Amarillo physician Dr. Richard McKay will be in the nation’s Capitol Tuesday as an attendee of the 2014 State of the Union address. He will be a guest of area Congressman Mac Thornberry. “I spent last week listening to folks share their experiences with the Affordable Care Act. I hope the President will recognize the confusion and hardship his health law is causing in our part of Texas and across the country,” said Rep. Thornberry. “I think inviting someone like Dr. McKay, who spent nearly 40 ye... Read more

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) made the following comments after voting to support the two-year budget agreement: "This budget agreement maintains the sequester savings and then saves even more. It also spares our country’s military from bearing the brunt of deeper cuts. In 2014, all of the additional spending cuts fall on the Department of Defense, and this bill replaces those cuts with modest changes in mandatory spending. It is not nearly enough, but it begins to reform that part of... Read more

REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY House Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) addressed the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) today on the topic of Defense Reform. Below is the text of his remarks as prepared for delivery: I appreciate opportunity to be back at CSIS as well as all of the serious, important work that goes on here. In all of my interactions with CSIS experts over the years, I have benefited tremendously from their guidance and ideas and kn... Read more

eNewsletter|Facebook|Twitter|Mac’s Blog|YouTube|Video Mailbox FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jon Corley October 29, 2013 (202) 225-3706 Armed Services Chairman Taps Thornberry to Lead Reform Effort WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon today announced that Vice Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) will lead a long-term effort to reform the Department of Defense, including a hard look at acquisition. You can view the Chairman’s press release by click... Read more

A scan of any week’s headlines makes clear that the world is not getting any safer, nor are our security challenges getting any simpler. We face a complex array of threats, known and unknown. Yet, we will have to meet those threats with tight defense budgets for the foreseeable future. Even if Congress and the President can agree to find other savings to replace further defense cuts under sequestration -- which we should -- the United States will still have to meet essentially unlimited threats ... Read more

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon), the vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following comments in response to the Pentagon's decision to freeze death benefits for families of the fallen: "I am very concerned that the Administration’s attempt to play politics with the lives of Americans has extended even to military families who have lost loved ones. Ten days ago, before the government was partially shut down, the House and the Senate passed a bill to pay troops, c... Read more

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) made the following comments in reaction to the Obama Administration's instructions for Pantex to temporarily shut down operations: "Pantex has been instructed by the Obama Administration to begin preparing for a temporary shutdown of plant operations. The specifics are still being determined, but plant security will obviously remain in place to ensure nuclear materials remain secure. There is no reason whatsoever to instruct people who are essential to th... Read more

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) made the following comments after the Senate refused latest offer to resolve funding differences: "In the last ten days, I voted for three different proposals that keep the government open and operating while protecting Americans from Obamacare. Each was a reasonable and responsible option and each passed the House. Then, close to midnight last night, the House passed yet another measure calling on the Senate to work with us to resolve our differences. Th... Read more

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, made the following statement on the President's request for Congress to authorize the use of military force in Syria: "I listened carefully to the President’s speech to the nation and in recent days have participated in a number of hearings, classified briefings, and other meetings to study the Administration’s proposal to conduct military strikes in Sy... Read more

Washington, DC -- Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) made the following comments after the President's latest economic speech: "The House is passing bills while President Obama is passing the buck. The reality is the economy is still struggling in large part because of the big-government policies the President has staked his legacy on, with Obamacare leading the pack. The President’s economic formula continues to be excessive regulations, more taxes on small businesses, restrictions on dom... Read more