January 22, 2018 Originally published on Houston Chronicle By Kevin Diaz WASHINGTON - The federal government is back in business and hurricane relief for Texas and other disaster-stricken states is back on the table. The agreement that ended a three-day government shutdown Monday breathed new life into a crowded backlog of issues, including a long-delayed disaster relief package that got caught up in a broader funding dispute. The Senate approved the deal 81-18, with all but a handful of holdout...
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Washington D.C. – Representative John Culberson (TX-07) released the following statement after the current Continuing Resolution to fund the government expired, resulting in a government shutdown: “The House passed all 12 appropriations bills and voted to keep the government open. The House has funded the military, law enforcement, and other essential government services and fully reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years. Unfortunately, the Senate has failed to p...
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By Mihir Zaveri | January 19, 2018 READ ONLINE After Hurricane Harvey killed dozens of people and swamped hundreds of thousands of homes, Houston leaders declared that major flood-control improvements could be put off no longer. Projects discussed for decades would be fast-tracked. The case for widening bayous, building new reservoirs and taking other measures to fortify Houston against extreme weather now was unassailable. Congress would provide the necessary go-ahead, and the money. That was t...
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by Abby Livingston Jan. 18, 2018 READ ONLINE WASHINGTON — Immigration policy. Border wall. Children's health care. The U.S. government teetered on the edge of a shutdown on Thursday as players from both parties tried to leverage those issues into passing a spending a bill. But once again, Hurricane Harvey disaster funding seemed to fall by the wayside in Congress as the two chambers scrambled to avert another crisis. Texans made headway in securing disaster funding just before the holiday break,...
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By Dug Begley and Mihir Zaveri January 16, 2018 Updated: January 17, 2018 12:58am READ ONLINE Texas' representatives in Congress and a handful of others are looking to revive earmarks - a now-prohibited congressional perk that led to accusations of patronage and corruption - to address some of Houston's flood and highway project backlog. Elected leaders in Congress are hoping to spark an earmark revival with a key hearing Wednesday in Washington. Supporters and opponents have both geared up for ...
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Washington D.C. – Representative John Culberson (TX-07) released the following statement today after he provided testimony on congressional earmarks before the House Rules Committee: “I strenuously oppose any effort to return to the secretive and abusive earmark process of the past. “Houston has suffered three catastrophic floods in the last three years, and we cannot wait another fifteen to twenty years to finish the flood control projects that must be built to protect our city. “Therefore, I r...
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Rep. Culberson joins 740 KTRH to discuss where he stands on targeted spending and how it can help Houston. During the interview, he discusses his proposal to restore the ability of Members of Congress to direct money towards flood control or highway projects when they receive a request from a local or state unit of government. Members of Congress would submit the request at the subcommittee level, and the request would go through the entire legislative process, out in the open, so that the publ...
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It's my job as a representative to be an advocate for my constituents. Since Congress holds the power of the purse, Members of Congress should be able to direct the Army Corps of Engineers to move more rapidly on a flood control project. The best way to do that is to target the spending for specific flood control projects, like a third reservoir in West Houston, and put time limits on the project so that the Army Corps of Engineers has to act. This is a matter of life and death to protect people...
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Watch my full comments on the floor here. Washington D.C. – Rep. John Culberson (TX-07) released the following statement today after the House passed H.R. 4667, which will provide $81 billion in federal assistance for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, calendar year 2017 wildfires, and for other purposes. “I am greatly encouraged at the passage of the Disaster Recovery Supplemental bill today. This is a tremendous step in the right direction as we continue to rebuild, recover and press ahead t...
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Ahead of Thursday's vote in the U.S. House was more than a day of frustration and second-guessing as some in the Texas delegation questioned whether their state's continued needs were being neglected.
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