Washington Week Wrap Up

Dear Neighbor,

Although the House has been in recess this week, I am sending a special edition of the Washington Week wrap up to share a few thoughts on the news you may be following.

As you know, last weekend, people across the country and around the world again witnessed agents of the United States government brutally kill an American citizen in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the second time in less than three weeks. This is unacceptable, unconscionable, and un-American.

Like so many of you, my heart has been heavy all week thinking of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old American citizen who worked as an Intensive Care Unit nurse at a VA hospital, his family and friends, and the brave people of Minnesota who are mourning while also continuing to fight for their community, for our country, and for our Constitution, as Alex was when he was tackled, restrained, and shot to death.

There can be no justification, no explanation, no interpretation that supports the actions of the Customs and Border Patrol agents in that moment. We saw what happened.

What there can be is mobilization by people across this country—of all political affiliations or no affiliation at all—to put an end to the occupation of cities and states in this country and the lawlessness of the Trump administration.

The rights and freedoms our founders enshrined in the Constitution, the ones that generations of Americans have fought and died to secure, are under assault from an administration that believes it will not be held to account.

Americans can prove them wrong. The Congress must act. The courts must act. The citizens must act. That is what American democracy is all about. It is what this moment calls for. And it is what we stand to lose if we do not.

Last weekend’s events have shaped the discussions in Washington this week. And although the House recessed last Friday, the Senate was in session to take up the Government spending bills that I wrote about in last week’s update.

Update on Government Funding. Currently, six of the twelve government funding bills for this year have been signed into law and the remaining government programs and agencies are funded by a temporary funding bill through today. The Senate is today considering the remaining fiscal year 2026 House-passed appropriations bills ahead of today’s deadline, including bills for defense and national security, health and human services, labor, transportation, housing, foreign affairs and international aid, as well as a resolution to continue funding homeland security (including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)) for two weeks while Senators revise the funding bill the House passed last week to add reforms that Senate Democrats—and, more important, American citizens—are demanding.

As of this writing, the Senate is considering those funding requests today, but the House of Representatives will have to vote on them again on Monday. As a result, the government will likely experience a partial lapse in funding this weekend—that is, a partial government shutdown. The current expectation is that the partial shutdown will be short and that the significant impacts we would typically experience during a shutdown will not go into effect. The White House Office of Management and Budget has said it plans to order a partial government shutdown at midnight tonight. This is, however, a developing situation subject to change. If the partial shutdown extends further into next week—which it may—I will share additional information and guidance once I have it.

Although the House was not in session, I have worked to address some of the issues here, meeting virtually with colleagues this week. I’ll send a full report of legislation and letters next week, but as I mentioned in a statement I issued last weekend, I have now added my name to a resolution to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (H.Res.997). As a former member of Congress and former Governor, Secretary Noem should know that the rights of the people are paramount. Secretary Noem has failed to protect the American people, and she has put them in danger: escalating violence, facilitating lawlessness, and enabling the occupation of American cities.

I have also called on Congress to rescind the $75 billion in funding that Congressional Republicans directed to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last summer, and to do much more to investigate, conduct oversight, and reign in the abuses we have seen throughout the Trump administration and at the same time to protect the fundamental rights and liberties that have defined the United States of America for 250 years. There is no time to wait. I will continue to do all I can in Congress and in our community.

It was good to be back home in Houston this week, where I was able to meet with people from across our community about a range of issues. I was especially grateful to sit down with advocates for immigrant communities and with faith leaders across our community to talk about the challenges facing our community and country.

On Wednesday, I conducted a congressional oversight visit at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Houston Contract Detention Facility, one of the primary immigrant detention facilities in Houston, an adults-only facility that houses men and women. Several members of our TX-07 team and I toured the facility, including dorms, visitation areas, and the medical ward to observe the quality of care for those detained and to ask questions about access to family, counsel, and congressional assistance, as well as to highlight some of the concerns we have heard from constituents and have experienced in trying to assist our constituents. Congressional oversight of the ICE detention centers at a time when ICE is increasing its activity and arrests across the country is critically important. The Trump administration has worked to limit access to these facilities, but I will continue to exercise my Congressional oversight duties and work to address the many failures in the system.

This morning, I stopped by the Houston Public Media studio to share my thoughts on these matters and more with Craig Cohen on Houston Matters. You can hear the whole thing at the link below.

Also this week, I had the pleasure of recognizing and celebrating the students that I have nominated to the United States Service Academies from our district this year. It is a privilege to nominate these bright, dedicated students, and this year’s nominees have demonstrated their commitment to service and excellence through academics, community engagement, and leadership. Their patriotism and dedication to service represent what is best about our country, and we need them now more than ever.

I will return to Washington for next week’s votes on government funding and more, and I will share an update with you at the end of the week.

As always, I am proud to represent you and I am here to help you. Please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email here at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,