Fireside Sessions
Welcome back to my weekly update from Washington. This week, the House continued its work on fiscal responsibility, housing affordability, and oversight of the federal bureaucracy. This week the house completed its responsibility on passing all twelve of the annual appropriations bills.
House Republicans focused on tangible cost-of-living challenges, particularly housing affordability, while also exercising Congress’s constitutional oversight authority to ensure transparency and compliance from executive branch agencies and officials. These efforts reflect a broader commitment to strengthening governance, enforcing the rule of law, and advancing policies that support economic stability and national security.
Housing affordability, government accountability, and effective oversight are not abstract concepts. They directly affect whether families can buy homes, whether taxpayer dollars are used responsibly, and whether federal agencies fulfill their missions as directed by Congress. This week’s work underscores the importance of steady, disciplined legislative engagement while broader funding negotiations continue.
Thank you for staying engaged and for the thoughtful feedback many of you shared throughout this process. I remain committed to tackling these challenges with transparency, a readiness to work across the aisle, and a steadfast focus on protecting taxpayers and strengthening the long-term economic health of Texas and our nation.
Financial Services Committee Hearing on Housing Affordability
The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing overseeing the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Administration, examining how federal housing programs can better expand supply and improve affordability. The discussion highlighted how the Housing for the 21st Century Act aims to streamline housing development, modernize federal housing policy, and address cost-of-living pressures facing American families.
In short, this administration has refocused HUD on its core mission of lowering housing costs, expanding supply, enforcing the law, and protecting taxpayers by reversing years of regulatory overreach and mission creep, reducing federal micromanagement, and cutting bureaucracy, including shrinking HUD’s workforce from 8,573 in 2023 to 6,105 in 2025 through the elimination of duplicative roles and non-essential hiring.
This week, we also held a successful markup advancing a strong slate of legislation united by a clear theme: modernizing financial and housing markets, responsibly integrating new technologies like artificial intelligence, strengthening safeguards against financial crime, reducing outdated and duplicative regulations, and empowering small businesses, community banks, and investors while protecting market stability and national security.
Oversight Committee Full Business Meeting
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform convened a full business meeting to consider resolutions related to compliance with congressional subpoenas. This action reinforced that oversight authority is a core constitutional responsibility of Congress and that compliance with lawful subpoenas is not optional. The committee advanced these measures through a bipartisan process, underscoring that accountability applies regardless of party or position.
Chairman Sessions Meeting with Congressman Dusty Johnson
Chairman Sessions met with Congressman Dusty Johnson as part of his ongoing leadership engagement with Members to strengthen coordination and support across Congress. In his role, the Chairman works closely with colleagues on issues within the subcommittee’s jurisdiction, including postal policy, to ensure effective oversight, continuity of operations, and responsive service to constituents nationwide.
Sessions In the News
- ABC → https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/gop-rep-pete-sessions-jack-smith-testimony-greenland-129466725
- Newsmax → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mSL-scwxPs
- NewsNation → https://youtu.be/gOf6eo6Nn4I
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