Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of American energy independence and the oil and natural gas workers of south Texas.

This act is a crucial step to holding China accountable and repositioning the United States as a global energy leader.

It is essential that we recover our energy independence and stand up for Texas' workers who have unfairly suffered as a result of this administration's misguided policies that have emboldened regimes like China and Venezuela's narco-dictatorship.

The decision to prioritize a foreign energy over our own puts American workers, our industries, and our country at a disadvantage. Protecting American energy will strengthen both our economic and national security.

I stand fully committed to fighting for all the natural gas and oil workers in south Texas and across our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to share my priorities for south Texas.

It is an honor to stand in the people's House. Being here as a single mother and the granddaughter of a Mexican farmworker shows that all things are possible in America through faith and hard work.

That is why I am proud that my first vote is to protect small businesses in south Texas from IRS overreach, which disproportionately hurts low-income Americans and communities like mine. The last thing we need is 87,000 IRS agents harassing south Texans.

Families are struggling. Single moms are struggling. Our Border Patrol lacks resources. After a century of one-party control in my district, we still have entire counties without doctors.

I pledge to work in a bipartisan manner to address these challenges during my time here; to promote prosperity for all Americans, regardless of their race, gender, or creed; and to keep the American Dream alive for the next generation, so help me God.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here today as a single mother and a small business owner in support of the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act.

One of the most outrageous provisions in the Democrats' hyperpartisan Inflation Reduction Act was giving the IRS $72 billion to hire an additional 87,000 agents. Look, the hiring of 87,000 new IRS agents only squeezes American taxpayers, including small business owners like myself, the backbone of our communities.

My colleagues on the other side, let me tell you this: I live and work and now represent a border district that houses a Border Patrol sector. They need feet on the ground. They have the same number of agents on the ground as compared to 3 years ago. Why aren't you fighting that hard for these agents?

The Biden administration will tell you that they have increased agents, but they have only increased agents in the processing and administration, which ultimately has led to the mental health deterioration.

The American people deserve a government that works for them, not against them.