Dear East Texas,
 

On Tuesday night, millions of Americans tuned in to watch President Trump deliver the first joint address of his second term—not to be confused with a State of the Union. While both are speeches given by the President to Congress, they serve different purposes and are often mistaken for one another.

• State of the Union: Typically given after the president has been in office for about a year. It’s not a hard deadline, but the Constitution requires the president to update Congress on the state of the union “from time to time.”
• Joint Address: Former President Ronald Reagan began the tradition of giving a similar address to a joint session of Congress shortly after Inauguration Day. Each of his successors has followed suit.

President Trump’s speech reaffirmed the commitments he made to the American people before taking office on January 20, 2025, and the promises he has kept since. It was an honor to witness his address live from the House Floor and to welcome my dear friend Tom Tatum, of Whitehouse, Texas, to the very chamber where I go each day to represent YOU and the people of East Texas.

The President’s annual joint address to Congress is an important time for the leader of our nation to engage directly with both Congress and the American people. It should be a forum marked with statesmanship and decorum, even when there is disagreement between the parties on policy. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party—in unity—took a different approach on Tuesday. They refused to escort the President into the Chamber as is customary; they refused to stand and applaud for all of the President’s guests, including a child with cancer, a teenager who was just admitted to West Point, the mothers of murdered children, the wife of a slain police officer, and an American who was recently released from captivity in Russia; and many held signs of protest throughout.

But, beyond that lack of decorum by the whole group, Congressman Green deliberately and repeatedly violated House Rules by standing and yelling at the President for an extended period of time and continued to do so even after being warned by the Speaker of the House to stand down. His disruption was an intentional and deliberate violation of the standards of conduct for a member of the House of Representatives—one that made a mockery of the official proceedings and brought dishonor to the House by disrespecting the Office of the President and the necessity for the world’s greatest legislative body to act within the highest standards of conduct. In the past, I have had no difficulty holding Republicans accountable for violations of the Rules. And, given the facts here and the repeated, persistent, and intentional conduct by Congressman Green, I believed that a censure was appropriate.

The resolution to censure Congressman Green passed with a vote of 224 to 198, with some Democrats joining Republicans in holding him accountable.

To read more about why I voted to censure Congressman Green, click here.

This week, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a hearing focused on how the CCP is waging a full-scale cyber war against America. From power grids to telecommunications, the CCP’s attacks threaten our way of life. The CCP is the greatest long-term external threat to the United States—propping up Russia, Iran, and North Korea while exploiting global conflicts for its own gain.

The CCP is actively targeting the American people with cyber warfare—an attack on our security, infrastructure, and way of life. They have infiltrated the power grids that keep our lights on, the water treatment facilities that provide clean drinking water, and even the hospitals that care for our loved ones. To combat this growing threat, we must work together.

I joined Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, to discuss my work on the Ways and Means Committee and the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). We also talked about House Republicans' plan to extend the Trump Tax Cuts through reconciliation and the need to swiftly end the war in Ukraine.

The full interview is available for viewing by clicking here or on the video below.

Moran in the Media