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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), — chairman emeritus of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs — alongside Congressman Andy Barr (R-Ky.), and Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between Chinese Communist Party John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to prevent American capital from financing the Chinese Communist Party’s military buildup, technological dominance, and human rights abuses.

The Foreign Investment Guardrails to Help Thwart (FIGHT) China Act establishes a comprehensive outbound investment screening regime that protects the savings and retirement accounts of hardworking Americans. The bill creates targeted restrictions to ensure U.S. investors are not unwittingly financing the CCP’s military and surveillance capabilities. 

“The Chinese Communist Party will stop at nothing to prop up its military and surveillance state. Today, my colleagues and I are taking a critical step to protect U.S. national security by ensuring the CCP cannot exploit U.S. capital as a tool to accomplish those malign efforts,” said Congressman McCaul. “This is a proud moment for America. I urge my colleagues to swiftly pass this bill, which will help the Trump administration continue to defend against the generational threat posed by Communist China.” 

“The CCP is using American capital to fuel its military ambitions and undermine our security. Under President Trump, we took bold action to counter China, but the Biden Administration failed to keep pace,” said Congressman Barr. “Now, with President Trump back in the White House, I am reintroducing the Foreign Investment Guardrails to Help Thwart (FIGHT) China Act to stop U.S. investments from strengthening our greatest adversary and ensure we put America’s interests first. I look forward to working with President Trump to sign this into law.” 

“Reintroducing this legislation is a crucial step in stopping American investments from fueling China’s military buildup and technological ambitions. The CCP has long leveraged U.S. capital to advance its agenda, compromising our national security,” said Congressman Moolenaar. I’m proud of the bipartisan efforts that resulted in this legislation last year, and I look forward to building on this legislation alongside the Trump administration to make outbound investment restrictions law and protect our national security. We must halt the flow of American capital to the CCP and safeguard our future from foreign threats.”

“As the ongoing threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continue, Congress is taking a significant step to safeguard American economic interests and protect national security,” said Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. “President Trump has made clear the past few decades of investments propping up Chinese aggression must come to an end. The introduction of the Foreign Investment Guardrails to Help Thwart (FIGHT) China Act is an important step to protect our nation’s long-term investments, and we look forward to working with President Trump and his administration to uphold American leadership and maintain a strong, unified position against the CCP’s threats.” 

Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) has introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs — issued the following statement on the release of American citizen George Glezmann, who had been held in Afghanistan by the Taliban for more than two years.

“I am deeply relieved that George is finally coming home after more than two grueling years of Taliban captivity. President Trump continues to demonstrate a steadfast commitment to bringing Americans home, and I thank his team — including Special Envoy Adam Boehler — and Qatari mediators for the vital role they played securing George’s release.

“For years, I’ve advocated for Americans held hostage by the brutal Taliban regime, and I’m thrilled President Trump has now brought both Glezmann and Ryan Corbett home to their families. As we celebrate their return, we also pledge to continue fighting for Mahmood Habibi and all American citizens unjustly detained around the world.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced the 2025 Congressional Art Competition, a contest for high school students in the 10th Congressional District, is officially open.

“Texas’ 10th district is home to many exceptionally talented students,” said Rep. McCaul. “Art has a profound impact, and I’m always impressed by the skill and emotion our students pour into their work. Each year, I look forward to seeing their incredible submissions.”

The winning selection will be displayed for one year in the United States Capitol, alongside artwork from students across the nation. Additionally, first-place Congressional Art Competition winners and one guest will receive round-trip tickets to attend the Winner’s Celebration on June 11th in Washington, D.C.

Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches in depth. Submissions cannot weigh more than 15 pounds. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must be framed by the entrant and still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions. Types of artwork include:

• Paintings – including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
• Drawings – including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
• Collages – must be two dimensional
• Prints – including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
• Mixed Media – use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
• Computer-generated art
• Photography

To participate, please submit the 2025 Student Release Form and original artwork to one of Rep. McCaul’s offices. Submissions must be received by April 18th, no later than 5:00pm CT.

• College Station Office: 175 Century Square Drive, Suite 210, College Station, TX 77845
• Austin Office: 11614 FM 2244 Suite 160, Austin, TX 78738

For additional details on the competition, please visit https://mccaul.house.gov/services/art-competition . With questions, please contact staff member Destinee Vargas at Destinee.Vargas@mail.house.govor 979-431-6480.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (15th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) delivered a speech from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives about the Trump Administration’s shameful removal of Edinburg hometown hero, U.S. Marine Sergeant Alfredo “Freddy” Gonzalez, from the Naval History website.  

Watch the full video on Congressman Gonzalez’s YouTube page.  

Transcript below:  

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of our south Texas war hero, Sergeant Alfredo “Freddie” Gonzalez, a hero who will never be forgotten. 

Sergeant Gonzalez was killed in action February 4, 1968, and history is clear he was a marine sergeant in charge of a third platoon command near Hue City, Vietnam. His company came under heavy fire for days.  

Sergeant Gonzalez maneuvered his men and retired fire and personally carried wounded warriors out of harm’s way. He didn’t ask what ethnicity these men were, or religion, or what region of the country they came from. 

They were all Americans, fighting one of the most atrocious and unpopular wars in our history.  

Freddie was awarded the medal of honor. Not because he asked for a special privilege or recognition, or job, Freddie was dead.  

He was recognized by his men for his bravery, for going beyond his call of duty to save other American lives while losing his own.  

This administration’s appalling efforts to erase history under the disguise of eliminating DEI Has seen no boundaries.  

Prompting indiscriminate removals of Latinos and women and other minorities from our nation’s archives.  

Removing the Tuskegee air men who proudly defended our country in Europe during World War II.  

Removing our Navajo code talk yours who helped us defeat Japan.  

Removing our most recent and honorable general Colin Powell for god’s sake, for god’s sake, have you no shame? Have you no decency?  

This is not about eliminating DEI, this is straight up old-fashioned racism against some of the most deserving Americans in our history.  

And I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle who have worn our uniform and some who have fought for our freedom to stand with me. 

To stand on the right side of history with the American people and oppose these un-American, unpatriotic policies coming from this administration from folks who never had the gall to serve themselves.  

Let’s grow a spine in this house and preserve the American values that actually made us great. And I yield back. 

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (15th District of Texas)

Funds will support coastal conservation, hurricane protection, and infrastructure improvements

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (15th District of Texas)

EDINBURG, TEXAS –  On Friday March 28, 2025, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) released a statement following the shameful removal of Marine Corps Sergeant Freddy Gonzalez, a venerated Edinburg Vietnam Veteran, from the Naval History online database due to the Trump Administration’s purge of thousands of records of women and minorities from government websites.  

“Sgt. Freddy Gonzalez served his country in Vietnam, tragically lost his life at the age of 21 while protecting his platoon, received the Presidential Medal of Honor for his bravery and sacrifice, and has an active duty U.S. Navy missile destroyer named after him in his honor — yet, all that the Trump Administration will see him as is a name that deserves to be erased simply because he is Hispanic. This is a grave disrespect to Sgt. Gonzalez’s memory and a punch to the gut for South Texas and all of our servicemembers. Has the President no shame?” 

 

Declaración del Congresista Gonzalez sobre la Vergonzosa Eliminación de un Héroe Local, Sargento Freddy Gonzalez, del Sitio Web de la Historia Naval

EDINBURG, TEXAS – Viernes, Marzo 28, 2025, el Congresista Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) publico una declaración tras la vergonzosa eliminación del Sargento del Cuerpo de la Marina de Estados Unidos o “U.S. Marine Corps” Freddy Gonzalez, un respetado veterano de la guerra de Vietnam y originario de Edinburg, de la base de datos de la Historia Naval. Esto es debido a la eliminación de miles de registros de mujeres y minorías de los sitios web gubernamentales por parte de la Administración del presidente Trump.
 
“El Sargento Freddy Gonzalez sirvió a su país en la guerra de Vietnam, perdió la vida trágicamente a los 21 años mientras protegía a su pelotón. El Sgt. Gonzalez recibió la Medalla Presidencial de Honor por su valentía y sacrificio y tiene un destructor de misiles de la Marina de los EE. UU. en servicio activo nombrado en su honor. Sin embargo, la Administración del presidente Trump solo lo ve como un nombre que merece ser borrado simplemente por ser hispano. Esto es una grave falta de respeto a la memoria del Sargento Gonzalez y un golpe para el sur de Texas y todos nuestros militares. ¿Acaso el presidente no tiene vergüenza? 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Brooklyn, NY – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 where he highlighted that Donald Trump’s reckless handling of tariffs is creating chaos and raising costs and Democrats will continue to push back in support of American workers. 

ANDERSON COOPER: Joining me now is House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Leader Jeffries, what’s your response to these tariffs?

LEADER JEFFRIES: The Trump tariffs are going to raise costs on everyday Americans, in an environment where there’s already a high cost of living. Trump promised that he would lower costs, in fact, on day one. But what we’ve seen under his reckless leadership is that costs aren’t going down in America, they’re going up. Inflation is going up. The stock market is going down. Consumer confidence is going down. And the retirement security of the American people is going down. This is not Liberation Day in America. It’s Recession Day because Donald Trump’s reckless policies are driving us toward a painful recession.

ANDERSON COOPER: He’s saying, look, America has been taken advantage of by these other countries. He listed the tariffs they have on American goods coming into this country. And that long term, this is going to bring manufacturing back to America and make Americans wealthy.

LEADER JEFFRIES: We certainly need to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States of America, it’s something that we as House Democrats are committed to doing, building upon the work that was done in the prior administration. But these ham-handed tariffs done in such a over-the-top fashion is not strategic. Nothing that Donald Trump and Elon Musk and the administration have been doing over the last 70-plus days is strategic. It’s chaos. It’s crisis. It’s confusion. There’s a lot of corruption wrapped up into it and it’s causing great harm. They are crashing the economy in real time here in the United States of America.

ANDERSON COOPER: It’s not really a surprise he’s done this. This is what he ran on. Though the details obviously were kind of open ended until they were revealed today. Do you think that this is in any way just a negotiation tactic that, you know, essentially we heard from the Treasury Secretary, his advice to countries—all the countries of the world essentially is sit back, relax and take this and just let’s see how, you know, just take it for a while, take it in and, you know, just breathe deep.

LEADER JEFFRIES: They seem to want other countries in the world to behave like House and Senate Republicans who are just sitting back and taking it—orders from Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Not my expectation that you’re going to see countries around the world do that. And it’s unfortunate because there is an opportunity to work together in a manner that is designed to improve the economy. Listen, on the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised pretty much every day that he was on the campaign trail, that he’s going to lower the high cost of living in America. America right now is too expensive for everyday Americans, for hardworking American taxpayers, for young people. We have to do better. This is the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and we should not have a situation where people are struggling to live day to day, paycheck to paycheck, can’t get ahead and can barely get by. But what Donald Trump is doing through his mismanagement of the economy is actually making things worse, when he promised to make things better.

ANDERSON COOPER: The Senate voted 51 to 48 tonight to adopt a resolution aimed at blocking the proposed tariff on Canadian imports. Four Republicans, I mentioned, crossing the line to vote with Democrats. That’s not expected to go anywhere. Realistically, what can Democrats do to fight against this?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we have to continue to raise the public pressure so that the public is aware of the reckless nature of these Trump economic policies to hopefully give House Republicans some backbone as it relates to doing what is in the best interest of their constituents. I‘m thankful for what was done in the United States Senate. There was bipartisan support, and there would be bipartisan support in the House if congressional leadership were willing to allow the bill to be voted in an up or down fashion in the House. But we don’t expect that because House Republican leaders are basically taking orders from Donald Trump and Elon Musk. They don’t work for the American people. And that’s that’s shameful.

ANDERSON COOPER: Leader Hakeem Jeffries, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much.

Full interview can be watched here. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lloyd Smucker (PA-16)

WASHINGTON-Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11) and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07) are working to make federal workforce development programs more accessible to individuals seeking flexible online training and upskilling opportunities. Smucker, a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, and Mackenzie, a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, have introduced the Ensuring Opportunities in Online Training Act.

The bill would allow online training providers to qualify as eligible training providers under federal workforce development programs funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Although WIOA does not explicitly exclude online providers, many states currently require a physical presence for eligibility—effectively limiting access to online training options.

The new legislation would require online providers to meet the same quality standards as in-person programs and would also remove state-level barriers, allowing qualified online training programs to serve students nationwide. 

“Individuals looking to better themselves through federal workforce training programs should have access to high-quality training programs, no matter how they are provided. In the twenty-first century we cannot allow outdated and arbitrary regulations to prevent Americans from developing new skills, seek new opportunities, and live their American Dream. I thank Rep. Mackenzie for joining me in introducing this legislation and urge all our colleagues to support this commonsense measure,” said Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11). 

“Ensuring access to high-quality workforce development programs is essential for both workers and employers,” said Congressman Mackenzie (PA-07). “That’s why it’s important that workers be able to participate in these programs in a way that is both accessible and convenient. By expanding access to online workforce development training, the Ensuring Opportunities in Online Training Act will better equip American workers to fulfill the needs of our evolving economy.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lloyd Smucker (PA-16)

Legislation Would Expand Workforce Training Opportunities to Eligible In-School Youth