial development.

I also sat down with News Nation’s Elizabeth Vargas to talk about President Xi's visit to the White House this week, where AI competition and Taiwan are front and center. While I was in the city, I also had more AI meetings—a continuation of my ongoing effort to deepen my knowledge of this fast-paced technology so that we can get the policy right in Congress.

Critical minerals, AI, and deterring China’s aggression are all tied together. Whoever controls the inputs has real leverage over the industries built on top of them, and that's not leverage I want to see in Beijing's hands.

Bringing American Storytelling & Jobs Home to America

This week, I introduced the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation to bring film and television production, and the jobs that come with it, back to American and rural communities like East Texas.

For years, productions have been leaving the United States because other countries—the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Hungary, Spain, and Mexico among them—offer tax incentives to film there instead of in the U.S. This bill creates a new U.S. federal tax credit to compete for that work, with rural communities built in mind from the start: productions that film in a rural Opportunity Zone, or in an area recovering from a federally declared disaster, qualify for an added incentive on top of the base credit. That's by design, meant to pull production into small towns like ours and into communities still rebuilding after hard times.

I happen to believe that American storytelling should be done in America and not be unduly influenced by the values of other countries, where free speech is something of an oddity.  Growing up being influenced and inspired by the likes of John Wayne, 'Superman', 'Rocky Balboa', and even 'Little House on the Prairie', I have personally experienced the positive impact of storytelling through film and tv.  

And, here in East Texas, we are well-positioned to play a major role (pun intended!). Stephen F. Austin State University is  currently building a $48.5 million Greg Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship with an advanced LED volume and virtual production studio, one of only a handful in Texas, which will train the workforce East Texas needs to participate in film and tv production.

The State of Texas is already ahead of the curve. The state's own Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP):

• Supports more than 59,000 jobs
• Has generated $4.8 billion in wages; and
• Offers its own bonus grants for rural productions.

The State of Georgia is a good case study for why the federal piece matters in addition to a strong state program. Georgia has had robust film and television incentive laws for a while now, but in just the past few years, annual production spending there fell from $4.4 billion to about $2.3 billion, while Savannah, GA alone saw local production spending drop from more than $200 million to under $7 million. If studios still moved that work to other countries under those conditions, it is clear that a federal layer is needed, as well.

Ultimately, this is about local economic development and restoring storytelling one community at a time in every state. The jobs impacted are the hoteliers, the caterers, the numerous crew members, and every incidental artisan and tradesman needed for a production—and there are many! That's the growth this bill is built to bring home, and those are the real beneficiaries.

Read more from Variety on the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act. > >

You can read the full text of the bill and the press release here.

Standing Up for East Texas Farmers and Timber Producers

My recent time in the District also afforded me the chance to sit down in Rusk County to visit with Texas Farm Credit and the producers they serve.

The morning started with a roundtable, sitting down with 10 to 12 young, beginning, small, and veteran producers, mostly timber producers, with several who also raise cattle and poultry. We talked through what's actually working and what's getting in the way, from access to capital to the everyday realities of running a family operation in East Texas.

On September 21, 1780: Benedict Arnold handed over the plans for West Point to British major John André, committing one of the most famous acts of treason in American history.

Dealing with federal agencies can be complicated, and my office is here to help. If you need help with Social Security, the IRS, passport renewals, the VA, or other federal agencies, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office by calling (903) 561-6349 or visiting my website.

It is an honor to be your voice in Congress.

With gratitude,

Nathaniel Moran

Member of Congress