Legislative business last week in Washington kicked off with an important House Oversight and Accountability hearing with the United States Postal Service. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy appeared before the Committee on Tuesday to answer for the shortcomings of his agency.
It goes without saying that there is an incredible lack of efficiency in the USPS, as delays have affected all Americans. The USPS has a difficult job as their industry becomes increasingly reliant on shipping packages rather than smaller pieces of mail.
Moving forward, the USPS needs to catch up to the needs of Americans by prioritizing efficiency.
Letter to the GAO
As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce, I am dedicated to stopping financial mismanagement in our agencies. The Department of Defense recently failed their seventh consecutive financial audit.
I wrote to the Government Accountability Office, requesting them to analyze these results of the DOD’s audits and provide insights to my Subcommittee on progress in reducing waste, fraud, and abuse in the DOD.
Waco Wonderland Parade
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of riding in the Waco Wonderland Parade. Despite the rainy weather, the community came out to celebrate the Christmas season. We are blessed to live in a country where we can openly celebrate the birth of our Savior.
The Christmas season is a beautiful time to come together with our family and communities to share love and make memories. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a very Merry Christmas.
Honoring Congressman Burgess
In the midst of a busy week last week, I celebrated the unveiling of a new portrait to hang in the House Rules Committee. My friend and fellow Texan, Chairman Michael Burgess is retiring from serving the people of the 26th district of Texas and subsequently putting down the gavel at the Rules Committee.
I served as Chairman of the Rules Committee from 2013-2018 and spent a total of 20 years on the committee. Because of my time as Chairman, I also have a portrait hanging in the committee room. Congratulations on your retirement, Chairman Burgess.
Legislation of the Week
• HR 5009 — Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025.
Last week, we passed the National Defense Authorization Act for FY25. This legislation takes care of two issues: servicemember quality of life and bad policy.
By strengthening our military housing programs, ensuring access to medical care, enhancing employment support for military spouses, and increased access to childcare, this year’s NDAA will improve the quality of life for the men and women of our armed forces. Secondly, this legislation takes out the woke DEI policy pushed by the Biden Administration.
Our service members need to focus on their service to our great nation rather than teaching their children to accept transgenderism. The House Republican Conference has done great work in this legislation to take care of our military.
• HR 7673 — Liberty in Laundry Act.
The Biden Administration’s war on American energy has taken the power of choice away from the consumer. In an effort to push a radical rush-to-green agenda, the Biden Administration has issued rules on home appliances that drive up costs by discouraging the use of natural gas regardless of cost, reliability, or availability.
HR 7673 will prohibit the Department of Energy from enforcing energy efficiency standards for washing machines that are likely to result in additional costs to Americans. This bill reinforces consumer protection measures in current law and establishes clear prohibitions for regulations on specific appliances.
• HR 9625 — JUDGES Act of 2024
Our justice system is not moving at the speed of which it should. Right now, the caseload of our federal district judges across the nation is too large, causing delays in criminal and civil court cases.
To fix this, we passed the JUDGES Act to increase the number of federal district judges.
Pete Sessions represents District 17, which includes Trinity County, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
