I was blessed to be able to spend most of the past month in District 27, meeting with fellow residents and local leaders to hear about issues and develop solutions to take back to Washington.

The next several weeks will likely be a whirlwind of activity as Congress wraps up business for the year on a number of issues. A priority for me in these closing weeks is getting funding to secure our borders. I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue to represent you and will be working hard to make sure our district's needs and values are represented in upcoming legislation.

I was honored this past week to receive this seal from the United States Coast Guard, which will be displayed with pride in my office.

Which Issues are Most Important to You?

Newly elected Members of Congress will take office in January, but the current GOP majority in the House will continue to serve through December. There are many important issues still needing attention.

As the 115th Congress wraps up over the next several weeks, which issues do you feel are most important to address? Take this brief survey and let me know what you think.

House Republican Leadership

One task this past week was to select the House Republican Leader for the upcoming 116th Congress. I was pleased to support Jim Jordan, as he is a dedicated leader with a compelling vision for advancing conservative principles. However, Rep. Jordan’s bid fell short, and I congratulate Leader McCarthy and look forward to working with him to defend and promote the Constitutional conservative values that folks in our part of Texas hold dear.

While we may not hold the Speaker's seat in the next Congress, I will be working to protect our Constitutional liberties, oppose expansion of the federal government, vote against tax increases, and secure the U.S. border.

A Texas Energy Revolution

Our district is at the forefront of energy production, and this week's launch of liquified natural gas production at Cheniere's San Patricio export facility is great news for job creation across our region and for ensuring the energy security of our nation.

The United States relies on the Port of Corpus Christi to export American energy around the world, so I'm excited to see Cheniere's project taking off right here in our district and am committed both to maintaining our status as an energy dominant state and to improving the port's capacity to export American energy.

The United States benefits greatly from exports in significant ways:

More exports mean more energy production and related jobs in America;

Oil and gas exports will help our balance of trade – lowering our trade deficit; and

By selling American energy to our allies in Europe and around the world, it will reduce their reliance on Russian and Iranian oil and build stronger relationships between the U.S. and our allies.

The Cheniere LNG facility in San Patricio County: creating energy to export around the world - and jobs across our region

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