In the News
Former President George H.W. Bush, former U.S. Senator Bob Dole (R-KS), and former Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives John Dingell (D-MI), all World War II veterans, are the Honorary Co-Chairs of the Arsenal of Democracy. U.S. House General Aviation Caucus Co-Chair, Representative Sam Graves (R-MO), andlong-time aviator U.S. Senator James M. Inhofe (R-OK) serve as co-chairs of the Honorary Congressional Committee.Other members of the Honorary Congressional Committee include Speaker John A. Boehner (R-OH), U.S.
Texas Democratic members mostly stayed out of the fray, although Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, responded to an inquiry from McClatchy that turned the issue back to health care.
It's not every day — or even every year — that Texas' black U.S. representatives get together outside of Washington.
But they made a point to do so Thursday, united by an issue deeply relevant to them and their constituents: relations between police and communities of color in the wake of the controversial officer-involved shootings in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City.
ARLINGTON—Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) and Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33) co-hosted the 2015 Community Policing Summit with participants from the Texas State Conference of the NAACP. Event special guests included Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) and Congressman Al Green (TX-9).
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jan. 16--House Speaker Joe Straus sent a shout out to soon-to-be-former Texas Gov. Rick Perry last week.
On the first day of the session, he thanked several Texans for their leadership of the state, particularly noting that Texans owe "a great deal of gratitude" to Perry for his three decades of service.
"And if there are any coyotes wandering around Iowa or New Hampshire, I would suggest you stay out of his way and find a good place to hide," he said.
Youth Movement. "Where do I start? How about undefinable frustration? It seems we can't even catch our breath from our first tragedy before being hit by another gut-punch from a second, third, and fourth. The names Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, John Crawford, Tamir Rice — and countless more. Too many more. That is the brutal truth – as brutal as the tactics employed with stunning regularity by some who are sworn to protect us," said Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) in Ferguson today.
WASHINGTON
At a time when many Democrats back in Austin might have been eyeing the hemlock, U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey offered a shred of optimism about his party's future in the Lone Star State.
A reinforced Republican-dominated legislature was taking office in Austin just as the Fort Worth Democrat, a week into his second congressional term, sat down for an interview with The Texas Tribune in his Washington office.
WASHINGTON — Two guests. Two themes.
U.S. Reps. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth and Roger Williams, R-Austin, who represent portions of Texas' Tarrant County, each invited a constituent as their guest to attend the State of the Union speech Tuesday night. (Each member is entitled to invite one guest.)
Veasey's guest: Yolonde Rocio, 54, a veteran of the first Gulf War from Forest Hill who is active in helping veterans, especially homeless veterans.
Democracy works best when our representatives are focused on their constituents — not dialing for dollars from out-of-district mega-donors or courting favor from Super PACs and special interest groups.