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Originally Published in the Odessa American on June 27, 2025

After months of long hours, late nights, and strategic negotiations, House Republicans passed what will arguably be the most consequential legislation of our careers—the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The One Big Beautiful Bill is a commonsense, pro-growth solution that locks in President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, protecting hardworking Texans from devastating tax hikes. What Democrats won’t tell you about the bill is that if Congress fails to pass this legislation, families, farmers, and small businesses in TX-11 will face the largest tax increase in history. To put this into perspective, over 475,000 taxpayers in TX-11 are at risk, with the average taxpayer facing a 26% tax increase if this bill is not passed. In practical terms, an average family of four in TX-11 making an annual income of $67,226 would see their taxes rise by $1,293—roughly the cost of seven weeks’ worth of groceries.

Congress cannot allow this to happen. Failure to pass this legislation would deliver a crippling economic blow to every hardworking Texan. Extending the 2017 tax cuts through the One Big Beautiful Bill will keep tax rates low across all income brackets, preserve the child tax credit, maintain generous deductions for families, and ensure that small businesses continue to grow—not struggle under Washington’s weight.

While extending these tax cuts is a key component, the urgency of passing this legislation goes far beyond that. On our current path, the national debt is projected to reach $150 trillion by 2055. This is unsustainable by any measure and will harm every single person in TX-11. If we continue down this course, interest payments will crowd out critical federal spending, leaving future generations ill-equipped to meet their challenges. The One Big Beautiful Bill garners over $1.7 trillion in savings, righting the ship and steering us toward a leaner, more responsible federal government.

This bill also makes vital investments in border security— from $46 billion to complete President Trump’s border wall to funding 18,000 new immigration enforcement personnel who will detain and deport illegal aliens—making our country safer.

In addition to increased border funding, we secured $12 billion in reimbursements for border states forced to bear the brunt of the previous administration’s open-border policies. While these impacts were certainly felt nationwide, no state bore the burden more than Texas, which spent $11.1 billion on border security—$5.87 billion on personnel costs and $4.75 billion on border wall and barriers. When the federal government failed to secure our border and protect our communities, Texans stepped up. This bill finally ensures our state receives the reimbursement it’s owed.

Furthermore, this legislation commits almost $150 billion to rebuild America’s military and strengthen our national security—including $34 billion to revitalize our naval fleet and $25 billion for missile defense. If the past week has taught us anything, it is that America’s military is the best in the world. Congress must ensure our military is adequately funded to guarantee we have the capabilities to defeat our adversaries.

The One Big Beautiful Bill also kicks President Trump’s energy agenda back into high gear by opening federal lands for drilling, easing burdensome regulations, and eliminating hundreds of billions in Green New Deal subsidies that have made U.S. energy more expensive and less reliable.

These accomplishments are historic. In November, 77 million Americans demanded change, and the One Big Beautiful Bill will go down as promises made, promises kept. It will dramatically improve the lives of my constituents—restoring American energy dominance, delivering vital support to our farmers and ranchers, securing historic tax cuts for hardworking families, reining in wasteful government spending, and making the strongest investment in border security in decades.

We’ve done our job in the House. Now it’s time for the Senate to do theirs and uphold the major wins we secured. My constituents—and all Americans—are counting on it.