It was an honor to participate in a profound memorial ceremony at Arlington Cemetery commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. As former military, the son of a WWII veteran and the father of a Navy SEAL, I understand how important Memorial Day is for our nation. Please take some time this weekend, as you enjoy the freedom we have as Americans, to remember in prayer the families of those who gave all to secure our liberty.   

As we prepare to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country, I was proud that the House came together and passed important bipartisan legislation to improve the lives and care of our veterans. Our legislation:

✓ Protects veterans from being penalized for VA billing delays. (H.R. 1972)

✓ Protects veterans from opioid abuse. (H.R. 3832)

✓ Modernizes VA health records. (H.R. 4245)

✓ Cares for specific medical needs of female veterans. (H.R. 4334)

✓ Cares for veterans who have experienced sexual assault (MST) while serving in the military.  (H.R. 3642)

✓ Gives Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses greater access to VA contracts. (H.R. 5044)

✓ Makes it easier for veterans to use their G.I bill to pursue higher education. (H.R. 4830)

✓ Provides a cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for veteran disability compensation. (H.R. 4958)

✓ Improves housing assistance for homeless veterans. (H.R. 4451)

✓ Protects the VA budget from fraud so that VA funding is reserve for the care of veterans. (H.R. 5215)

✓ Eliminates inefficiencies in the VA medical budget so that more money is directed to delivering quality medical care. (H.R. 5418)

The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced several of my key priorities with passage of H.R. 8, the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (WRDA). This is good news and takes important steps to keep our coastal communities safe, and reduces bureaucracy to strengthen our nation’s ports and our waterways. This bill also authorizes for billions in funding for the Sabine-to-Galveston Coastal Storm Risk Management and Ecosystem Restoration project, a critical first step in the process to construct the Coastal Spine and finally make the Texas coast as safe as possible from another hurricane. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this bill on the House floor.

More information about WRDA and the amendments are available here.

The Hill published my Op-Ed on why it’s time for Congress to secure our borders, create an orderly immigration policy and enforce the rule of law. I remain committed to making sure Congress prioritizes the safety of Americans by securing our border.
 
Read the full piece over at The Hill.

I joined ‘Risk & Reward’ with Liz MacDonald on Fox Business to talk about the 90 illegal immigrants recently found in a tractor trailer in Texas, as well as President Trump’s tireless efforts to keep MS-13 gang members from crossing the border. We must support President Trump's actions to secure our border. 

Watch the full interview.

It was great to go on the Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio to talk about my solution to preventing targeted violence by utilizing threat assessment processes created by the Secret Service.

If you missed it, listen in.