It’s Congressman Crenshaw checking in after another week that was, unfortunately, dominated by Democrat’s partisan impeachment inquiry.
While it seems like some of my colleagues in Congress have forgotten about what their constituents elected them to do – legislate for the betterment of our country – I haven’t. I continue to work every day to help Houstonians recover from Hurricane Harvey and improve Houston’s flood mitigation infrastructure. See below for some updates on that front.
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fighting for houston recovery
I’m pleased to see the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announce its investigation into a Houston home builder for possible land use violations in response to my request. The residents of Elm Grove and greater Kingwood deserve answers for their sudden and troubling uptick in flooding – especially when their homes did not flood during Hurricane Harvey.
Houston is growing rapidly, but we must ensure that we are developing and building responsibly. I look forward to USACE reaching a conclusion in their investigation, so that next steps can be taken to ensure Elm Grove Village and surrounding areas experience less flooding.
I also recently met with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and the Texas General Land Office (GLO) to discuss our shared goal of improving the process for receiving and implementing disaster recovery funds. I'm thankful to work with Secretary Carson, GLO, and other local, state and federal entities to address Houston's flood mitigation and infrastructure needs.
Disaster recovery wasn’t just a topic in Houston this week: the House voted on H.R. 3702, which would make the Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Relief program through the Department of House and Urban Development permanent. This is the same funding program that some of the Harvey recovery funds came from – ya know, the funds we have yet to see over two years after Harvey hit.
I voted against it, and here's my statement on why:
“The Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Relief, also known as CDBG-DR, is a program that is supposed to swiftly send federal funding to communities impacted by disasters. But unfortunately, as we know in Houston, this has not been the case. The Hurricane Harvey funding we were appropriated and promised is still stuck in regulatory quagmire. We will be lucky to see it by the third anniversary of Harvey.
“H.R. 3702 does nothing to fix the many problems with this particular type of funding, in fact it codifies them. Residents in Houston have had to suffer a long recovery process because of the massive delays this type of funding faces and the overbearing regulations that accompany it.
“The way we fix this process is by directing funding to FEMA instead of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. That’s why I cosponsored H.R. 1311, which would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure the federal government meets the needs of communities after a disaster. It simplifies the funding process and provides a crucial piece that is missing from the CDBG-DR funding: accountability.”
tips for recovery
FEMA is offering free rebuilding tips for storm/flood victims at local home improvement stores. If you’re a resident of TX-02 who was affected by Tropical Storm Imelda, be sure to stop by one of the Harris County locations, where FEMA representatives can advise you on repairing your home or business, making disaster plans, putting together supply kits, and the importance of flood insurance.
See below for the participating Harris County locations:
Lowe’s 19935 Katy Freeway Houston, TX 77094
Monday, Nov. 18 –Saturday, Nov. 30 Monday, Nov. 18 – Saturday, Nov. 23 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 – Wednesday, Nov. 27 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 28 Friday, Nov. 29 – Saturday, Nov. 30 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Home Depot 10600 Eastex Freeway Houston, TX 77093
Monday, Nov. 18 –Saturday, Nov. 30 Monday, Nov. 18 – Saturday, Nov. 23 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 – Wednesday, Nov. 27 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 28 Friday, Nov. 29 – Saturday, Nov. 30 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
McCoy Lumber Supply 6100 Red Bluff Rd. Pasadena, TX 77505
Monday, Nov. 18 – Monday, Nov. 25 Monday, Nov. 18 – Saturday, Nov. 23 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Home Depot 18251 Gulf Freeway Webster, TX 77598
Monday, Nov. 18 –Saturday, Nov. 30 Monday, Nov. 18 – Saturday, Nov. 23 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 – Wednesday, Nov. 27 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 28 Friday, Nov. 29 – Saturday, Nov. 30 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
here's the truth on drug pricing
One issue Congress agrees we need to address is the rising costs of prescription drugs. Not surprisingly, there is some disagreement on how we should address this issues. I worked with the House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Greg Walden to set the record straight on drug pricing. We’re doing a video series addressing H.R. 3, Democrats’ flawed drug pricing plan. Make sure to follow along as we continue addressing other issues with the legislation as well as our solutions to bring down drug prices.