(The Center Square) – As promised, North Carolina Republican U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx delivered early Wednesday on why the Rules Committee in the House of Representatives convened a 1 a.m. meeting.

Democrats were heavily critical ahead of the hearing on Tuesday, including sending a letter from the party leader of the chamber and ranking member of the committee. Foxx, however, gave multiple times where the “dark of night,” as the writing said, was the time of the business for past committees led by Democrats.

Eight hours after beginning, the Rules Committee remained in session discussing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as so authored from the Budget Committee led by Texas Republican Rep. Jodey Arrington. The resolution’s spending and saving instructions will fund President Donald Trump’s tax, border, defense and energy agenda.

The overall proposal has run through 11 committees and rested at 1,116 pages entering the hearing Wednesday morning.

The following are Foxx’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

Good morning, the Committee will come to order.

Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a recess at any time.

Today, the Rules Committee is convening to consider H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Before we discuss the legislation that’s before us, I want to respond to a letter I received earlier today from the Democratic Leader and the Ranking Member of this Committee.

The letter calls the decision to hold a hearing at 1 a.m. “unprecedented.” However, let’s look at the record.

Democrats in the 110th Congress held a hearing beginning at precisely the same time: at 1 a.m. on Aug. 1, 2007, on the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act. When this was discussed on the floor earlier today, Mr. McGovern responded that this was decades ago. However, we’ve looked back and observed that you did indeed convene a hearing at 1:30 a.m. only a few years ago, in 2022. It was for an Omnibus, in addition to a short-term CR. Once again, those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

Secondly, the letter asks, “What else are you hiding?”

I want to be clear; I have been as open and transparent as possible throughout this entire process.

We posted the text of the Rules Committee Print late Sunday night, after the Budget Committee ordered the legislation reported and we posted a comparative print at that same time, showing the changes between the reported bill and the Rules Committee print.

There have been many complaints from my friends on the other side about not knowing about whether there will be a manager’s amendment and what will be in it.

There will be a manager’s amendment. It is how reconciliation has operated under both Republican and Democrat control.

I certainly can’t control the time that it will be ready, but I can assure my Democrat colleagues that they will certainly have more time than we were given in 2009 when a 309-page manager’s amendment was dropped on us when the Ranking Member began reading the motion to report a rule for HR2454.

Our friends on the other side of the aisle LOVE to cherry pick the facts about how this meeting is taking place in the dark of night.

They’ve done it for several committee markups thus far. Never mind the fact that the only reason the hearings went as long as they did was because Democrats engaged in the legislative process – which is their right.

But here’s the thing: they can’t have their cake and eat it too.

They cannot complain about reporting legislation in the dark of night when the only reason it went so late was because of their own actions.

Now, in the case of the Rules Committee, the same holds true.

The Rules Committee has a long tradition of meeting late into the evening, and reporting legislation long after most of America has gone to bed.

It is our duty to advance the agenda of the House of Representatives – The People’s House.

Let’s roll the clocks back to when Democrats held the majority in the 110th and 111th Congresses.

They reported legislation out of the Rules Committee well into the twilight hours. I know of what I speak – I was on the Rules Committee then.

For example:

House Resolution 587 – 3:47 a.m.

House Resolution 481 – 2:09 a.m.

House Resolution 597 – 3:43 a.m.

House Resolution 903 – 2:25 a.m.

And, House Resolution 445 in the 116th Congress –12:20 a.m.

I do not think that there is anything wrong with this – it is how the committee has operated when necessary.

It has occurred under Democrat and Republican control.

In this case, I do believe we’ll be reporting not in the dark of night, but after the day has dawned.

I encourage my colleagues on the other side to prove me wrong.

Now, to the business that’s before us this morning.

There will be a lot of commentary from our friends across the aisle about what is not within this legislation.

We’ll experience, ad nauseam, a lot of granular-level grievances, legislative indigestion, and I’m sure considerable hyperallergic reactions to everything under the sun.

It’ll be the same song and dance routine that we’ve seen and heard for months – likely with more drama than Shakespeare.

Despite their misleading rhetoric and talking points, Democrats had their opportunities to deliver when they had full control and passed their own reconciliation packages.

They did nothing to make the middle-class centered, the Trump tax cuts permanent – despite the existence of the expiration of these tax cuts within their ten-year window.

They refused. They even refused to raise the top income tax bracket … despite all their campaign talking points.

Instead, they passed the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” and the so-called “American Rescue Plan Act” that led to reckless spending and record inflation.

But Republicans are here to do our jobs. And our job in this case isn’t out of discretion, it’s grounded in statute.

We are considering legislation that executes the instructions given to the committees pursuant to the budget resolution – one that passed both chambers and is binding on this body and the Senate.

And our express purpose is this: to ensure that our federal spending, taxation, and other revenue generating concepts align with the current needs of the American people.

The American people, and this government by extension, cannot afford inaction. Americans need this legislation to ensure our economic survival and the sustainability of this Republican government.

Americans cannot afford the largest tax hike in our nation’s history.

Americans cannot afford the runaway, endless spending machine that Democrats have enshrined via their policies.

Americans cannot afford the inflation caused by the Democrats in the last four years.

Americans cannot afford a soft, fragile embrace of President Trump’s successful policies on the border, national security, and growth.

Inflation has fallen to the lowest level in more than four years as April’s Consumer Price Index smashed expectations for the third straight month.

Workers’ real wages are up 1.9%, increasing each of the last three months.

Encounters with gotaways – the top threat to public safety – are down by 95%.

In March of 2025, fentanyl traffic at the southern border fell by 54% compared to March of 2024.

Lastly, Americans and this government cannot afford to ignore the specific, pro-growth provisions that President Trump campaigned on. 

Our bill delivers on the specific, acute policies American workers embraced:

• We end taxes on tips.

• We end taxes on overtime pay.

• We boost tax deductions for seniors.

• We expand family-centered tax incentives like the Child Tax Credit, the Standard Deduction, and family leave.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is our answer to the American people’s mandate from November.

It’s a clear, full-throated response to the millions of hardworking men and women across the entire nation who demand a serious course correction from the last four years and the setting of our fiscal situation on a sustainable footing.

The committees within the House have all completed their respective parts, and all the pieces have come together.

I commend all the committees, chairmen, members, and staff who worked for months – often well into the night and early hours of the morning – to craft the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

We are here to finish the job and ship this legislation to the House floor.

With that, I look forward to the discussion, and I now yield to the ranking member, Mr. McGovern, for any comments he wishes to make.

(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday introduced a federal Universal School Choice Act.

The proposal would allocate up to $10 billion annually in dollar-for-dollar federal tax credits for individuals and businesses nationwide that contribute to nonprofit scholarship granting organizations for elementary and secondary education.

“School choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century,” Cruz, R-Texas, said. “Every child in America deserves access to a quality education that meets their individual needs, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or zip code. I remain committed to leading this fight until universal school choice has become available to every American, and I call upon my colleagues to expeditiously take up and advance this legislation.”

The bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a tax credit for charitable donations to nonprofit organizations providing education scholarships to qualified elementary and secondary students for qualified expenses. The tax credit for individuals is 10% of adjusted gross income for a taxable year or $5,000, according to the bill language. For corporations, the tax credit is capped at 5% of taxable income for a taxable year, according to the bill language.

Qualified elementary or secondary education expenses include tuition and fees, curriculum and materials, books or instructional materials, online education materials, tutoring costs, test fees, fees for dual enrollment at higher education institutions, education therapies for disabled students, transportation costs, homeschooling expenses, among others.

The bill would go into effect in 2026, if it passes both chambers and is signed into law. It would allocate $10 billion for calendar year 2026 and each subsequent year. Money is allocated to states with 80% of the funds designated for families with incomes below the poverty line. Funds are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Companion legislation was introduced by U.S. House Republican Reps. Burgess Owens of Utah and Byron Donalds of Florida.

The bill is the latest among several Cruz filed that prioritize education, savings and taxes.

In January, Cruz introduced the Student Empowerment Act to expand a tax-deferred education savings plan previously expanded under the first Trump administration, The Center Square reported. It amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit kindergarten through grade 12 educational expenses to be paid from a 529 account. A 529 account is a tax-advantaged savings account originally created as a way to help parents save money to cover colleges expenses. It allows for tax-exempt withdrawals at the federal level and in some states for qualified education expenses.

“It was at the time and remains the most far-reaching federal school choice legislation ever passed,” according to Cruz’s office.

In April, he filed a bill to create Education Savings Accounts for the children of active-duty service members, The Center Square reported. It would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow parents of eligible military-dependent children to establish Military Education Savings Accounts.

Earlier this month, Cruz introduced the Universal Savings Account Act to allow American families to save without the restrictions and penalties associated with traditional tax advantaged accounts. He also introduced a bill authorizing the use of taxpayer funds to be used to invest in savings accounts for U.S. children. This proposal was incorporated into the “big beautiful budget bill” that just passed the House Budget Committee.

In 2019, 2021 and 2023, Cruz also filed the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act to create a federal tax credit for taxpayers who donate to scholarship organizations supporting post-secondary workforce education, including trade schools and apprenticeship programs and K-12 education.

The national effort coincides with a successful statewide effort led by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who earlier this month signed a bill into law creating Texas’ first Education Savings Account program, The Center Square reported.

After the Texas Senate previously passed a similar bill that went nowhere in the Texas House, Abbott helped elect new Republicans to the Texas House last year who followed through on their campaign pledge to vote for the bill. Texas’ new ESA program allocates $1 billion to fund $10,000 ESAs for roughly 100,000 students.

(The Center Square) – Louisiana is critical to the Trump administration’s energy plans, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

The Trump administration selected McNeese State University as the site for a new center of excellence.

The Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has selected the Lake Charles-based university as its first National Center of Excellence for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Safety. It’s the first undergraduate institution in the U.S. to offer a certificate program in LNG Business. The university already offers its own LNG Center of Excellence.

“Producing and exporting LNG is one of the most powerful ways we can unleash American energy, and the Lake Charles region is a critical hub of LNG activity in the U.S.,” Duffy said. “The sheer volume of product supplied by the state of Louisiana is unparalleled and growing, and there is no better place to locate our Center of Excellence.”

The designation came after U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-LA, established the PHMSA National Center of Excellence for LNG five years ago in the 2020 PIPES Act under the first Trump administration. Included in the law was a provision Kennedy added to create “the first-ever National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety, but I didn’t stop there,” Kennedy said. “I made sure in that bill that the newly created Center was required to be in Louisiana.”

Under Trump’s second term, the center was chosen to be headquartered at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, an oil and natural gas powerhouse in Calcasieu Parish along the Gulf of America.

The PIPES Act, which improves pipeline safety and infrastructure, created the PHMSA center to “enhance the United States as the leader and foremost expert in LNG operations by furthering the expertise of the Federal Government in the operations, management, and regulatory practices of LNG facilities; acting as a repository of information on best practices for the operation of LNG facilities; and facilitating collaboration among LNG sector stakeholders.”

The center will facilitate research and development, training, and regulatory coordination to develop “LNG safety solutions to real-world challenges through global and domestic collaboration among LNG stakeholders.”

“The Center will advance LNG safety by promoting collaboration among government agencies, industry, academia, and other safety partners,” PHMSA Acting Administrator Ben Kochman said. “Consolidating such remarkable levels of expertise will benefit the LNG sector for many generations to come.”

Being located at McNeese “will be a game-changer for our region in terms of workforce development and groundbreaking research,” McNeese State University President Dr. Wade Rousse said. “We are excited to be on the forefront of helping ensure safety and sustainability in the energy sector and look forward to working with PHMSA to develop a world-class facility to house their staff.”

The U.S. is the top LNG exporter in the world, with the U.S. oil and natural gas industry and Louisiana and Texas ports propelling it to its number one status, The Center Square reported.

Lake Charles also found itself at the center of a Biden administration LNG export ban. Applications for exports had been frozen until a federal judge reversed the Biden policy last year. Under the second Trump administration, LNG exports projects are expanding in Louisiana.

Major projects underway in Calcasieu Parish include an Energy Transfer subsidiary Lake Charles Exports LNG export project approved under the first Trump administration in late 2019 for a five-year extension. Building the facility is projected to create up to 4,000 construction jobs and 200 fulltime jobs once fully operational.

Another LNG project announced last month is being spearheaded by a west Australian company that’s making the largest foreign investment in state history to build an LNG production and export terminal in Calcasieu Parish, The Center Square reported.