BlakeFarenthold

This opinion article originally appeared in The Caller Times As I travel throughout the district I represent in Texas, veterans tell me time and again the VA system is broken and they are not receiving the timely quality care they’ve earned. This failure is a national disgrace and must be fixed. I'm attacking this problem on two fronts: at home and in Washington D.C. Locally, I’ve assembled a group of top-notch “Red Tape Cutters” whose job it is to help people with problems dealing with the fede... Read more

This article originally posted on The Hill Imagine living in a country where individual privacy is not protected. Where local police officers can read your text messages without a warrant. Where state and federal officers can trick your cell phone into thinking it’s connecting to a cell tower when it’s really connecting to a device that gives big brother your location and the telephone numbers you’re calling. Where none of your cell phone use is private and some officers don’t need probable caus... Read more

Strengthening infrastructure will brighten economic future of Houston and U.S. The Kingswood Observer March 10, 2015 By U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (PA) Chairman - Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives; U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold (TX-27,) Member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; and U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36) Member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Our transportation network is something many Americans take for grant... Read more

The U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 7 states Congress "shall have power to establish post offices and post roads." Before the age of Internet and cellphones, mail was how we communicated with loved ones, did business and petitioned the government for a redress of our grievances. Today, our world is very different from when Benjamin Franklin was the postmaster general. The Postal Service is not working efficiently, losing $25 million a day as mail volume decreases and costs go u... Read more

If someone managing their family’s budget needed to make a 3% cut, they could choose to make it painful, or they could choose to make it easy. A family could forgo the household’s cable and watch television on Hulu. Or eat out less, use coupons to buy groceries, or rent a movie instead of going to see one. These are relatively easy savings that may be inconvenient, but they wouldn’t disrupt a family’s daily life that much. On the other hand, a family could decide the only way to cut 3% out of th... Read more

On September 11, 2012, four Americans, Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith and American security officers Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, were brutally attacked and murdered at an American compound in Benghazi, Libya. At the time, the administration blamed this senseless attack on a protest in reaction to an obscure internet video and failed to acknowledge what it really was - an act of terrorism.We know that within twenty-four hours the White House knew it was a te... Read more

On December 15th, 2010, Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed while on patrol in Arizona. This brave man gave his life in service to our country and was murdered with guns that, for all practical purposes, were handed to Mexican cartels by the very government he died serving. Today, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failure to produce documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious - an effort approved... Read more

This week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the most significant job creating legislation Congress will consider this year - the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act. The whole House of Representatives should take this bill up in a matter of weeks. Republicans and Democrats agree infrastructure funding is one of the keys to a vibrant economy. With unemployment steadily above 8%, it is imperative that Congress pass this bill that meets our transportation needs, ... Read more

The debate in Washington has changed. It's no longer whether to cut spending, it's about how much spending to cut. It's not whether the government is too big, it's how to reduce government so that Americans have fewer hassles, more choices, more money, and fewer worries. Enough is enough — we need a balanced budget.Last week, the White House demanded, for the fourth time since 2009, a "clean" debt limit hike with no spending cuts or reforms. That is not why America sent 87 new freshmen to Washin... Read more

Gasoline prices have more than doubled since 2008. Gone are the days of a leisurely Sunday drive or family road trip during summer vacation. High gas prices make life more expensive and most families have no way to cut back on their fuel use. We need affordable gas to drive to work, take our children to school, visit the doctor and do dozens of others necessary errands.Congress is working hard to lower gas prices.The solution is simple: We must increase our domestic supply. The federal governmen... Read more