Newsletter: Water Breakthrough and Protecting Constitutional Rights

Resources / Newsletter Share on Newsletter: Water Breakthrough and Protecting Constitutional Rights May 19, 2026 Newsletter One Step Closer to Water for Corpus Christi! A major breakthrough was achieved in bringing water to Corpus Christi last week when the Trump Administration announced the removal of a $30 million cap that previously served as a prohibitive hurdle to large-scale funding of projects, such as proposed desalination in Corpus Christi. This previous cap made federal funding for large-scale desalination projects virtually impossible. It is no secret that the Coastal Bend is in need of long-term water solutions, and I am thankful for the Trump Administration, specifically the Bureau of Reclamation, in getting us one step closer to making desalination a reality through this cap removal and increased funding for the WaterSMART program. I have worked closely with the Bureau of Reclamation and President Trump in making this a priority through years of meetings, legislative requests, and most recently, as part of President Trump’s visit to Corpus Christi earlier this year. I’m looking forward to our continued work together to make this project funding a reality for Corpus Christi. Read the full press release here See an interview on the cap removal here Questioning the ATF Director The House Oversight Committee met last week to question ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and Explosives) Director, Robert Cekada, on the recent failures of the bureau in protecting gun owners’ data and 2nd Amendment rights. The hearing specifically focused on recent data leaks as well as malpractice by the Biden Administration’s ATF. In addition, it touched on reports from 2021 that the ATF was processing more than 54 million out-of-business gun records per year. A follow-up investigation from my office revealed that nearly 921 million records had been collected and were being scanned into a digital, searchable database. I questioned Director Cekada on the current scope of the ATF’s data practices and what reforms are being implemented to better safeguard Americans’ privacy and constitutional rights. In our conversation, Director Cekada also admitted that the ATF has recently purchased a subscription to a cellphone data service that could track online activity, but has not developed guidelines for its implementation. You can be assured I will be following up with the Director on this new revelation as well as on the letter I sent this past November regarding an illegal national gun registry. I look forward to working with Director Cekada in ensuring that the ATF reforms its errors of the past and once again prioritizes safety rather than harassment. See the full line of questioning here 4th Amendment Not for Sale While data sales and purchasing were at the center of debate regarding FISA Reauthorization weeks ago, protecting 4th Amendment rights once again took center stage in the House Appropriations Committee as we passed language to block federal law enforcement from buying personal data last week. This is a major short-term win in protecting constitutional liberties. Congress never authorized intelligence agencies to buy their way around the 4th Amendment. Purchasing location data or gun purchase records of US citizens with no probable cause without a warrant isn’t a loophole — it’s a violation. Our first job in Congress is to keep the American people free, and I was happy to speak in favor of this amendment and see this reform added to the bill. This necessary protection came through during the mark-up of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations (CJS) mark-up last week. As we look forward to an upcoming FISA Reauthorization deadline, we need to be focused on securing long-term 4th Amendment protections in the process. See my remarks on this Amendment here Taskforce Exposing Institutions Seeking to Undermine American Government & Society Allowing rampant discriminatory, ideological, and abusive agendas to take over our schools, places of work, and government programs has caused Americans to distrust almost all of our country’s fundamental pillars. DOGE helped expose some of the deeply rooted waste and decay in our programs and institutions, but now we need to do the work in uncovering who was pushing and funding these harmful agendas in the first place. I’m honored to join Congressman Brandon Gill as a Member of the newly formed Oversight Committee Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses. For too long, Congress has ignored basic responsibilities to protect institutions and ideas that make up the fabric of our society. This task force will examine the efforts by institutions, governmental bodies, and foreign actors in perpetuating illegal race-based discrimination, abusing welfare programs, and suppressing Americans’ speech. I’m looking forward to our future work on this task force in highlighting the institutional rot taking place across the country and hol