Dear Friends,

Earlier this week, with government funding slated to run out on Friday, negotiators released a 1,500+ page massive government spending package that circumvented regular order. I was absolutely OPPOSED to this Wednesday CR because East Texans did not send me to Washington to rubberstamp billions in pet projects and runaway spending. When President Trump rightfully highlighted the disastrous impacts of this massive spending bill, the Wednesday 1,500 + page CR was appropriately scrapped, and a new “skinny” CR was negotiated on Thursday that provided for continued appropriations until March 2025, plus $10 billion for direct assistance to farmers, plus $100 billion in disaster relief for places such as the Carolinas and Florida, plus lifting of the debt ceiling until January 2027. Because this skinnier CR version included an open-ended debt ceiling increase for two years (estimated to be about $5 trillion over the next two years) without delivering correlative policy wins or meaningful spending cuts, I could not support even this “skinny” CR.

With more than 77 million votes cast, the American people and East Texans delivered a Red Wave mandate for President Trump and Republicans to cut the wasteful spending plaguing our nation and restore fiscal sanity to Washington. While I stand firmly with President Trump’s efforts to rebuild our economy and rein in government waste, I could not support a blank check for spending in the form of a two-year debt limit increase that will—no doubt—enlarge the burden of debt for future generations of Americans and continue to be an encumbrance against our liberty. We will never reduce our national debt by increasing the debt ceiling without meaningful spending cuts and pro-growth policies in return. And, we will never get inflation under control by simply spending more money that we do not have. As a result, I could not support the proposed debt ceiling increase that came to a vote on Thursday.

I was hired by the people of East Texas to apply conservative principles consistently and equally. As a fiscal hawk dedicated to reducing spending and lowering taxes, I voted against raising the debt ceiling two years ago because it was open-ended and did not come with adequate policy wins or spending cuts. And, I must now apply those same principles. Debt and spending are two of the biggest enemies of the American people. Meaningful solutions to restore the fiscal health of our nation will come through regular order, not more continuing resolutions with added debt. I look forward to working with President Trump to advance his America First agenda by achieving conservative budget priorities, cutting wasteful government spending, and putting our country back on track under unified Republican leadership come January.

We will begin to implement President Trump’s America First agenda on Day One. I am excited to share that I have been selected to serve as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee in the 119th Congress, the committee tasked with working with the Trump Administration to extend the Trump Tax Cuts. Ways and Means is the oldest committee in the United States Congress and serves as the chief tax-writing body in the House of Representatives. The committee derives its jurisdiction from Article I, Section VII of the U.S. Constitution, which states: “All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.”

I am deeply honored by the trust my colleagues have placed in me to serve on this historic committee. From tax policy to healthcare and trade, Ways and Means oversees countless issues that directly impact East Texans and the First District of Texas. I look forward to working alongside Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO-08) and my fellow committee members to renew President Trump’s Tax Cuts. After years of record inflation and an out-of-control cost-of-living crisis, the last thing the American people need is a massive tax increase. Renewing the Trump Tax Cuts is absolutely essential, and I am committed to delivering results for the First District of Texas and for all Americans.

To read more about my selection to the Ways and Means Committee, click HERE.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed my bipartisan, bicameral legislation, the Jenna Quinn Law, to prevent child sexual abuse—sending it to the President’s desk to be signed into law. Named after Jenna Quinn, a Texan who survived abuse as a young child, this bill authorizes existing grant funds to be used to train and educate students, teachers, school employees, caregivers, and other adults who work with children on sexual abuse prevention.

The Jenna Quinn Law authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to permit existing federal grants to fund evidence-based training on sexual abuse prevention and reporting. The bill also ensures grant recipients coordinate with local educational agencies to provide this training to students, professionals, and volunteers.

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Jenna Quinn, whose bravery as a survivor of child sexual abuse has made her a symbol of hope. Her dedication to preventing abuse is unmatched. Child sexual abuse is a silent epidemic in our country, with a case substantiated every nine minutes. Two out of three victims are between twelve and seventeen, and one in four girls and one in thirteen boys are affected. Shockingly, ninety percent of children know and trust their abuser.

Education is key to prevention, and school personnel report more abuse cases than any other profession. The Jenna Quinn Law will strengthen our efforts to identify victims and provide healing. I am grateful to the advocacy and bravery of Jenna Quinn and the hard work of Chairwoman Virginia Foxx in getting this bill across the finish line. I know that there are children whose lives will forever be impacted for the better because of this legislation.

You can watch my interview with KETK on passage of the Jenna Quinn Law here.

Last weekend, I traveled to Belgium and Luxembourg to represent the U.S. in observing the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. We had the privilege of honoring this historic battle alongside veterans and their families, active-duty service members, government and military officials, and foreign dignitaries.

This anniversary challenges us to honor the sacrifices of those brave soldiers by dedicating ourselves to a lifetime of service to our Republic and the cause of liberty. To anyone who believes America should abandon the ideals of democracy, the rule of law, and freedom, I echo the famous words: “Nuts!”

Thank you to everyone who joined the conversation and shared their questions about the future of crypto. I look forward to keeping you updated at our next telephone townhall as we continue working to deliver the results the American people deserve. Stay tuned!

Recently, I joined KLTV and CBS19 to discuss the recent House passage of the Prove It Act, a bill I led to strengthen protections for small businesses. During these interviews, I discussed how this legislation empowers family-owned and small businesses to challenge unfairly burdensome regulations, giving them a stronger voice to fight harmful government overreach.

If you’re ever visiting Washington, D.C., we would love for you to stop by our office for a visit and a tour of the U.S. Capitol building. Earlier this week, our office moved from 1541 Longworth House Office Building to 1605 Longworth House Office Building. We hope you have the chance to swing by and say hello to our D.C. staff. It’s always a pleasure to see East Texans in Washington, D.C.!

Moran in the Media