Texas Travel

Statement

During the recent congressional recess, I enjoyed traveling home and visiting with Texans in several cities across our state. On the 4th of July, I had the honor of congratulating nearly 90 new U.S. citizens receiving the oath of citizenship aboard the USS Lexington, in Corpus Christi. It was a fitting location to commemorate Independence Day, and also join these new U.S. citizens as they celebrated the many freedoms and opportunities they could now, as Americans, claim as their own. Also on July 4th I joined soldiers, their families, and neighbors of the Fort Hood community for their annual Freedom Fest, an all-day festival paying tribute to our armed forces and their families and celebrating our nation's birth.

The following day I toured an offshore drilling rig 200 miles off the coast of Houston that is sitting idle due to the Administration's drilling moratorium. As a result of the moratorium, some companies have already relocated existing rigs from the Gulf of Mexico to foreign nations like Egypt and the Congo, taking with them much-needed American jobs and increasing our dependence on foreign oil. Later that afternoon, in Stafford, I visited Sunbelt Machine Works Corp., a small business that makes parts for rig companies. The employees at Sunbelt expressed their concerns to me about the impact the moratorium was having on their business and livelihoods, including reduced hours and potential layoffs.

Later in the week, I visited with the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, where I spoke with members and heard their concerns about the impact that Washington's economic policies are having on the San Antonio region. Finally, I traveled to St. Edward's University in Austin this past weekend where I spoke with Texas students attending the Red Cross Youth Leadership Development Conference about the importance of public service. Roughly half of the students attending were military dependents, who I can relate to as the son of a World War II veteran. These young people have faced a number of challenges, some dealing with deployed parents or frequent relocations. I was encouraged to see this commitment from our next generation of Texas leaders to making their communities a better place.

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