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Hello Friends and Fellow West Texans,
Welcome back to my West Texas Wrap-Up. Please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for regular updates on how I am serving the people of West Texas!
Full Texas Republican Delegation Backs My Resolution Affirming States’ Right to Defend Against Border Invasion
I’m proud to announce every Texas Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives has endorsed H.Res.50, my resolution affirming states’ constitutional authority to defend themselves when the federal government fails to secure the border.
Texas Republicans are united in sending a clear message: Congress must act to ensure that states like Texas are never again forced to be passive victims of a failed federal government.
Under Biden’s open-border chaos, millions of illegals invaded our southern border, flooding communities with drugs, crime, and criminals.
Fortunately, border crossings are now at historic lows under President Trump’s leadership - but we cannot rely on who occupies the White House to determine whether our border is secure.
The Constitution is clear: Article IV, Section 4 says the federal government ‘shall protect each [state] against invasion,’ but when the federal government fails to fulfill this constitutional duty, Article I, Section 10 expressly guarantees states the sovereign power to repel an invasion and defend their citizenry from ‘imminent danger.’
Texans have seen the consequences of federal failure, and we cannot afford another border crisis. With the full support of the Texas delegation, I’m calling on Congress to act now to pass this resolution and ensure that no future Democrat administration can take us back to open-border lawlessness.
Republicans are putting the safety and security of the American people first
For 74 days, Democrats have held our homeland security hostage—jeopardizing the safety of the American people and withholding pay from the very men and women sworn to protect them. Democrats had 16 opportunities to do the right thing. They chose obstruction. They chose politics over public safety. Last week, House Republicans said enough is enough.
With passage of this budget resolution, we are unlocking reconciliation to fully fund ICE and CBP so we can deliver on the mandate the American people gave Republicans: secure the border, enforce the law, and protect our communities.
This is about more than reopening a shuttered department. It’s about standing with our ICE and CBP agents who have been under attack, under-resourced, and undermined for far too long. It’s about ensuring our ports are secure, our infrastructure is protected, and our nation is prepared to respond to threats—whether from criminals, cartels, or cyberattacks.
Republicans are fully funding the people’s government and putting the safety and security of the American people first. Make America Safe Again!
Ending the Democrat DHS Shutdown
Last week, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7147, the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, the twelfth and final appropriations bill, funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide resources to TSA, FEMA, CISA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other critical agencies.
For 75 days, Democrats have kept DHS shut down. House Democrats had 17 opportunities to stand with the men and women who risk their lives for our ports, our borders, and other critical infrastructure.
House Republicans acted to end this reckless shutdown and restore critical operations to DHS, while using reconciliation to fund ICE and CBP for the next three years. This will prevent the Democrats from shutting down the government and defunding ICE in the future and provide our agents the resources they need to secure the border, enforce the law, and protect our communities.
After four years of lawlessness under Democrats and President Biden and 75 days of Democrat dysfunction, Republicans are restoring order and putting the safety and security of this country first.
Remembering Chad Hasty
My heart is heavy with grief over the passing of my friend, Chad Hasty.
Chad was the consummate professional, a man of faith, and a true patriot. We had a lot of interviews over the last ten years, and I could always count on him to be fair, insightful, and just down to earth. He often spoke of his family, which was the love of his life.
I’ll miss him dearly. He was more than just a radio personality and political pundit, he was a dear friend.
Reining in Fraud in Federal Programs
I am proud to join House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) in introducing legislation to protect taxpayer dollars by preventing fraud in federal programs, the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act (H.R. 8464) and the Pre-Payment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Access Act (H.R. 8463).
Politicians’ perpetual addiction to buying votes and Washington’s abject failure to protect tax dollars have resulted in an unprecedented scale of fraud that threatens not only the sustainability of our safety net programs, but also the future economic viability of our nation.
Instead of hunting down stolen money after the fact, these bills prevent improper payments and fraud from happening in the first place. If we’re serious about restoring fiscal sanity to Washington, we must get serious about eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse wherever they exist.
I’m proud to work with Chairman Comer to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure these programs serve the people they were intended to help—not those who seek to exploit them.
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It is an honor and privilege to represent you in Congress. Feel free to forward this newsletter to our fellow West Texans and encourage them to sign up here for this update.
Your friend and fellow West Texan,
Jodey C. Arrington
Member of Congress
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