Op-Ed

*As seen on House Republican Conference's 9/11 Guest Blog Series. It’s a day Americans have said they will never forget. I was at the Pentagon when Flight 77 hit the building on September 11th, 2001. Tensions were already high after the first two planes hit the World Trade Center less than an hour earlier. By the grace of God, I wasn’t on the Pentagon’s side of impact – though I should have been. The terrorists missed the front where I was and deviated from their target. I remember rushing outsi... Read more

VIEW WASHINGTON EXAMINER ARTICLE HERE April 16, 1966. It was on this day 50 years ago, during my second tour in North Vietnam, that I took off on my 25th mission with the United States Air Force. And it was on this fateful mission that my co-pilot, Chesley, and I were shot down over enemy territory, captured, and imprisoned as POWs in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.” Nearly seven years of my life were ripped from me – time away from my wife Shirley, our three children, and the country I love. Perhap... Read more

VIEW WASHINGTON EXAMINER ARTICLE HERE One thousand and seven hundred-plus miles. That's the distance between 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and the Texas border city of McAllen, Texas. President Obama has never been there, which is perhaps why it is so easy for him to ignore the impact that his lawless executive amnesty is having on my border state of Texas and the country as a whole. Well I did see firsthand the extent of Obama's man-made illegal immigration crisis. I saw it when I led a congressiona... Read more

VIEW ARTICLE ON "POLITICO" HERE They say behind every great man is a great woman. With the Stockdales, it would be more accurate to say, "Beside Jim was Sybil." She was a great woman, wife, mother, and patriot, and her efforts during the Vietnam War continue to benefit every American military family today. The first time I met Jim Stockdale was my first night in the infamous Prisoner of War (POW) camp, the Hanoi Hilton. It was April 1966. I had just been put in a cramped cell after spending time... Read more

Throughout the anemic Obama “recovery,” one of the bright spots in the economy has been the oil and gas sector. At a time when many Americans were struggling with unemployment or underemployment, this industry has provided good paying jobs. In Texas, the oil and gas industry is responsible for nearly 2 million jobs and more than 20% of the state’s economy. Yet today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding a public hearing in Dallas on a series of new proposed regulations on the oil... Read more

By U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson As Americans, we are truly blessed to enjoy freedom in its many forms – the freedom of speech, the freedom to bear arms, and the freedom of religion, just to name a few. But as you may often hear, Freedom is not free. After all, the Land of the Free is only as strong as its protectors and defenders – our troops and veterans who have put their lives on the line. Many have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Memorial Day is particularly important to me because it is a time... Read more

Every day our Collin County community is growing and thriving with new people and new businesses. In fact, we’re one of the fastest-growing regions in the country! But anyone driving in our community knows we have an unwelcome neighbor: the growing use of tolls in our area. It seems like nowadays we’re surrounded in every direction by toll roads. And while the Dallas North Tollway, Sam Rayburn Tollway, and President George Bush Turnpike are all necessary roads to commute to and from work or get ... Read more

As Chairman of the Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee, one of my priorities is to protect Americans' identities by protecting their Social Security numbers. If you have ever had your identity stolen, you know about the frustration, hassles, and struggles you have to deal with as a result of this crime. Victims can spend years having to prove who they are, including fixing their credit reports and dealing with the IRS. And in a good many cases it wouldn’t have happened if their Social Se... Read more

Illegal immigration is one of the biggest issues facing America – and Texas – today. Last summer, an unprecedented number of children and families entered our country illegally. This crisis was a direct result of President Obama’s 2012 decision to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants. As a border state, Texas is paying a heavy price in both precious taxpayer dollars and resources to secure the border. What’s worse, communities across the state are bearing the financial burdens associated with las... Read more

Human trafficking, the world’s modern-day slavery, is a very real problem. But it’s not just happening overseas. Women and children are being sold into sex slavery right here in our own backyard. I wish I could say these evil traffickers hadn’t made their way to Collin County, but unfortunately they have. You may be surprised to know that human trafficking – a $32 billion a year industry – is second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable transnational crime. Worse yet, children are the ... Read more