"Simply painting all police officers in broad strokes is not the right response – the vast majority of our nation’s police officers support and protect our communities."
Texas Insider Report: Conroe, Texas – How do we tackle injustice – racial, economic and other forms? How do we do more to heal our country? I believe that in order to enact real change, we need real solutions. We ought to come together – every party, everywhere – and not just address these issues, but prevent them going forward.
Of course, building trust between law enforcement and our communities will not begin in Washington – that will start at home. Having a healthy, engaging, challenging dialogue is the first step in creating tangible reforms.
However, simply painting all police officers in broad strokes is not the right response – because the vast majority of our nation’s police officers support and protect our communities. So rather than defunding the police – a dangerous idea with historically harmful results – we must invest more.
To prevent the bad apples from getting in, we should invest in attracting the right people. It’s not enough to terminate the bad officers after – let’s prevent them from being on the force in the first place. Plus, when it comes to good reforms, funding is necessary for things like body cameras, recruitment efforts, and anti-bias training.
Bottom line – let’s work towards the goals of protecting human dignity and civil liberties for all, insisting on equal treatment, keeping our communities safe and holding accountable those who abuse their authority.
Military Academy Breakfast honoring 8th Congressional District Appointees
This past weekend, I hosted my annual Military Academy send-off breakfast to honor the students from the Eighth Congressional District who were offered military academy appointments. It’s always a blessing to meet these exceptional young people who have a heart for service and who stand out from crowd because of their years of hard work, and to personally congratulate them on earning their prestigious appointments.
Our featured speaker this year was Lt. Col. David Yebra. The son of a Mariachi musician, Lt. Col. Yebra is a West Point Graduate and Army veteran who served our nation for 24 years. He was awarded four Bronze Star Medals during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and is now Director of the Training and Leader Development Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It was an honor hosting Lt. Col. Yebra, and listening to the wisdom he had to share with those following in his footsteps.
Although our celebration looked a little bit different this year, the accomplishments and triumphs of these students will always be something to celebrate, and I wish each and every one the best of luck on their next adventure!
The May Job’s Report
The May Job’s report is welcomed good news for the American people. 2.5 million jobs were added versus the 7.5 million projected loss, and the unemployment rate beat expectations.
It’s my hope that we have passed the trough of the pandemic’s damage. We will continue to improve as America’s economy reopens – but we must continue to focus on getting the 41 millions Americans currently without jobs back to work.
If we don’t reconnect workers to available jobs, more businesses will fail, the economic recovery will be slower, and the painful recession will last longer.Cong. Kevin Brady represents the 8th District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves as the lead Republican on the House Ways & Means Committee – considered by many to be the most powerful committee in Congress with jurisdiction over Taxes, Health Care, Medicare, Social Security, International Trade, and Welfare. While serving as Committee Chairman from November 2015 through January 2019, Brady authored and helped pass President Donald Trump's Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, reforming the U.S. Tax Code for the first time in more than 30 years, leading to the creation of millions of jobs while unemployment fell to its lowest level in almost 50 years and wage growth hit its highest levels in a decade. He is the former Chairman & Vice Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee.
