Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the people of north Texas for trusting me with the sacred responsibility and opportunity to represent them for the last 6 years. It has been an honor of my life to serve the great people of north Texas,…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the people of north Texas for trusting me with the sacred responsibility and opportunity to represent them for the last 6 years. It has been an honor of my life to serve the great people of north Texas, who I was born and raised among, and to have done it with so many great colleagues.
I was born and raised in Dallas by a single mom who was a public schoolteacher. It wasn't always easy for us, but because of our community, because of my family, because of my teachers, my coaches, and the good folks at the YMCA, I was able to make it. I played Division 1 football at Baylor University. Afterwards, I made the team on the Tennessee Titans and spent 5 years as a linebacker. I eventually went to law school and became a voting rights attorney, and I proudly served the Obama administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
For the last 6 years, it has been my greatest honor to represent my hometown of Dallas and all the communities across the 32nd District from Dallas to Richardson to Addison to Mesquite to Garland, communities big and small across the DFW area. The folks in north Texas have always been my inspiration to get things done.
I am so proud of all the things we have done together. Working with folks in both parties, we secured the Garland VA Medical Center. It took over a year, but after countless meetings, phone calls, letters, and false starts and stops, we got it done. Together, we created thousands of good-paying jobs in north Texas and are helping to better serve our veterans and get them the care they have earned. This is one of my proudest accomplishments, and I will continue to support local efforts to invest and expand the facility.
We passed historic legislation that will help north Texas and the country for years to come: the CHIPS Act, the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the pandemic relief legislation that helped save our economy in a time of deep crisis.
We lowered the cost of healthcare and kept the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 a month. We invested in high-tech manufacturing, job training, and clean energy that is helping Texas create thousands upon thousands of jobs.
Because of our efforts, more Texans will have access to economic opportunities to enter the middle class and to live their version of the American Dream.
During my time in office, I made a point to introduce legislation that was focused on helping people. From voting rights to ensuring veterans can access their benefits to cutting red tape and helping government work for people, I am so proud that together we worked to pass 50 of the bills I cosponsored into law. That doesn't include the dozens of amendments, committee work, or administrative actions that we had a hand in helping to get done.
We ran a constituent-first office that was focused on cutting red tape for people and helping them get the services and help they needed from their government. From helping folks with Social Security to assisting veterans to helping our businesses, big and small, keep people employed, I am proud that we closed over 4,300 cases and saved Texans more than $57 million. I am also personally proud to be the first Member of Congress to ever take paternity leave and to hopefully set an example for all new dads who will follow me.
Though this is the end of a chapter for me, I am reminded that our democracy is great because it doesn't begin or end with one elected official. It is not about one person. It never has been.
We are caretakers. We are guardians of the great American experiment and protectors of this democracy.
I know that Congresswoman-elect Julie Johnson will serve the people of the 32nd District with honor. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have worked with me over the years, people who I know will keep working in a bipartisan way to represent and deliver for their constituents.
I remember the legends and icons I have had a chance to serve with, Members like Eddie Bernice Johnson to John Lewis.
I also could not have done this without my wife, Aly, and my two boys, Jordan and Cameron, who have helped me every step of the way.
I thank my staff, who have been on my team and on my side since the very beginning. I am so proud that we have had one of the lowest turnover rates of any office in Congress. My dedicated staff are public servants who have
helped us serve people here in Washington and in Dallas.
This was always personal for me, Mr. Speaker. It wasn't just another district; it was the place where I was born and raised, where I went to high school, where my family lives.
Mr. Speaker, we served during a time of great uncertainty: a pandemic and an insurrection. There is more uncertainty to come, but I believe in this country. I believe in the people of north Texas. I know that God will continue to bless Texas and our great country.
