"Texas continues to work around the clock to provide all necessary resources to those affected by the 8 Ball Fire in the Panhandle, and I thank the Trump White House & FEMA for swiftly approving the funding," said Gov. Abbott, adding, "And, thank you to our heroic emergency personnel for their efforts to protect their fellow Texans." As of this morning, the 8 Ball Fire had burned an estimated 13,000 acres and forced evacuation of some 400 homes while over 1,100 were threatened.

Senator John Cornyn, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) – chairman of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee – and 57 other Republicans have joined together to back Louisiana A.G. Liz Murrill’s lawsuit against the FDA to protect women and their unborn children nationwide from dangerous chemical abortion drugs, including mifepristone. The effort is endorsed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life, and the National Right to Life organization.

Governor Greg Abbott today announced that an NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) electric power generation plant to be constructed at the existing NRG Greens Bayou facility in Harris County has been designated as a qualified project under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation (JETI) program. The new 455-megawatt natural gas facility represents $617 million in capital investment.

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration, today announced National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) President Paul Perez as his guest for President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress next week. The State of the Union address will take place on Feb. 24.

If there were an award for the most counterproductive tax increase in modern history, it might be Washington state's estate tax. Enacted last year, the rate is 35%, which as even the liberal Seattle Times admits "is by far the highest in the U.S." That comes on top of a 40% federal estate tax.  Why would anyone with more than $50 million in wealth die in Seattle when they can move to Utah or Florida or Texas or several other dozen states and pay absolutely nothing?  

Governor Greg Abbott announced a Skills Development Fund (SDF) grant award totaling over $163,000 to Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Through this grant, Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area will provide customized training for 66 new and current workers at Tekscend Photomask Round Rock Inc. for high-demand occupations in machinery manufacturing.

​​​​​​​“Through this program, families will receive funds to send their children to a school that is the best fit for them," said Gov. Greg Abbott, celebrating Texas' record-breaking demand for school choice with over 100,000 Texas families submitting applications to the Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA) Program. This marks the nation's largest launch of allowing eligible students to direct funding toward their choice of educational providers.

Publisher Will Lewis resigned after owner Jeff Bezos announced a restructuring of the once-influential newspaper that closed the entire sports section. One third of the staff was fired, including at least 300 newsroom journalists. This has been part of a pattern in the industry for several years, especially as younger people now get their "news" from the internet or read and watch only those outlets that reinforce what they already believe. As a result, advertisers have also fled.

The record-setting demand for school choice in Texas hit a new milestone this weekend. The program is not first come, first served. Families who apply before the March 17 deadline will have an opportunity to participate. If demand exceeds available funding, funds will be allocated through a lottery that prioritizes students with disabilities and students from low- and middle-income households. The timing of a family’s application has no bearing on their position in the lottery.

Governor Greg Abbott today supported U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner in directing the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity to launch an investigation into the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) for potential violations of the Fair Housing Act. Governor Abbott and the State of Texas continue to take action to uphold the rule of law and defend Texas communities from any threats posed by EPIC.

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) introduced the Community Bank Relief Act. The Community Bank Relief Act raises the $10 billion asset threshold for covered bank issuers and ties it to an annual cost-of-living adjustment measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to enable more community banks to remain exempt from the Durbin restrictions, allowing them to strengthen their financial flexibility and ultimately reduce costs for American families.

Last week in the Washington Times, I addressed the heartbreaking tragedy unfolding in Iran and the brutal reality of a regime that answers peaceful dissent with bullets and prison cells. For 47 years, since 1979, Iran’s rulers have exported terror, fueled instability across the Middle East, and oppressed their own people with impunity. I also wrote about a truth that history has proven time and again: Peace is not preserved by weakness.

Last week, I proudly voted to pass the "SAVE America Act" to secure U.S. Elections. It's common sense that only Americans should be able to vote in American elections, and this legislation ensures just that. Every single Democrat who voted against the bill proved they'd rather let Illegal Aliens tip the election scales, than protect your vote. Without everyone presenting a valid ID when voting – your legitimate vote means nothing. It's called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility "SAVE" Act for a reason.

Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) joined officials at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) to commemorate a $2 million investment to expand drone testing and operations infrastructure at the University’s remote facilities in Fabens and Tornillo, Texas. Congressman Gonzales secured the funding through his seat on the House Appropriations Committee. 

The national competition challenges students to craft compelling scary stories in just 100 words. Carefully crafted story starters help young writers overcome the blank page and begin writing quickly, while the word limit encourages them to sharpen vocabulary and make intentional plot choices. The genre invites students to experiment with character, viewpoint, tension and structure. Jazmin’s winning entry, titled “I Don’t Want What You Have I Wanna Be You,” tells the haunting story of a narrator who discovers her own name on a missing persons list.

Governor Greg Abbott announced earlier today a $4,162,550 Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) grant to Arm Inc. for an expansion of their Austin campus for a new Semiconductor Lab with failure analysis capabilities. The expansion is expected to create over 320 jobs, and represents more than $71 million in Capital Investment. Arm’s Austin operation is central to designing advanced processors for mobile, cloud, and data center applications. 

“Programs in Minnesota for welfare and childcare were designed to channel resources into protecting vulnerable children, but were treated like an open ATM by criminals. The mass fraud in Minnesota shows that American taxpayers can no longer rely on Local & State politicians to prevent abuses, because those politicians have electoral and partisan incentives to look the other way," said Sen. Ted Cruz, as he, Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the "Payment Integrity Act."

This wasn’t just some regulatory tweak. President Donald Trump just delivered a knockout punch to Obama-era climate hysteria, and the bureaucrats are having a total meltdown. On Thursday, the Trump administration finalized rules repealing the EPA’s "Endangerment finding" — that dubious 2009 determination claiming six greenhouse gases threaten human health under the Clean Air Act.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock today announced that Texas will double its investment in Israel bonds from approximately $140 million to $280 million, marking the largest one-time investment in Israel bonds in Texas history and elevating the state from the 6th-largest to the 2nd-largest U.S. state investor in the securities. Texas has invested in Israel bonds since 1994.

Governor Greg Abbott announced Davie Defense Inc. will expand their shipbuilding capacity in Galveston and Port Arthur to build Arctic icebreakers, creating more than 2,400 new jobs and representing more than $730 million in capital investment. A Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) grant of $21,771,000 has been extended to Davie Defense. Davie Defense intends to make its Texas operations ground-zero for the revitalization of the American shipbuilding industry.