Occupation: U.S. Representative for Texas’s 6th Congressional District and retired U.S. Navy Commander.
Previous Positions held: Naval aviator, fighter squadron commanding officer, and Air Boss aboard the USS Ronald Reagan; commercial airline pilot; small business owner; Commissioner on the Texas Veterans Commission; and Texas State Representative for House District 10.
Individual who inspired me as a child: My father. He took me on my first airplane ride when I was seven, and that experience helped set me on the path to becoming a naval aviator. That early encouragement stayed with me throughout my career.
How has your service in uniform shaped your service in Congress? Twenty years in the Navy taught me to put the mission first, take care of my people, and accept responsibility for the decisions I make. In combat, you depend on people from different backgrounds who share a commitment to getting the job done. That experience shapes how I approach Congress.
Having deployed nine times, including five combat tours, I also understand the consequences of the decisions we make in Washington. When we send Americans into harm’s way, we owe them the training, equipment, and support to accomplish their mission and come home. Our responsibility to them and their families continues long after they take off the uniform.
You sit on the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee — what’s the one national security investment you think should be the top priority in Congress in the coming year? Expanding our capacity to manufacture critical munitions here at home. Our military needs a dependable supply of the weapons that protect our forces and deter our adversaries, and we need the ability to replenish those weapons quickly.
That requires sustained investment in American factories, skilled workers, and reliable supply chains. Congress can help by providing predictable funding and holding the Department of Defense and its contractors accountable for delivering on time and at a responsible cost. As a former fighter pilot, I know readiness depends on what is actually available when the mission comes. A strong industrial base is essential to peace through strength.
Finally, as the Republican Chair of the For Country Caucus, what bipartisan initiatives have you spearheaded to make life better for America’s veterans? As co-chair alongside Congressman Don Davis, we’ve helped bring Republican and Democratic veterans together around practical solutions for people who have served. We know that our responsibility to our fellow veterans continues here in Congress.
Under our leadership, the caucus has endorsed the BEACON Act to expand access to treatment options for veterans with traumatic brain injuries. We’ve also backed the Veterans’ Sentinel Act to improve reporting on veteran suicides on college campuses, the Veterans with ALS Reporting Act to better understand that disease in the veteran community and improve access to clinical trials, and the Veterans Earned Education Act to expand education benefit transfer options.
These efforts address real challenges facing veterans and their families. Our job is to build the bipartisan support needed to move them forward and make sure the promises we make to those who served are kept.