Welcome

Dear Friends,

It is my great honor to serve as your Congressman in the 23rd District of Texas. I appreciate your support and the trust you have placed in me has strengthened my commitment to fight for your needs and to work hard for new opportunities for our communities and our families.

Since I took office as your Congressman nearly two years ago, I promised to regularly visit each city and town. I have traveled the many highways and roads, visiting courthouses, city halls, businesses, schools and many homes. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many of you in our wonderful district.

But our work is not finished and once again I need your support in this election. With hard work and dedication, together we can win again and continue to move the direction of our country by fighting for the real change we need.

As we know, the 23rd Congressional District includes 20 counties and is one of the largest in our country. In Bexar County, the district extends from the south end circling around 1604 to northern Bexar County. We extend west and move 785 miles along the border from Eagle Pass to El Paso. Our district is home to the pristine wilderness of the Big Bend National Park, the Missions of San Antonio, the Fort Davis National Historic Site, the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, with the highest peak in Texas, and Amistad National Recreation Area, which is home to some of the greatest bass fishing in the world.

As I travel throughout our district, I have appreciated the unique diversity of our communities. The district includes many urban as well as many rural areas with many different needs and priorities. While our many communities may be different, I have also seen the many similarities we all have in common. We all share an appreciation for strong family values and hard work. We all want our children to have opportunities and we all want to make our communities better places to live.

I have a history of leadership in the fight for accessible and affordable health care since my days in the Texas House. It is very important to have healthy children, families, seniors and an able workforce. I have worked in a bipartisan fashion to reduce health care costs for individuals, families and small businesses is a priority.

As a former educator, the husband of a teacher, and the proud father of a recent college graduate, I have a unique insight in to the value of a strong education. I believe we need to invest, not only in elementary, secondary and college education but also in trade and vocational schools to get the skilled labor force needed for our future economic needs.

Previously, I served for eight years on the House Armed Services Committee. I currently serve on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. My support for our veterans' rights and benefits form some of my greatest accomplishments including the passage this year of my bipartisan Veterans Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Act, which increased benefits for disabled veterans and survivor families , some of who depend on it as their only source of income. I helped to fund the largest increase in the history of the Veterans Administration (VA) and have always demonstrated support for our active duty military families.

I need your help now more than ever because together we can seize this opportunity to create a brighter future for everyone. Together, we can create the changes we need in Congress and move our communities forward. Together, we will join the fight to focus on the real priorities facing us: affordable and accessible health care, improving the quality of our schools, affordable strong education, protecting our national security, conserving our lands and addressing our energy needs.

Let's continue to work hard and make sure the 23rd Congressional District keeps moving forward. I enjoy visiting with you and I want you to know your input is valued and appreciated. In a district this size, a race requires a great deal of resources to reach as many folks as possible. I have worked hard, I have shown you my willingness to meet with you and fight as hard as I can for your interests.

I hope I can continue to receive your vote and support. Time is short and we need to work hard to reach out to all of our friends in the 23rd Congressional District of Texas.