WASHINGTON D.C., DC — After the three weeks the U.S. House of Representatives stood still, Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales says it’s all smiles in Washington right now after lawmakers finally elected a new Speaker.
Don’t expect that to last, however.
The federal government is now three weeks away from a possible shutdown, so there’s not much time to address what has been a contentious issue in 2023.
“I don’t know how we prevent going into another continuing resolution, probably a little more runway needs to happen before we pass something a little bit more long term,” Gonzales told us on Inside Texas Politics. “But otherwise, step one is getting someone in the seat. Mike Johnson’s going to do a good job of that.”
A continuing resolution is a temporary funding plan that would buy lawmakers more time.
Gonzales, a San Antonio Republican, says the House must immediately begin work to pass the 12 appropriations bills needed to fund the federal government long term.
And having a Speaker in place means the House can actually do some work.
Gonzales says the last few weeks have been chaotic, to say the least.
But he thinks the new Speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) will help the conference moving forward.
“What I really like about Mike Johnson is he focuses on policy. So where some members may want more rhetoric, or maybe some members want less rhetoric, the policy is what unites the Republican party,” Gonzales said.
The San Antonio Republican is also closely watching the violent events unfold in Israel and Gaza.
And he introduced a resolution with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) that calls on the Biden Administration to revoke the visas of anyone who endorses or supports Hamas or any other foreign terrorist organization.
“These threats that we’re seeing abroad are very real, but these threats are also here at home,” said the Republican. “What happened in Israel can absolutely happen to us. And this open border crisis that we have, many cases, we do not know who’s coming over.”
Associated Press reported the Palestinian death toll in Gaza as rising Saturday to more than 7,700 people since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry said most of those killed have been minors and women.
Gonzales’ district contains two-thirds of the Texas-Mexico border and the Congressman also addressed HB 4, which just passed the Texas House and is awaiting action in the state Senate.
That legislation would give state and local law enforcement the power to arrest and deport undocumented migrants and create a new state crime for those who cross the border into Texas illegally.
“I’m torn on this one, Jason, because as a Texan, I know we’re at the end of the road. I know we feel very frustrated that our communities are turned upset down because of the sheer number of folks coming over illegally and causing this chaotic environment. At the same time, it’s not a sheriff or a deputy’s job to be doing the federal government’s job,” he said.
Gonzales says he’d rather see more federal border patrol agents in the field, instead of processing centers.
And the Republican wants to make sure local law enforcement focuses on local issues and protecting local residents, so he’s pushed for $37 Million in federal grants to help them do just that.