We cannot fail in this task. Liberty and abundance of life await if we succeed.

Watch my remarks and questions at the House Budget Committee’s ‘Examining the Need for a Fiscal Commission.’ > >

Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick

On Wednesday, I joined Vice President JD Vance, Governor Greg Abbott, co-founder and CEO of Saronic Technologies Dino Mavrookas, and the men and women of Saronic in Brownsville to break ground on Port Alpha. The Navy has told us it is moving toward a fleet with far more unmanned vessels. That is the future, and Saronic is building it here in South Texas.

I reminded the large crowd gathered that the $3.2 billion investment in Port Alpha and the 10,000 jobs it will create over 10 years by manufacturing autonomous-capable surface vessels for both commercial and defense needs is how you turn American technology and American innovation into raw American power. And, this world needs more American power today.

I also opened with a note about President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. As a young man, he wrote The Naval War of 1812, and twenty-five years later, as president, he sent sixteen battleships—the Great White Fleet—sailing around the world for more than a year. Every port they entered got the message that America had arrived. Everybody remembers his motto “speak softly and carry a big stick.” What I saw in the Port of Brownsville will be one of America’s big sticks, and our opportunity to push back against Chinese shipbuilding dominance. 

I serve on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and here is the number I carry around with me. Per multiple reports, China has roughly 230 times our shipbuilding capacity, measured in tons of ships they can produce. Two hundred and thirty times. And, right now, America produces less than one-tenth of one percent of the world's ships. By contrast, China dominates 53% of the market.

We will not close that gap overnight. A safe ocean is a safe world. When the sea lanes are open, commerce flows, our allies sleep easier, and our adversaries think twice.  But, dominating China at sea means we have to build, and build here.

So I asked, “What can Congress do?” As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, where the tax code is written, I believe the answer is that we need to make building a shipyard in America a worthy investment. That is why I introduced H.R. 9921, the American Shipyard Investment Act, in July with my friend Congressman Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania. The bill creates a 25 percent investment tax credit for building shipyards that construct or repair commercial and military vessels. The credit rises to 35 percent in opportunity zones, and it can be transferred or taken as a direct payment, which puts its value in the hands of builders who are still growing into their tax liability.

Back in August, I sat down with KLTV 7 to talk about the bill. > >

What matters is the message to everyone who puts capital to work in an American shipyard: we see you, and we are working on this. Congress will do its part. A strong fleet keeps the sea lanes open and protects our freedom, and a yard like Port Alpha brings the good jobs, the paychecks, and the pride of building something that lasts. That is abundance of life for families across South Texas.

A safe ocean is a safe world, and it starts on a shipyard floor.

Read more on the American Shipyard Investment Act. > >

Fifty Years of the Hyde Amendment

This week marks 50 years since the Hyde Amendment was first enacted. When it passed in 1976, it had sweeping bipartisan support, because the majority of Americans and members of Congress agreed that taxpayer dollars should not be used to directly fund abortions. At the time, federal Medicaid funding was paying for roughly 300,000 abortions a year. It is estimated that Hyde has saved over 2.6 million lives since then, and the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality in Harris v. McRae in 1980.

Hyde is not permanent law. Congress has to renew it through the Labor-HHS appropriations bill every year, which means the work of protecting it never ends. The National Right to Life helped secure Hyde in 1976 and has defended it ever since.

Protecting life has been a priority for me since I arrived in Congress. That is why I have consistently voted to defund Planned Parenthood, led nearly 40 House Republicans in a resolution condemning the FDA's policies on abortion drugs, and  have received an A+ from the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America scorecard for my record in the 119th Congress. Life is precious, and I will always stand up to protect it.

Stewarding East Texas Water for Generations

Last week, I joined representatives from Stephen F. Austin State University, the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, and Angelina College in Nacogdoches for the launch of the East Texas Water Institute.

Great news for East Texas. This week, the Trump Administration announced a $51 million investment in community-based chronic disease prevention, wellness and nutrition programs. The money will support rural Texas hospital districts and authorities working to prevent and manage diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and obesity.

East Texans deserve the same access to quality healthcare as anyone else in our state, and this investment is a major step toward closing that gap. The funding comes through the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion program created by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, the law many of us still call the One Big Beautiful Bill.

This announcement is one part of the larger funding awarded to Texas for fiscal year 2026, and it supports the state’s Make Rural Texans Healthy Again initiative. Texas’s broader strategy covers four areas: prevention and chronic disease management, technology-enabled care such as telehealth, the rural healthcare workforce, and modernizing the equipment and cybersecurity of rural hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and EMS. Healthier communities mean stronger families, a more productive workforce, and a brighter future for rural Texas, and I will always work to ensure our rural communities have the resources they need to thrive.

High school artists across East Texas have more time this year. The deadline for the Congressional Art Competition has moved to January 28, and we will hold the awards reception in February. The overall winner’s piece is displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. Artwork must be two-dimensional and original, no larger than 26 by 26 by 4 inches framed, with two entries per school. Call our district office at (903) 561-6349 for details on how to participate.

On October 2, 1965, during a football game between the University of Florida Gators and the Louisiana State University Tigers, UF players test a newly concocted sports drink to help them regain the essential chemicals their bodies lose from profuse sweating. Developed in their own school’s science labs, the drink is designed to fight dehydration, rebalance their bodies’ electrolytes and restore blood sugar, potassium and body salts so they can continue to perform at a high level through their games. The Gators go on to win the match, after the heavily favored Tigers wilt in Florida's muggy, 102-degree heat.

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