Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) is warning 13th district residents that criminals posing as Special Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) or other law enforcement agencies are extorting money from the public. “We became aware of this scam when a constituent turned to our office for help,” said Rep. Thornberry. “People should be are aware of this scheme before they become victims themselves. We also want them to know how important it is to report instances like this so th... Read more

With the unemployment rate and gas prices remaining high and concerns over unrest in the Middle East growing, the House today passed a package of domestic energy bills aimed at reducing costs while increasing supply. Area Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) voted in support of the legislation, which passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 248 to 163. “Instead of creating more regulation and restrictions, we need a commonsense plan to increase production of all kinds of energy here at hom... Read more

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) made the following comments after the President announced that his Administration is making changes to immigration policy: "No one can deny that deciding what to do with children who were brought to this country illegally is a difficult problem. But it is wrong for the President to decide on his own which of our laws he will enforce and which laws he will not enforce. Even in an election year, our country is governed by the rule of law, not the arbitrary ... Read more

With the Supreme Court decision on the fate of the Obama health care law expected any day, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed a bill (H.R. 436) to repeal the law’s tax on medical devices and to end restrictions on health savings and flexible spending accounts. The measure passed with bipartisan support on a vote of 270 to 146. “Over the past 18 months, the House has continuously worked to repeal and dismantle the Obama health care law,” said Rep. Thornberry. “Removing the medical dev... Read more

The recent blog posts on the topic of bringing America’s public diplomacy and communications efforts into the information age is an excellent example of how bad, incomplete, and erroneous information moves at the speed of light. It actually makes our case—and that is we need to be able to counter inaccurate information as quickly as possible, especially when it deals with our country’s security. This legislation to update the Smith-Mundt law has been reviewed by House Members in both the majorit... Read more

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), the Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement praising House passage of the FY13 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4310): "This is a strong, bipartisan bill that supports our troops and their missions. At the same time, it also recognizes the realities of our financial situation and includes provisions that seek to make sure that taxpayers get every dollar of value possible for the money we spend for defense." "O... Read more

Congressmen Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Adam Smith (D-WA) recently introduced “The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012” (H.R. 5736). The bill modifies a Cold War-era law that hampers diplomatic, defense, and other agencies’ ability to communicate in the 21st century. “We continue to face a multitude of threats and we need to be able to counter them in a multitude of ways. Communication is among the most important,” said Rep. Thornberry. “This outdated law ties the hands of America’s diplomatic o... Read more

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon), the Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today announced that the Committee approved the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (H.R. 4310) by a vote of 56 to 5. The bill authorizes $642 billion in total spending for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy, including funding for programs at Amarillo’s Bell Helicopter plant and for operations at Pantex. “Clearly, we are oper... Read more

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon), the Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today announced that the committee approved the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (H.R. 4310) by a vote of 56 to 5. The bill authorizes $642 billion in total spending for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. It includes funding for programs at Sheppard Air Force Base. “Clearly, we are operating in a time of declining resourc... Read more

A local Wichita Falls high school student has been selected to represent the 13th Congressional District of Texas in the nationwide 2012 Congressional Art Contest. A photograph submitted by Lily McCarthy, daughter of Barry and Lisa McCarthy of Wichita Falls, will be displayed in the hallways of the United States Capitol for an entire year. Lily’s photograph, entitled “Street Vendor,” was selected by an independent panel of educators and art professionals from across the district as the winning e... Read more