Blog: The Hill Report: Week of September 2 - 6, 2013

Statement

This week, the ongoing situation in Syria continued to be at the forefront of our national debate. As you may have read in the news, President Obama announced that he will seek congressional authorization for any military action in Syria and House leaders have indicated that we will consider legislation next week. As your Member of Congress, I greatly benefit from learning the views of my constituents. Please fill out this short survey below to let me know your opinion on the President's proposal.

Constituent meetings in TX-32

Also this week, I enjoyed meeting with several constituents and groups during the last week of the August District Work Period. I have highlighted a few of my meetings below.

UT Southwestern Visit

On Wednesday, I had a very informative meeting with UT Southwestern President, Dr. Daniel Podolsky, and his team of neurologists. During our meeting, we discussed the great research and strides they have made regarding the treatment and diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). We also discussed my legislative initiative to help our nation's active duty soldiers suffering from TBI and PTSD, known as the "TBI Treatment Act." As you may remember, the my TBI initiative was adopted as an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriation Act and the National Defense Authorization Act this year.

Wylie Rotary Club of East Fork

On Thursday, I met with small business owners, residents, and elected officials of the Wylie and Sachse community at the Wylie Rotary Club of East Fork. This was my first opportunity to visit with this group and I was delighted to be named a honorary member. We discussed the fiscal issues facing our nation and the upcoming debates that will occur in Congress. I also expressed my ongoing concern with the growth in size and scope of the federal government, as well as my belief that certain issues can be best handled in the local government that knows the needs of its people best.

Exchange Club of Lake Highlands & Richardson Chamber of Commerce

On Friday, I was delighted to visit the Exchange Club of Lake Highlands and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce. During my meeting at the Exchange Club, the primary topic of conversation was the Continuing Resolution and debt ceiling debate that Congress will have in the coming weeks. There were also several concerns addressed regarding the US involvement in Syria.

My meeting with business leaders in the Richardson community focused on a Washington update, including the continued burden placed on small businesses from the Obama Administration's policies like ObamaCare. Businesses across our nation have stopped hiring, laid off workers, and cut employee hours to part-time due to the health care law's burdensome costs and regulations. I assured those in attendance that I will continue to fight in Congress to protect jobs by repealing and replacing ObamaCare. Additionally, we discussed the need to train our students in the fields of science and technology so that we can better compete globally and meet the growing needs of technology companies in Richardson.

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