U.S. Representative Bill Flores (R-Texas) issued the following statements discussing important issues the Democrat-led House has not addressed in the 116th Congress:
“Throughout the 115th Congress (2017-2018), the Republican-led House passed and enacted critical legislation that grew our economy, spurred job creation, right-sized our federal government, improved our national security and created more opportunity for hardworking American families. That Congress generated over 400 bills which were signed by President Trump, about 99 percent of which were bipartisan. As a result, our families began to see a renewed confidence in America from that legislation which delivered historic tax reform, regulatory reform, a focus on military and national defense, resources to combat human trafficking, tools to fight the opioid epidemic, updated mental health reforms, modernized career and technical education programs, and increased funding for basic scientific research.
“During the transition to the new 116th Congress, I was hopeful that the Democrat-led House would avoid playing political games and work with Republicans to build on this successful record of improving economic growth, opportunity and security for all Americans. The House Democrat Majority, however, has spent much of this year jamming through hyper-partisan, failed liberal ideas from the past that would hurt economic prosperity and weaken our security. Instead of working with House Republicans and President Trump on issues that matter the most to hardworking Americans, they continue to delay the consideration of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement; and they have yet to properly address the crises on our border, prescription drug prices and infrastructure. Congress should be addressing these important issues in a bipartisan manner instead of wasting time with political show votes and wasting valuable legislative resources on investigations and impeachment activities related to President Trump.”
USMCA
“Free trade is critical to America’s promise, prosperity and safety – it opens new markets for American-made goods and fuels our economic growth. Replacing the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will modernize, strengthen and rebalance our trade relationships with Mexico and Canada to meet the needs of our 21st century economy. The USMCA will secure greater market access for American-made goods, resulting in bigger paychecks for farmers, ranchers and manufacturers right here in Texas. This revamped trade agreement will lead to freer markets, fairer trade and robust economic growth in North America. Nearly one million Texas jobs depend on this critical trading partnership with Mexico and Canada, and to unlock the benefits of a strengthened agreement, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat-led House must stop delaying and swiftly pass the USMCA.”
Crises on Our Border
“The root problems of our immigration, humanitarian and border security crises are the result of outdated and weak existing laws. Loopholes in current law and liberal court settlements are being exploited and are encouraging a massive influx of migrants to attempt to illegally enter the U.S. This, in turn, is putting an enormous strain on our resources at the border and leading to humanitarian challenges. To properly address these crises, Congress must work on solutions that ultimately secure our border and reform our broken immigration system to protect the safety and security of hardworking American families. Most Americans believe that ‘legal’ immigration is good for our country and our economy; and that Congress should focus on creating a 21st century immigration system. Every day of delay increases the burden on American taxpayers, forces legal workers to compete for wages with illegal workers, keeps the status of Dreamers in limbo, causes pain and suffering at the border, and weakens our national security. House Democrats must put hardworking families ahead of politics and work in a bipartisan manner with the White House to address the crises along our border and protect the safety and security of all Americans.”
Prescription Drug Prices
“The U.S. is a leader in medical innovation, and we should focus on ensuring that patients have access to new, innovative and lifesaving therapies. Too many Americans, however, are finding that the cost of the prescription drugs that they rely on is too high and puts their families’ finances under strain. Earlier this year, House Energy and Commerce Committee members and I worked in a bipartisan manner to move three innovative bills that would lower prescription drug prices for hardworking American families and our seniors. Unfortunately, prior to the vote on the House floor, these bipartisan bills were combined with a package of toxic, partisan bills that focused on bailing out the failures of Obamacare instead of the well-being of the patient. Rather than playing political games, Congress should be focused on passing bipartisan solutions that create an affordable and competitive marketplace for prescription drugs.”
Infrastructure
“Our nation’s aging infrastructure must be strengthened and modernized to meet the needs of the 21st century. In the last Congress, we had bipartisan success in improving our nation’s waterways, aviation system and technology infrastructure, including 5G and rural broadband. Yet, as our economy and population continue to grow, there is still a lot of work to be done to both expand our transportation infrastructure and repair our existing bridges and roads. When it comes to transportation, we must look toward long-term, innovative solutions that can extend the lifespan of current projects and remove regulatory obstacles currently hindering the build-out of new infrastructure. There is broad bipartisan support to strengthen our nation’s transportation infrastructure, however, House Democrats need to work with Republicans on solutions that President Trump will sign. Improving our nation’s infrastructure will create jobs, strengthen economic growth and competitiveness, and, most importantly, have lasting effects on our communities.”
In Closing
“While bipartisanship can and does happen in the House, the Democrat-leadership has unfortunately spent most of the past eight months focused on hyper-partisan bills and political messaging votes, including never-ending efforts to impeach President Trump. Hardworking Texas families expect and deserve more than this behavior. It is time that the House move past political gamesmanship and start working on solutions that improve economic opportunities and keep America prosperous, safe, secure and great.”
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