
Chanikarn Thongsupa

LBJ Library

Brendan Smialowski, Agence France-Presse
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44, Texas — 23, R
A United States Navy veteran, a trained cryptologist (deciphering coded messages) and father of 6 children. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he left high school early to join the U.S. Navy, where he served for 20 years and achieved the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer—a distinction earned by less than 1% of enlisted sailors. During his military career, Tony was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, gaining firsthand experience in global security operations. After retiring from the Navy, he transitioned into politics
“The family unit is at the heart of American society and thus must be supported with opportunities, not hand-outs.”
Tony was a trained cryptologist in the Navy (deciphering coded messages… cool!) and also founded a nonprofit to empower growth and development in San Antonio. In Congress, his Texas location has proved to play a major role in his desire to work on immigration reform and protect our southern border.
Yes, Tony can sometimes sound like a broken record when it comes to sounding the alarm on border security but it’s kind of for good reason. In a recent Fox News interview, he said “it’s not so happy a new year at the southern border because nothing has changed.” As we take to our yelp review of the government, we give props to Tony for relentlessly pushing for action and change at what is obviously a situation that has yet to be solved. What will it take for congress to take action, and Tony asks more specifically, what will it take for the Democrats to take action? They’re the ones in charge right now.
Tony has spent his 2021 diving into the issue of border control and immigration. That’s why it was fitting that his first bill in Congress, the Security First Act, was centered around increasing funding for local law enforcement who augment border patrols. Tony also teamed up with a group of bipartisan representatives and senators to introduce the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act, which improves the management of unaccompanied children, reduces the impact on local communities, ensures humane treatment of migrants, and ultimately deters anyone without a realistic asylum claim for making the dangerous journey to the U.S. border.
Tony was named Vice-Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, an organization of Hispanic Republicans in the House. As a representative from Texas, Tony not only has many Hispanic constituents, but also has been a vocal leader to find solutions to our border crisis. The Conference’s leaders have traditionally been among the most vocal Republicans on an array of issues, including immigration. We will for sure be hearing more from Tony on these issues and see if this helps secure more Hispanic voters for the GOP.
A new pair of shoes, an iPhone, perhaps tickets to a concert – these are all things that might end up on your holiday gift list. But we’re going to bed that ransomware attacks are not making the cut. However, the federal government is warning companies and organizations to be extra diligent this holiday season after multiple attacks during previous holiday seasons. Tony is not having it, tweeting that our cybersecurity needs an update! We couldn’t agree more on this overwhelmingly bipartisan issue and are excited to see what some of our young politicians have in store for this fight in 2022 after they get that new pair of shoes…
44, Utah — 1, R