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John Culberson
RTo be claimed
Former Member, Appropriations Committee, United States House of Representatives
Member, Congressional China Caucus
Member, Congressional Taiwan Caucus
Member, Constitution Caucus
Member, House Republican Israel Caucus
Member, Immigration Reform Caucus
Member, Judicial Activism Working Group
Vice-Chair, National Republican Congressional Committee
Member, Republican Steering Committee
Member, Republican Study Committee
Former Chair, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Homeland Security, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, United States House of Representatives
Member, Tea Party Caucus
Member, TEX-21 Congressional Caucus
Member, United States-China Working Group Caucus
Member, Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus
Former Member, Appropriations Committee, United States House of Representatives
Member, Congressional China Caucus
Member, Congressional Taiwan Caucus
Member, Constitution Caucus
Member, House Republican Israel Caucus
Member, Immigration Reform Caucus
Member, Judicial Activism Working Group
Vice-Chair, National Republican Congressional Committee
Member, Republican Steering Committee
Member, Republican Study Committee
Former Chair, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Homeland Security, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, United States House of Representatives
Member, Tea Party Caucus
Member, TEX-21 Congressional Caucus
Member, United States-China Working Group Caucus
Member, Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus
Astrological Sign:
Virgo
— Father's Name:
— Father's Occupation:
Priority Issues:
Strengthening the economy by cutting taxes, Creating jobs, Balancing the budget, Securing the border, Advancing medical and scientific research, Improving Houston transportation
1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life
1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- No
2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- No
1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No
2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- No
1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes
2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No
Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No
Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- Yes
1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- Yes
2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- Yes
Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- No
1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- Unknown Position
2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- Unknown Position
1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
2. Abortions should be illegal when the fetus is viable, with or without life support.
- No Answer
3. Abortions should always be legally available.
- No Answer
4. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer
5. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- X
6. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X
7. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and notification requirements as decided by each state government.
- X
8. Prohibit the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial birth" abortion.
- X
9. Prohibit public funding of abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- X
10. Support "buffer-zones" by requiring demonstrators to stay at least five feet from abortion clinic doorways and driveways.
- No Answer
11. Provide funding for family planning programs as a means to decrease the number of abortions.
- No Answer
12. Other
- No Answer
1. Agricultural
- Slightly Decrease Funding
2. Arts
- Eliminate Funding
3. Defense
- Slightly Increase Funding
4. Education
- Slightly Increase Funding
5. Environmental
- Slightly Decrease Funding
6. International aid
- Greatly Decrease Funding
7. Law enforcement
- Slightly Increase Funding
8. Medical Research
- Slightly Increase Funding
9. National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA)
- Greatly Increase Funding
10. National Parks
- Slightly Decrease Funding
11. Scientific Research
- Greatly Increase Funding
12. Transportation and Highway Infrastructure
- Slightly Increase Funding
13. Welfare
- Slightly Decrease Funding
14. Other
- No Answer
15. Would you support enforcing the spending limits agreed to in 1997 by the President and Congress to balance the budget?
- Yes
1. Armed Forces personnel training
- Slightly Increase Funding
2. Covert intelligence operations
- Slightly Increase Funding
3. Defense plant conversion
- Slightly Increase Funding
4. Military hardware
- Slightly Increase Funding
5. Military space shuttle missions
- Slightly Increase Funding
6. Pay for active duty personnel
- Greatly Increase Funding
7. National Missile Defense Program
- Greatly Increase Funding
8. Modernization of weaponry and equipment
- Greatly Increase Funding
9. Programs to improve military retention rates
- Greatly Increase Funding
10. Research and development of new weapons
- Greatly Increase Funding
11. Troop and equipment readiness
- Greatly Increase Funding
12. Other
- No Answer
1. Defense
- Not a Priority
2. Education
- Lowest Priority
3. Federal debt reduction
- Highest Priority
4. Medicare
- Medium Priority
5. Social Security
- High Priority
6. Tax cuts
- Low Priority
7. Other
- No Answer
1. Less than $25,000
- Greatly Decrease
2. $25,000 - $75,000
- Greatly Decrease
3. $75,000 - $150,000
- Greatly Decrease
4. Over $150,000
- Greatly Decrease
5. Other
- No Answer
6. Over $40, 000
- Greatly Decrease
7. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Decrease
8. Capital gains taxes
- Eliminate
9. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
10. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Decrease
11. Gasoline taxes
- Slightly Decrease
12. Inheritance taxes
- Eliminate
13. Charitable deductions
- Slightly Increase
14. Medical expense deductions
- Greatly Increase
15. Mortgage deductions
- Slightly Increase
16. Child tax credit
- Slightly Increase
17. Earned income tax credit
- Slightly Increase
18. Student loan tax credit
- Slightly Increase
1. Do you support replacing the current U.S. income tax structure with a flat income tax?
- Yes
2. Should a married couple filing jointly pay the same taxes as if they were an unmarried couple filing separately?
- No
3. Would you cut taxes if there were an operating surplus?
- Yes
4. Would you cut taxes and use Social Security surpluses to supplement the difference?
- No
5. Other
- No Answer
1. Support public taxpayer funding for congressional candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
- No Answer
2. Increase the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
- X
3. Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
- No Answer
4. Provide free or low-cost television advertising to candidates who agree to voluntary campaign spending limits.
- No Answer
5. Ban unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
- No Answer
6. Prohibit non-U.S. citizens from making soft money contributions to national parties or party committees.
- X
7. Require full disclosure of funding sources of issue advocacy commercials which appear within 60 days of an election.
- X
8. Make campaign spending limits mandatory for all federal candidates.
- No Answer
9. Remove all contribution limits on federal candidates and parties, but require complete and immediate disclosure via the Internet.
- X
10. Require congressional candidates to raise over half of their campaign money from their home state.
- X
11. Other
- No Answer
1. Broaden the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- X
2. Increase spending to build more federal prisons.
- X
3. Impose "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
- X
4. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X
5. Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
- X
6. Increase penalties for crimes committed on school grounds.
- No Answer
7. Increase funding for community policing programs.
- No Answer
8. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- No Answer
9. Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, and disability be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
- No Answer
10. Enforcement of civil rights should primarily be the responsibility of the federal government.
- No Answer
11. Prosecute as adults, youths accused of a felony.
- X
12. Provide block grants to states for implementation of programs to combat juvenile crime.
- X
13. Impose harsher penalties for youths convicted of violent offenses.
- X
14. Support the use of "boot camps" as alternative sentencing for juvenile offenders.
- X
15. Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
- No Answer
16. Other
- No Answer
1. Increase penalties for selling illegal drugs.
- X
2. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
- No Answer
3. Support capital punishment for convicted international drug traffickers.
- X
4. Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
- No Answer
5. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer
6. Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
- X
7. Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs."
- No Answer
8. Other
- No Answer
1. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- No Answer
2. Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any publicly-funded school.
- No Answer
3. Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
- No Answer
4. Allow parents to use tax-free savings accounts to send their children to any publicly-funded school.
- No Answer
5. Allow parents to use tax-free savings accounts to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
- X
6. Support charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- X
7. Promote education flexibility by giving federal funds, in the form of block grants, to the states to spend it as they see fit.
- X
8. Increase funding for block grants to states to help them hire additional teachers.
- X
9. Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- No Answer
10. Increase funding for computers and computer training in public schools.
- No Answer
11. Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- No Answer
12. Eliminate restrictions on federal education funding, giving educators or local school districts more flexibility to design and implement their programs.
- X
13. Support affirmative action in public college admissions.
- No Answer
14. Eliminate federal financial aid for individuals convicted of drug offenses.
- X
15. Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
- X
16. Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
- X
17. Other
- No Answer
1. Provide tax credits for companies that move job-creating industries into areas with high unemployment.
- X
2. Increase funding for national job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- No Answer
3. Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- X
4. Establish empowerment zones in areas with large numbers of unemployed people.
- No Answer
5. Eliminate any federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
- No Answer
6. Increase the federal minimum wage.
- No Answer
7. Encourage employers to offer flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
- No Answer
8. Provide tax credits for businesses that offer on-site child care.
- X
9. The federal government should consider race and sex in making government contracting decisions.
- No Answer
10. The federal government should continue affirmative action programs.
- No Answer
11. The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
- X
12. The federal government should utilize merit and qualifications in making government contracting decisions.
- X
13. Other
- No Answer
1. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
- No Answer
2. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
- No Answer
3. Waive environmental review requirements for grazing permits.
- No Answer
4. Revise the 1872 mining law to increase the fees charged to mining companies using federal lands.
- No Answer
5. Require states to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses of privately owned land.
- X
6. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
- No Answer
7. Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline or diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- No Answer
8. Promote the selling of pollution credits between nations to encourage industries to decrease pollution levels.
- No Answer
9. Strengthen logging restrictions on federal lands.
- No Answer
10. Reduce current federal regulations on the environment.
- No Answer
11. Give states added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environment regulations.
- X
12. Other
- No Answer
1. Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
- No Answer
2. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
3. Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- X
4. Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
5. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- X
6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- No Answer
7. Increase penalties for the possession of any illegal guns.
- X
8. Hold gun owners responsible for crimes committed with their guns by children age 16 and under.
- No Answer
9. Raise the minimum age for ownership of handguns from 18 to 21.
- No Answer
10. Require background checks of gun buyers at gun shows.
- No Answer
11. Require a license for gun possession.
- No Answer
12. Other
- No Answer
1. Providing health care is not a responsibility of the federal government.
- X
2. Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income.
- No Answer
3. Support health care strategies focused on prevention, including health education, and natural medicines and remedies.
- No Answer
4. Support a Patient's Bill of Rights to define and enforce the rights of insured patients, including greater access to specialists and emergency rooms, wider choice of health care providers, and appeal mechanisms when claims are denied.
- X
5. Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes the right to sue when claims are denied.
- No Answer
6. Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes the right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- X
7. Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
- X
8. Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts, which would be taxed if used for purposes other than medical costs.
- X
9. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- X
10. Allow states and local communities to use federal funds for needle-exchange programs to combat the spread of HIV.
- No Answer
11. Provide citizens age 55-65 the option of purchasing Medicare health coverage.
- X
12. Support legislation to provide prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
- X
13. Increase funding for AIDS programs.
- No Answer
14. Other
- No Answer
1. Decrease the number of immigrants allowed into the country.
- X
2. Increase the eligibility of legal immigrants for certain social programs (e.g. public housing, food stamps).
- No Answer
3. Require the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to reduce the time between applying for citizenship and taking the oath of allegiance to six months.
- No Answer
4. Provide extra federal aid to states with higher numbers of immigrants for necessary medical and social services.
- X
5. Prohibit states from passing laws that deny human services (medical care, education) to illegal immigrants or their children.
- No Answer
6. Grant U.S. citizenship to children born in the US only if their parents immigrated legally.
- X
7. Increase the immigration quota for computer scientists and other information technology workers.
- X
8. Establish English as the official national language.
- X
9. Support the separation of the INS into two bureaus: one administering naturalization and one administering border patrol.
- No Answer
10. Increase state autonomy in handling immigration issues.
- X
11. Reimburse states for providing services to illegal aliens.
- X
12. Other
- No Answer
1. Aid should be granted to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
- No Answer
2. Aid should be granted to countries when it is in the security interests of the U. S.
- X
3. Aid should be granted to countries that are close allies of the U. S. and in need of financial/military assistance.
- X
4. Aid should be eliminated for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
- No Answer
5. Aid programs should be scaled back and eventually eliminated except for extraordinary circumstances.
- No Answer
6. Other
- No Answer
1. The U.S. should resolve future disputes with Iraq only through diplomatic means.
- No Answer
2. The U.S. should take unilateral military action if Iraq does not comply with all accepted United Nations resolutions.
- X
3. The U.S. should take military action against Iraq only as part of an international effort.
- X
4. The U.S. should end the economic embargo against Iraq.
- No Answer
5. The U.S. should not continue to play a prominent leadership role in the peace process between Israel and the Palestine Authority.
- No Answer
6. The U.S. should continue to play a prominent leadership role in the peace process between Israel and the Palestine Authority.
- X
7. Other
- No Answer
8. The U.S. should participate in United Nations peacekeeping missions only when vital U.S. interests are involved.
- X
9. The U.S. should not commit military troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
- No Answer
10. The U.S. should withdraw completely from the United Nations.
- No Answer
11. The U.S. should pay its debt to the United Nations.
- No Answer
12. Should the U.S. have full diplomatic relations with Cuba?
- No
13. Should the U.S. have full diplomatic relations with China?
- Yes
14. Should the U.S. recognize and extend full diplomatic relations to Taiwan?
- Undecided
15. Should the US maintain ground troops in Kosovo?
- No
16. Do you support the cooperative threat reduction programs with Russia to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to unfriendly nations?
- Yes
17. Do you support modifying the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in order to deploy the National Missile Defense System?
- Yes
1. Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
- Yes
2. Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?
- Undecided
3. Do you support continued U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO)?
- Undecided
4. Do you support China becoming a member of the World Trade Organization?
- Undecided
5. Do you support imposing tariffs on products imported from nations that maintain restrictive trade barriers on American products?
- Undecided
6. Should a nation's human rights record affect its normal trade relations (most favored nation status) with the United States?
- Yes
7. Do you support normal trade relations (most favored nation status) with Vietnam?
- No
8. Do you support granting the President "fast-track" authority in trade negotiations?
- Undecided
9. Do you support the trade embargo against Cuba?
- Yes
1. Do you believe there has been a decline in moral and ethical standards in America over the last four decades?
- Yes
2. If Yes, please explain what you would do as a member of Congress to address this concern.
- No Answer
1. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage themselves.
- X
2. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts managed by private firms contracted by the government.
- X
3. Invest a portion of Social Security's assets collectively in stocks and bonds instead of U.S. Treasury securities.
- No Answer
4. Increase the payroll tax to better finance Social Security in its current form.
- No Answer
5. Lower Social Security's annual cost-of-living increases.
- No Answer
6. Limit Social Security benefits based on recipients' other income and assets.
- No Answer
7. Require individuals to pay the Social Security tax on incomes above $68,400 (which is currently exempt).
- No Answer
8. Support a lock box measure, limiting Congress's ability to spend Social Security and Medicare surpluses on any other federal programs except Social Security and Medicare, until each program's long-term solvency is guaranteed.
- X
9. Other
- No Answer
1. Continuing the moratorium on Internet sales taxes.
- X
2. Implement regulation of Internet content by the federal government.
- No Answer
3. Support on-line voter registration.
- No Answer
4. Support voting on-line.
- No Answer
5. Support government mandates to curtail violent and sexual content on television.
- X
6. Support strict penalties for Internet crimes such as hacking and Internet violence.
- X
7. Support strong Internet privacy laws.
- X
8. Regulating the Internet should not in any way be controlled by the federal government.
- No Answer
9. Other
- No Answer
Do you support amending the Constitution to limit the number of terms which members of Congress can serve?
- Yes
1. Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
- No Answer
2. Provide homeless families with apartment vouchers they can use to supplement the cost of an apartment.
- No Answer
3. Continue to give states and local governments responsibility for welfare programs through TANF block grants.
- X
4. Maintain current welfare-to-work requirements in order for states to qualify for block grants.
- X
5. Restore food stamp programs to legal immigrants.
- No Answer
6. Transfer homeless housing programs to states through block grants.
- X
7. Provide continued Medicaid benefits for those welfare recipients who have moved from welfare to work.
- No Answer
8. Require states to return any unused welfare block grant funding to the federal government.
- X
9. Direct federal poverty aid through religious, community-based or other non-profit organizations.
- X
10. Other
- No Answer
Please explain what your top two or three priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to implement these priorities.
- No Answer
Latest Action: House - 12/19/2018 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 12/11/2018 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 10/10/2018 Referred to the Subcommittee on Social Security.
Tracker:By John Culberson One year ago, Houston came to a standstill. Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast on Aug. 25 and, over the days that followed, proceeded to dump record amounts of rain on our city, county and region. The devastating floods that followed have become synonymous with Harvey. While Houston was experiencing its worst, we saw the best of our Texan spirit. The nation saw our neighborhoods, communities, city, county and state band together to lend each other a helping hand. Whether it was a boat, food, shelter, clothing or a simply a hug or shoulder to cry on, Houstonians and Texans were there for each other. As members of Congress representing the Houston region, we went back to Washington, D.C., committed to get relief for you -- our neighbors and constituents. By remaining united and working with our colleagues from other states and territories that experienced devastating storms, we secured a package of bills to provide $141 billion for the victims of last year's hurricanes, a large portion of which is headed to Texas. In fact, we wrote the bills in such a way that it put Houston at the front of the line for much of these federal funds. Recovery from a storm like Harvey is a long and complex process. It requires coordination at all levels of government to take a multi-pronged approach that addresses the immediate and long-term needs. The funding package we helped secure provides money for short-term needs, like housing, home repair grants and rental assistance. It also included enough money for the National Flood Insurance Program to meet all claims filed as a result of the 2017 hurricane season. The funding package also addresses long-term projects that will make our region more resilient to flooding in the future, including funding for a comprehensive study of Buffalo Bayou and tributaries a regional study of our watersheds. We are already seeing the money for long-term recovery and projects to rebuild a stronger, more resilient city, flow into southeast Texas. The city, county and state have developed action plans for over $5 billion in Community Development Block Grant -- Disaster Recovery funds that will help individuals rebuild. In July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also announced federal funding for long-term investment in flood control infrastructure from the hurricane relief bill packages. Texas is receiving nearly $5 billion, and there is enough to finish every federally authorized flood-control project in Harris County at full federal expense. That means the completion of projects on Brays Bayou, Clear Creek, Hunting Bayou and White Oak Bayou will be expedited. The second phase of construction on the Greens Bayou Flood Risk Management Project is also proceeding with completion expected in 2020. The Army Corps of Engineers also announced studies that will investigate potential flood-control projects, which is the first step in further strengthening and expanding our flood-prevention infrastructure. Preventing flooding has always been a high priority for us as the federal policymakers for Houston; however, it took on new urgency after Hurricane Harvey, because it created a distinct line of separation: before Harvey and after Harvey. We live along the Gulf Coast on land that is as flat as a pool table, and the reality is we will experience future storms. While we cannot completely eliminate the potential of future flooding, we can work together on solutions to mitigate the risk as much as possible. While we hope that Harvey was a once-in-a-lifetime storm, we must think critically about the future of our flood-control systems and infrastructure to better protect families, homes and businesses. As your representatives in the federal government, we are in constant contact with our state, regional and local officials to find solutions that will strengthen our flood-control network. Houston came together during the storm and it will require us to remain united in order to become more resilient to future storms.
By John Culberson Our communities are only as strong as our weakest link. Right now, there are people in Houston suffering from an addiction to opioids. This creates a ripple effect that impacts their families and friends and their communities overall. As the opioid crisis becomes more urgent and troubling, I am working with Republicans and Democrats in Washington to deliver resources to help combat this public health crisis. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 3,000 Texans died from overdosing on opioids in 2016. That was an increase of 7.4 percent from the previous year. I refuse to accept these numbers. The United States needs a comprehensive approach to fighting this disease focused on treatment and recovery, prevention, and empowering our hard-working law enforcement officers. Republicans in Congress put forward dozens of bills over recent weeks in an effort to combat this growing epidemic. A total of 53 bills were combined into one package called the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. SUPPORT stands for Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment. This package of bills, passed with bipartisan support, takes a holistic approach to help those suffering from opioid addiction. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities ACT addresses a multitude of issues such as research and education on less addictive pain management, offering more peer support and recovery programs, and empowering the medical community to help fight the growing epidemic. The cornerstones of the bill focus on prevention, treatment and recovery, protecting communities, and fighting fentanyl. Key provisions include changes to Medicaid and Medicare, such as requiring state Medicaid programs to implement safety controls for patients seeking opioid refills and monitor prescriptions for possible abuse. The SUPPORT ACT also encourages better care coordination among doctors and providers in an attempt to identify people who may be at risk of abuse and get them help more quickly and effectively. The bill also incentivizes doctors to seek alternatives to opioid drugs when helping patients manage their pain. Other components of the bill package include ensuring our law enforcement officers have the tools they need to get drugs off the streets and out of our communities. At the same time, we have tried to ensure access to pain medication for chronic pain sufferers with legitimate needs. Combatting opioid abuse is something Congress is taking seriously. In addition to this bill, Congress took action earlier this year by inserting nearly $4 billion in funding to combat opioid abuse in the 2018 Omnibus. As the only member of the Appropriations Committee from Southeast Texas, I was proud to help shepherd this bill through Congress. Along with combatting opioid abuse, the Omnibus funded many important initiatives such as flood and storm prevention programs. The funding in the Omnibus will help law enforcement better combat the crime that results from this type of drug addiction, support more treatment programs, and help stop the flow of illegal drugs into the country by funding new and innovative technology at the border and ports. We are taking important steps in Congress to help solve this growing and troubling epidemic. It's my hope the Senate will work quickly to pass the SUPPORT Act so it can be signed into law. This will not be the last thing we do, and every little piece helps chip away at this growing threat. I continue to pledge to work with my Republican and Democrat colleagues and those across the aisle to develop solutions to the opioid crisis. I know that by working together we can fight this crisis, get help to those in desperate need, support their family members and caregivers, back law enforcement officers who are on the front lines, and protect the future of our communities. Culberson is the representative for Texas' 7th congressional district.
By: Kevin McCarthy and John Culberson In Puerto Rico, the Army Corps of Engineers is helping to restore electricity after an island-wide blackout. Yet, because of the Stafford Act -- one of the federal government's foremost pieces of disaster relief legislation -- the Corps faces strict limits. While it would be better to upgrade many of the destroyed aluminum power transmission towers to galvanized steel, the Stafford Act bars upgrading and only allows for repairs and replacement of the original structures. The result? Regulatory limitations are stopping Puerto Rico from recovering smartly and leaving it susceptible to future hurricanes. These barriers to rebuilding aren't limited to Puerto Rico -- infrastructure development across the United States is continually obstructed by regulatory hurdles and deficiencies in the law. Just look at Texas -- with the help of the Texas delegation we successfully secured $141 billion total in emergency supplemental funding to help all the Texans, Floridians and Puerto Ricans impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. We carefully crafted the bill to ensure it has enough money to finish every federally authorized flood control project in Southeast Texas. Of these funds, $17.4 billion is dedicated to the Army Corps of Engineers, and, while the money is there, one of the greatest limitations the Corps faces is a massive backlog of construction projects caused by regulations. Neighbors and local businesses remain extremely vulnerable to a future flooding as we move into the 2018 hurricane season. The truth is, the disaster supplemental funding will go a long way toward reducing the project backlog in Harris County and other impacted areas to make Houston more resilient; yet even after we have the funding we need to clear the backlog of projects in Harris County and Texas, regulatory reviews and requirements cause project approvals to move at a glacial pace. Instead of allowing our top thinkers and builders to determine what updates, repairs or projects best prepare America for the future, our current infrastructure programs force everyone to fit their plans into a pre-fabricated Washington box. We can't accept that, and we will work every day to ensure funds aren't only allocated, but actually get to those who need it most. President Donald Trump made infrastructure a fundamental plank of his campaign because as a builder, he understands how important American infrastructure is to our economy and how it is crumbling before our eyes. We're the most innovative country in the world, yet it takes years to build a highway off-ramp, water projects are bogged down for decades in endless environmental reviews and permitting delays, and our rail system is becoming dangerously run-down. After the passage of historic tax cuts for Americans at every income level, Trump got right back on the trail, making the case most recently in Ohio for renewed infrastructure investment so we can start building again -- on time and under budget. Congress passed and Trump has already signed into law a $20 billion down payment on the president's infrastructure plan. This money will be immediately available to rebuild roads, bridges and dams, as well as begin deployment of new digital infrastructure. That was just the start. Next week, the House will vote on a Federal Aviation Administration authorization, which will include major provisions to rebuild America's infrastructure with a focus on disaster-stricken areas. This legislation will include the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA), which will fundamentally reform the Stafford Act by shifting funding toward preparing for and mitigating disasters rather than merely responding. And while we rebuild, we'll do it with an eye to the future. DRRA will allow communities to build back stronger and more prepared for a potential disaster, which is an update from current law that says structures can only be built back to their previous standards. This legislation would set aside a percentage of federal relief dollars to rebuild more resiliently, potentially saving lives and taxpayer dollars in future recovery. In order to be eligible for these mitigation funds, the project must be proven to reduce future risk and remain cost effective. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, and for every dollar spent on smarter mitigation we can save anywhere from $4 to $8 in the cost of future recovery. Even more important, those numbers don't include the intangible relief when people come home after a natural disaster to find their families safe, their homes intact and their communities quickly on the mend. By modernizing the regulations governing disaster relief and reforming the Stafford Act, recovery builders can focus on how to use every dollar most effectively to prepare our communities for the future, not on the outdated mandates to rebuild infrastructure just the way it was before. With future-facing reforms, America will once again have infrastructure we can be proud of.
