Dear East Texas,

It was a chilly week in Washington, D.C., as House Republicans voted on a series of bills to secure our border and strengthen the separation of powers in the federal government. While the President continues working to root out government waste and reduce the national deficit, we are advancing common-sense legislation to protect our law enforcement and Border Patrol officers and to reaffirm the checks and balances that our Founding Fathers appropriately put into place.

Of the $80 billion directed to the IRS through the IRA, only $4.75 billion was dedicated to system modernization. Meanwhile, a staggering $45.64 billion—nearly ten times that amount—was funneled into enforcement, disproportionately impacting middle-class Americans. Taxpayers should be treated as the clients, not targets. Instead of focusing on aggressive enforcement, federal agencies must prioritize safeguarding American financial data and modernizing outdated systems.

To watch my full remarks, click here.

This week, the House of Representatives voted on Congressman Juan Ciscomani’s (R-AZ-06) Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act, a common-sense bill that strengthens penalties for illegal aliens, human smugglers, cartel members, or other bad actors engaging in high-speed chases to evade the U.S. Border Patrol or local law enforcement assisting the federal government.

The legislation establishes a new federal criminal offense with escalating penalties: up to two years in prison for an offense, five to 20 years if it results in serious bodily injury, and 10 years to life if it leads to death. It also enforces strict immigration consequences, making convicted individuals inadmissible, removable, and ineligible for immigration relief, including asylum.

Additionally, the bill requires the Attorney General to submit an annual report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, detailing the number of individuals charged under this law and the penalties imposed.

Unfortunately, Border Patrol and law enforcement officers face growing dangers as they work to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, many of whom have been emboldened by the previous Administration’s lax enforcement of immigration laws. This failure has led to a sharp rise in high-speed chases along the southern border, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries to innocent residents.

This legislation highlights the steps House Republicans are taking to deter illegal immigration and protect law enforcement. The bill is named in honor of Agent Raul Gonzalez, who was tragically killed in a car crash in Mission, Texas, while pursuing a group of illegal aliens evading Border Patrol agents.

This legislation passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 264 - 155, and I was proud to vote in support of it.

To read more about the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act, click here.

On Tuesday, I voted in favor of Congressman Andy Biggs’ (R-AZ-05) Midnight Rules Relief Act, a bill that strengthens congressional oversight by allowing Congress to disapprove multiple regulations at once if they were issued during the final year of a President's term.

The Constitution establishes a clear separation of powers, vesting legislative authority in Congress, executive power in the President, and judicial power in the courts. The Framers designed this structure to prevent the consolidation of power, ensuring— in the words of James Madison—that “[a]mbition [is] made to counteract ambition.”

Currently, Congress can only disprove regulations one at a time under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The Midnight Rules Relief Act streamlines this process, allowing a single joint resolution to overturn multiple last-minute regulations issued in the last days of a President’s term.

History shows that Administrations tend to rush through regulations in their final years—Clinton and Obama each issued about 2.5 times more rules in their last year than in previous years. Since last August alone, the Biden Administration has issued 1,524 regulations. The Midnight Rules Relief Act ensures Congress can efficiently review and overturn excessive rulemaking during these “midnight hours” while maintaining the same review standards for rules issued earlier in a President’s term. This legislation reinforces the constitutional balance of power and restores proper congressional oversight of executive agencies.

This legislation passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 212 - 208.

To read more about the Midnight Rules Relief Act, click here.

It was great to sit down with Jeff Beimfohr of KTBS while he was in Washington on Monday. We talked about my recent appointment to the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, my work on Ways and Means Committee, and how House Republicans are delivering on President Trump’s America First agenda.

Moran in the Media