By U.S. Rep. Bill Flores On Election Day, the American people sent a clear message. They no longer will stand for weaker national security, executive branch overreach, excessive regulation and the unbridled expansion of the federal government. After eight years of failed Washington policies, hardworking Americans rejected the status quo in Washington and they want to go a different direction. Over the past several months, I have been working with my fellow House of Representatives colleagues to ... Read more

By Reps. Bill Flores (R-Texas) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) It is not often you find a Democrat from the Green Mountain State and a Republican from the Lone Star State in Washington agreeing on energy issues, but when it comes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) we have found common ground in the fight to reform the ethanol mandate—a well-intentioned policy that has turned out to be an overwhelming flop for consumers, businesses and the environment. In response, we have jointly developed a bipartisa... Read more

Guest columnist- Bill Flores On Memorial Day, we remember the service of those brave military men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice defending and protecting our freedoms. These patriots’ service and sacrifice to our nation remind me of the words of Jesus in John 15:13 – “Greater love has no man than this, that he would lay down his life for his friends.” From the depths of the Pacific to the deserts of Iraq, more than a million American soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines have laid d... Read more

By U.S. Rep. Bill Flores The Declaration of Independence states that we have inalienable rights, among them, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these rights, our Founding Fathers believed that the top priority of the federal government is to provide for the common defense of our nation. Now, more than ever, the state of our national security is the number one issue on the minds of most Americans, and rightly so. The United States now faces an increasing number of ... Read more

By Reps. Bill Flores (R-Texas) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) The current ban on U.S. crude oil exports was signed into law by former President Ford on Dec. 22, 1975. That year, Olivia Newton-John won a Grammy, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Jaws” ruled the box office, the Vietnam War drew to a close, and America was suffering from gasoline shortages and the Arab oil embargo. Forty years ago, in a totally different geopolitical era, the ban on crude oil exports made more sense. The 1973 ... Read more

By U.S, Rep Bill Flores Over the past several weeks, Americans were shocked to see undercover videos of Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood’s senior director of medical services, discussing harvesting and trafficking organs from aborted babies—a disturbing practice that many did not know Planned Parenthood performed. Chatting casually while eating a salad and sipping wine, Nucatola displayed a cavalier attitude almost as unsettling as the brutal activity she described. Since then, eight mor... Read more

By. U.S. Rep Bill Flores The Obama Administration's proposed nuclear deal with Iran endangers the security of our nation and our allies. In mid-July, I read the text of the deal that was provided by the U.S. State Department along with the supporting documents that were available at the time. Subsequent to that review, I have also met with security and defense experts and with persons interested in the deal, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders. The result of the... Read more

By Congressman Bill Flores It is an exciting time for Central Texans as Pflugerville celebrates its 50th anniversary! Pflugerville has supported thousands of families, businesses and residents throughout its history, and I am proud to offer my congratulations on this milestone. Pflugerville has a rich history and has been an example of responsible and dynamic growth for decades. It started with its founder, Henry Pfluger, an immigrant who settled in the area after leaving his German homeland to ... Read more

BY: Rep. Bill Flores and Rep. Kevin Brady History shows that when America turns its back on free trade, the results are disastrous. Most notably in 1807, Congress passed a self-imposed, peacetime embargo that banned nearly all American exports, which subsequently resulted in the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) plummeting by five percent in just 15 months. In 1930, Congress passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, raising import tariffs to historically high levels. This action was one of the factors... Read more

BY: Rep. Bill Flores and Sen. Mike Lee Congress has a choice to make, with a deadline of June 30. It can either renew the authorization of the Export-Import Bank — a taxpayer-backed credit agency that picks winners and losers in the marketplace — or let it expire and begin the bank's orderly winding-down. As conservatives, we believe that one of Congress' top responsibilities is to protect taxpayers from corruption, waste and mismanagement. That is why we support letting Ex-Im expire. Congressio... Read more