How Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill delivers for Texas on economy, border | Opinion

The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act delivers on many of Texans’ biggest concerns. Under President Joe Biden, our nation suffered from economic hardship and unprecedented illegal immigration. This bill delivers real solutions for these serious challenges.

The measure, which President Donald Trump signed into law July 4, tackles the economic hardship caused by the Biden administration’s reckless fiscal policies. Soaring inflation erased wage gains and hurt working-class families. That’s why I fought for the provisions in this bill that prevent the largest tax hike in American history and deliver meaningful tax relief to Texans.

Extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts delivers relief for taxpayers, families and small businesses. In the Fort Worth area, this bill blocks a looming 22% tax increase on taxpayers, protects more than 113,000 families from losing half of their Child Tax Credit and saves more than 65,000 small businesses from a possible 43.4% tax rate hike. Texans are already overtaxed — this bill puts hard-earned money back into their pockets.

Further tax relief comes with eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay, which will benefit over a million Texans. And many seniors will receive tax credits on Social Security benefits.

Additionally, during the Biden administration, we experienced the worst border crisis in U.S. history, with agents encountering more than 8 million people trying to enter the country illegally at our southern border. Texas cities were overwhelmed, human trafficking became a billion-dollar industry and deadly fentanyl poured across our borders.

Thankfully, Trump acted swiftly upon returning to office to end the illegal immigration crisis. Congress has worked closely with him, passing key legislation to support law enforcement and secure our borders. As a result, encounters at the southwest border have declined by 93 percent from when the Biden administration was in power.

The One, Big, Beautiful Bill builds on this objective by funding hundreds of miles of border wall and new security barriers. It also allocates funding to hire thousands of new Border Patrol, ICE and Customs officers. These investments will help combat illegal immigration, fight human trafficking and keep deadly drugs and dangerous criminals out of our communities.

The economic and immigration policies within the bill are all major wins for Texans; however, I’ve heard too many of my Democratic colleagues attempt to discredit this bill by spreading false claims about supposed cuts to Medicaid.

As a member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid policy, I can tell you that we are not cutting Medicaid for those who deserve to be on it. My Republican colleagues and I worked tirelessly to strengthen Medicaid for those who need it — the elderly, children, pregnant women and people with disabilities. To ensure Medicaid can continue serving our most vulnerable populations, we must eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse within the system.

Notably, the Congressional Budget Office found that 4.8 million able-bodied adults are receiving Medicaid despite choosing not to work. One study revealed that one of the most common activities for many in this group were watching TV and playing video games, often for more than 4 hours a day. How much time were these people volunteering, working, or looking for work? Less than 1 hour a day. This is a blatant abuse of Medicaid funding and services.

The One, Big, Beautiful Bill addresses this problem by introducing reasonable requirements for able-bodied adults to volunteer, work or look for a job for at least 20 hours a week. Encouraging people to volunteer and work not only benefits the individual but also ensures Medicaid can better serve those who truly need it.

In all, the many provisions of this bill are focused on reorienting the government to work for the people. Texans want a booming economy, lower taxes, a secure border and healthcare for those in need. The One, Big, Beautiful Bill delivers on these goals.

During more than a decade in the Texas House of Representatives, I fought for these same goals, and I’m proud to continue this battle in our nation’s capital. I have consistently voted to lower taxes, protect our borders and support those in need. I’m not changing now.

These policies are core principles of good governance and, if maintained, will continue to yield benefits for our nation.