House Republicans tell Texas to continue fighting Biden's federal overreach

Republican members of Congress from the Texas delegation are encouraging the state of Texas to continue fighting federal overreach by the Biden administration related to the energy industry.

In a letter made available to TheBlaze by the office of Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the lawmakers applaud executive actions taken by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) directing state agencies to use "all lawful powers and tools to challenge any federal action that threatens the continued strength, vitality, and independence of the energy industry."

"We support your efforts and encourage you and the entire Texas Legislature to continue to hold the line against the dangerous and irresponsible federal action. The Biden Administration is using unelected bureaucrats to consolidate power in a federal city 2,000 miles away from the dome of our State Capitol," the letter says.

Since President Joe Biden took office in January, he has signed a series of executive orders on climate change, directing the secretary of the interior to pause granting new permits for oil and natural gas leases on public lands or offshore waters. Biden also canceled the Keystone XL oil pipeline project on his first day as president, a move that eliminated an estimated tens of thousands of jobs related to the completion of the pipeline.

The letter calls on the state of Texas to challenge Biden's administration by asserting its 10th Amendment rights to defend Texas' oil and natural gas industries.

"As the American leader in energy production and innovation, Texas needs to maintain primacy and hold the line against federal overreach," the letter adds. It concludes, "We therefore urge you to continue your history of affirming and defending the 10th Amendment and remind the federal bureaucrats and politicians in Washington encroaching on our State's affairs, '[t]he powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.'"

The letter was signed by Reps. Chip Roy, August Pfluger, Jodey C. Arrington, Dan Crenshaw, Randy K. Weber, Louie Gohmert, Michael Cloud, Ronny Jackson, Michael McCaul, Lance Gooden, Brian Babin, Roger Williams, and Pat Fallon.

On Jan. 28, Abbott signed an executive order directing state agencies to combat federal overreach by identifying potential litigation, notice-and-comment opportunities, and "any other means of preventing federal overreach within the law."

"The men and women who work in the energy industry produce the affordable energy that powers our lives and they are vital to the Texas economy," Gov. Abbott said at the time. "Texas is a pro-energy state, and we will not sit idly by and allow the Biden administration or local governments to destroy jobs and raise energy costs for Texas families. My Executive Order will help ensure that the federal government cannot take away the livelihoods of Texans who work so hard to provide our state and our nation with the energy we need."