De La Cruz Said He Was Ready To Be Donald Trump’s “Wingman” In Congress. According to Carlos De La Cruz’s 2026 campaign website, "He’s ready to be President Trump’s wingman in Congress and take down the radical leftists who are destroying America. Carlos will fight every day to make sure our children inherit a country where God, Country, and Families can prosper." [Carlos For Congress, “Meet Carlos”, Viewed 2/23/26]
De La Cruz On Trump: “I Will Be His Wingman In Congress.” According to Carlos De La Cruz’s 2026 campaign website, "Career politicians have betrayed President Trump time and time again. I will be his wingman in Congress. That means securing our border, bringing manufacturing back home, and stopping communist China from ripping us off. While the elites sell us out, I will always put American workers and families first. America should never bow to global elites—we put our people first, period." [Carlos for Congress, “Mission”, Viewed 2/24/26]
De La Cruz Said He Was “Honored” To Have Speaker Mike Johnson’s Endorsement And Said “No One Has Fought Harder To Advance President Trump’s Agenda.” [Twitter, @CarlosForTexas, 2/18/26]
Johnson And Trump Worked Together To Pass The “One Big Beautiful Bill.” According to Fox News, "House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., touted the close coordination between Congress and President Donald Trump to successfully pass the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ saying the collaboration is part of the ‘beauty of unified government.’ Congress officially passed Trump’s multitrillion-dollar bill Thursday afternoon after back-to-back sleepless sessions for both the House and Senate. The massive agenda package now goes to Trump’s desk to be signed into law just in time for Republicans’ self-imposed Fourth of July deadline." [Fox News, 7/3/25]
HEADLINE: "Trump And GOP’s Tax Bill Would Force Cuts To Medicare, CBO Says" [Washington Post, 5/21/25]
3.4 Million Texans Were Covered By Medicare. According to the Texas Hospital Association, "Medicare provides health coverage for individuals age 65 and over as well as people with specific disabilities. About 3.4 million Texans have Medicare coverage. The federal government determines Medicare reimbursement, but payment amounts vary according to certain hospital characteristics, such as teaching hospital status and location. Medicare payments cover about 82% of hospitals' costs of care for Medicare patients, a record low." [Texas Hospital Association, Hospital Payment Sources, February 2025]
HEADLINE: "Social Security Stops Reporting Call Wait Times And Other Metrics" [Washington Post, 6/20/25]
HEADLINE: "As Social Security Services Are Cut Back, Millions Of Seniors Face Long Drives" [Axios, 4/8/25]
HEADLINE: "Social Security Website Keeps Crashing, As DOGE Demands Cuts To IT Staff" [Washington Post, 4/7/25]
HEADLINE: "Social Security Faces Thousands More Job Cuts Even With Service In Tailspin" [Washington Post, 4/4/25]
The Social Security Administration Website Crashed Four Times In Ten Days In March Because Servers Were Overloaded. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
Field Office Managers At Social Security Offices Had To Answer Phones In Place Of Receptionists Because DOGE Had Pushed Out So Many Federal Employees. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
DOGE Eliminated The Social Security Administration’s System To Monitor Customer Experience. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
Early February-Late March 2025: AARP Said More Than 2,000 People Per Week Had Called Expressing Concerns About Whether They Would Continue To Get Their Social Security Benefits. According to the Washington Post, "Alarmed lawmakers are straining to answer questions back home from angry constituents. Calls have flooded into congressional offices. AARP announced Monday that more than 2,000 people a week have called the retiree organization since early February — double the usual number — with concerns about whether benefits they paid for during their working careers will continue. Social Security is the primary source of income for about 40 percent of older Americans." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
The Trump Administration’s Department Of Government Efficiency Cut Nearly $538 Million In Federal Contracts In Texas, Including $375 Million In San Antonio. According to the San Antonio Express-News, "Elon Musk’s government cost-cutting agency has killed nearly $583 million in federal contracts across Texas — and businesses in San Antonio are bearing the brunt. The latest data from the Department of Government Efficiency shows local entities have lost contracts worth $375 million since early this year, about two-thirds of the statewide total. The cuts are part of the Trump administration’s effort to reduce government workforce and services. Actual amounts saved are significantly less than the contracts’ value because many of the projects are underway or already complete." [San Antonio Express-News, 4/23/25]
DOGE Cut At Least Five Contracts With The Department Of Veterans’ Affairs Across Texas. According to San Antonio, "Across Texas, DOGE has cut at least five contracts supporting the VA. It ended a $4.36 million deal with LG Strategies LLC of Austin for ‘quality and regulatory support consulting services.’ DOGE cut two contracts with Sustainment Technologies LLC of Bryan worth $751,000 for medical equipment maintenance. Inmar RX Solutions of Grand Prairie lost its $319,800 consulting deal with the VA on pharmacy logistics. San Antonio-based Hyperion Biotech Inc. also lost a $120,113 deal providing consulting services on testing for the cause of Legionella in VA water systems." [San Antonio Express-News, 4/23/25]
Experts Said DOGE Cuts To FEMA And NOAA Left States Like Texas Vulnerable If A Weather Disaster Hit. According to the Associated Press, “With predictions for a busy hurricane season beginning Sunday, experts in storms and disasters are worried about something potentially as chaotic as the swirling winds: Massive cuts to the federal system that forecasts, tracks and responds to hurricanes. Experts are alarmed over the large-scale staff reductions, travel and training restrictions and grant cut-offs since President Donald Trump took office at both the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which prepares for and responds to hurricanes, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which tracks and forecasts them. ‘My nightmare is a major catastrophic storm hitting an area that is reeling from the impact of all of this nonsense from the Trump administration and people will die. And that could happen in Florida, that could happen in Texas, that could happen in South Carolina,’ said Susan Cutter, the director of the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina.” [Associated Press, 5/31/25]