U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry // Serving the People of the 13th District of Texas

U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry Sen. John Cornyn Wichita Falls Times Record News http://www.timesrecordnews.com/opinion/national/a-victory-for-all-american-private-property-owners-26a1fdc8-e081-3877-e053-0100007f6c98-361683461.html Imagine that you had worked hard to purchase a piece of property, pay your taxes on the land, and plan to pass it along to your children for their use and enjoyment. All seems well until an agency of the federal government decides that it really owns your land and swoops in ... Read more

Dear Friends, The federal government’s fiscal year ends on September 30, and, as usual, there are a number of controversial issues related to federal spending. The following chart summarizes how the federal government spent your money during the last fiscal year. Here is another look at the different categories of spending over time. As you can see, a large majority of federal spending – about two-thirds – is spent in mandatory programs, also known as entitlements and interest on our national de... Read more

Dear Friends, Sally and I are praying for the families of the Marines who were gunned down yesterday in Chattanooga and for the citizens of Tennessee. We ask our service members to risk their lives on our behalf when we deploy them to foreign lands to fight our enemies. They understand the inherent risks that come with the jobs they do, and that is part of what makes their voluntary service so incredible. They should not have to fear for their safety when they come home to their families. The FB... Read more

Since mankind’s earliest days, we have traded. Exchanging a goat for some wood or stone was an essential means of survival. Some groups or individuals have always been better at some tasks than others. The same is true among nations today. Whether it is differences in climate, natural resources, or stage of economic development, some countries are better able to produce certain goods than others. Buying and selling goods among them helps raise the living standards of everyone. In the U.S., we do... Read more

Each year, I have the opportunity to nominate several local high school students to attend the nation’s military service academies. These young men and women are some of our best and brightest, not only because of their athletic skills and academic records but because of their character and desire to serve their country. These candidates come from all over our part of Texas, and they make me even more hopeful about America’s future. A nomination is not an automatic ticket to any of the service a... Read more

Effective Action Against Extremists The Washington Post By Chairman Thornberry January 11, 2015 Full text below "Last spring, first lady Michelle Obama held a sign that said “#BringBackOurGirls,” a response to the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria by an al-Qaeda cousin called Boko Haram. The girls are still missing. In December, members of the Pakistani Taliban murdered 132 schoolchildren and 10 staff members in Peshawar. "Last week in Paris, gunmen attacked a newspaper that had published... Read more

A new school year is just around the corner. Now part of what school districts, administrators, and teachers are preparing for is far-reaching federal food mandates. Most of us have mixed memories of the food we ate in the school cafeteria. Some of it was more to our liking than others as the school tried to balance cost, convenience, nutrition, and tastiness. (I confess that I never ate the lima beans). Few disagree with the importance of people of all ages trying to eat a healthy, balanced die... Read more

All of us who grew up on the land know how precious our American private property rights are. It is not just about our business or finances. It is also about self-reliance and stewardship – taking care of what we have in order to provide opportunity and the chance for a better future for coming generations. That sense of responsibility for the future makes threats to our property rights alarming, especially when those threats come from our own government. And there is a growing momentum toward f... Read more

One of my family members was recently in the hospital (and is doing great). Spending some time around those doctors, nurses, technicians, and volunteers reminded me what a special calling medicine and health care is. The doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals were amazing, not only in their professional skill, but also in their caring. We all tend to take that for granted until we or someone we love needs them. But if you talk to someone involved in health care, you soon find out t... Read more

If there was ever any question that the security situation in the world is constantly changing, these past five years provide undeniable evidence. It must be clear even to Barack Obama that the world he hoped and wanted to find is not the world as it is. In the real world there is evil, aggression and opportunism willing to exploit any perceived weakness. Whether it is Vladimir Putin’s Russia, al-Qaeda, North Korea, Iran,China, or others, there are adversaries ready to pounce on any opening offe... Read more