Melissa McDonough

To protect Texas livestock from the devastating threat of the New World screwworm, I strongly support proactive federal biosecurity policies. My commitment to this issue is personal. Volunteering with the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance this past year, I advocated for H.R. 3392—the Stop Screwworms Bill—to protect our local agricultural community from an invasive pest that threatens livestock, damages our agricultural economy, and poses direct risks to human health.

To combat this threat effectively, I focus on three core priorities:

Fully Funding the USDA: We need a responsible federal budget that restores full funding to vital USDA programs. Our farmers and ranchers depend on these resources for disease monitoring, biosecurity, and infrastructure protection.

Protecting Family Farmers: Agricultural policies must prioritize independent family farms over corporate “Big Ag.” This means providing direct support for soil health management, land testing, and rapid response to chemical or pest contaminations.

Restoring Accountability and Speed: Federal emergency relief must reach our agricultural communities without delay. We must eliminate political gridlock and restore checks and balances to ensure funds are deployed efficiently when crises hit.

Key Takeaways & Standout Phrases

Proven Advocacy: Championed H.R. 3392 (Stop Screwworms Bill) with the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance to protect local livestock.

People Over Corporations: Putting family farmers and ranchers first over “Big Ag” interests.

Biosecurity & Funding: Restoring full USDA funding to protect Texas agriculture and secure our food supply.

Gridlock-Free Relief: Restoring accountability so emergency agricultural aid reaches communities without political delay.

Keywords: Protect Family Farmers, Return Checks and balances.

Texas is on track to lead the nation in data center expansion, but we cannot sacrifice grid reliability, water security, or family budgets to subsidize tech conglomerates. As the Democratic Nominee for TX-38—home to Houston’s Energy Corridor—a Realtor®, and a small business owner, my position is simple: tech giants are welcome to innovate in Texas, but they must pay their own way. We need common-sense “purple solutions” that foster economic growth while holding corporations accountable:

Energy & Grid Protection: Developers must fully fund their own grid interconnects, transmission upgrades, and on-site generation. If hyperscale data centers want gigawatts of power, they must co-locate off-grid clean energy or pay dedicated grid-resilience tariffs so working families aren’t hit with higher electric bills.

Water Conservation: Data centers in drought-prone areas must adopt dry-cooling systems or use recycled wastewater. Evaporative cooling cannot be allowed to drain millions of gallons of potable municipal water and rural aquifers daily.

Fiscal Responsibility: We must scale back automatic tax exemptions for hyper-automated facilities. Taxpayer incentives belong to industries that generate sustained, high-volume local jobs—not capital-intensive sites that employ only a few dozen permanent staff.

Neighborhood Guardrails: Municipalities and counties need federal guidelines and local control to enforce strict noise mitigation, generator emissions standards, and zoning setbacks. Massive facilities belong in industrial corridors, not next to subdivisions, schools, or farmland.

Growth and innovation are vital to Texas’s future, but true progress doesn’t shift private costs onto public shoulders. We can power the next generation of computing while protecting the Texas families who keep our state running.

Keywords: Tech giants are welcome to innovate in Texas, but they must pay their own way.

As someone personally affected by Harris County flooding, water security is a critical kitchen-table issue for me. Securing Texas’s water future requires a “purple solution” — putting people first, policy second, and party third to build resilient, sustainable infrastructure.

Fund Emergency & Environmental Protection: We must pass a responsible federal budget that fully funds FEMA and the EPA. Reinstituting and strictly enforcing the Clean Water Act and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ensures federal agencies assess community impacts before major projects are approved, holding corporate polluters accountable and keeping contaminants out of our local waterways.

Support Family Farmers Over “Big Ag”: Guided by my direct work with local producers and the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, I support breaking up corporate “Big Ag” to empower family farmers, ranchers, and laborers who genuinely care for the land.

Protect Groundwater & Soil Health: Instead of letting mega-corporations drain Texas aquifers, we must establish federal conservation grants directly for family-owned operations. Building on legislative efforts like the Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act, we can provide direct assistance to test soil, manage chemical runoff, and implement water-saving practices.

By partnering with family farms rather than subsidizing corporate conglomerates, we can secure Texas’s agricultural legacy and protect our precious water resources for future generations.

Keywords: Securing our water future means partnering with family farms rather than subsidizing corporate conglomerates. By providing conservation grants to small producers, we will protect our groundwater and preserve our agricultural legacy.

To improve grid reliability and protect Texas consumers and businesses from soaring utility costs, I support four practical, common-sense energy policies:

Integrate ERCOT into the National Grid: Under its current isolated setup, Congress cannot directly oversee ERCOT. Interconnecting Texas to the national grid will enable federal transparency, mandatory transmission planning, regional coordination, and transparent pricing—preventing corporate price-gouging during extreme weather events.

Hold ERCOT Accountable: While pursuing integration, we must enforce rigorous oversight and transparency for ERCOT, holding them strictly accountable for how they manage the billions in state and public resources entrusted to them.

Restore Checks and Balances to Congress: Building stable, long-term investments in our energy infrastructure requires a functional, responsible federal government. Ending partisan gridlock is essential to securing our national and state grid systems.

Enforce Environmental Standards: We must fully fund agencies like FEMA and strictly enforce the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Federal agencies must assess the environmental, resource, and community impacts of massive industrial projects before allowing them to place additional strain on our electric grid and water supplies.

We must move past partisan gridlock and focus on common-sense solutions that keep our lights on, protect consumer pocketbooks, and secure Texas’s energy future.

Keywords: Integrate ERCOT to the National Grid, Hold ERCOT accountable, Restore checks and balances to Congress, Enforce environmental standards

Texas research institutions are not just engines of medical innovation—they are vital economic anchors that support thousands of local jobs. Arbitrarily capping NIH indirect cost reimbursements at 15% and stripping $300 million in annual support from Texas universities and hospitals is a dangerous policy failure.

To protect our state’s research infrastructure, I will champion four core priorities:

Defend Congress’s Power of the Purse: Reassert constitutional authority over spending so executive agencies cannot unilaterally impose arbitrary funding caps that bypass negotiated institutional rates.

Reject Attacks on Scientific Research: Oppose administrative efforts that politicize grant processes or slash funding, ensuring premier research sites focus on life-saving breakthroughs rather than absorbing massive, sudden deficits.

Pass a Responsible Federal Budget: Secure robust, stable investments for medical research, protecting public partnerships that drive both domestic innovation and economic growth.

Mitigate Harm for Everyday Texans: Apply my three-fold test—How does it help? How does it harm? How do we mitigate that harm?—to block reckless cuts that jeopardize researchers, clinical trial patients, and local workers.

I will stand with Texas institutions to block these NIH funding caps, defend checks and balances, and ensure our state remains a global leader in scientific innovation.

Keywords: Research Infrastructure NIH Funding Caps (Indirect cost reimbursements) Three-fold Test (Help, Harm, Mitigate) Medical & Scientific Innovation Economic Anchors (Local jobs) Checks and Balances

Protecting our children and public safety should never be a shouting match—it’s a human issue, not a partisan one. Extreme politics have blocked real progress on healthcare for too long. To reverse the decline in Texas’s childhood immunization rates and prevent dangerous outbreaks, we must put people first, policy second, and party third through pragmatic, community-first solutions:

Engage Communities with Respect: Rebuilding trust starts by listening to parents without condescension. We must empower trusted local pediatricians, nurses, and faith leaders to share clear safety data, while ensuring total transparency around vaccine formulation and safety trial data so families can make fully informed decisions.

Strengthen Infrastructure and Access: Routine childhood vaccinations must be accessible and affordable for every family. I support funding community health centers, local clinics, and mobile units so cost, insurance status, or zip code never prevent a child from receiving preventative care.

Support School Health Readiness: Public schools are on the front lines of community health. We must properly fund school nurses, campus clinics, and local health departments so schools can track outbreaks, notify parents quickly, and maintain clear safety guidelines without disrupting education.

Fund Independent Medical Research: I support robust federal funding for independent scientific research, rigorous safety reporting, and non-partisan communication to ensure our policies are grounded in proven science.

By listening to families, investing in public healthcare infrastructure, and ensuring accurate information is accessible, we can keep our Texas communities safe, healthy, and informed.

Keywords: “Protecting our children and preventing dangerous outbreaks shouldn’t be a partisan issue—it’s a human one. By listening to families, investing in our public healthcare infrastructure, and making sure accurate information is accessible, we can keep our Texas communities safe, healthy, and informed.”

I believe sound policymaking must be grounded in facts, accountability, and rigorous evidence. Guided by my core principle—Putting PEOPLE first, POLICY second, and PARTY third—I believe we must set aside political posturing and let proven science steer our legislative choices:

Empower Experts and Protect Research: Public health, safety, and environmental agencies must be led by qualified experts acting on rigorous evidence. I support the EXPERTS Act to ensure protective regulations move forward unimpeded by corporate lobbying. We must defend higher education, protect federal workers’ findings, and fully fund agencies like NIOSH to support workers and local communities.

Evaluate Claims Rigorously: Just as I do in business and real estate, I evaluate policy using my strict three-fold test: How does it help? How does it harm? How do we mitigate that harm? We must strictly enforce NEPA for thorough environmental impact assessments and rely on independent, peer-reviewed data rather than corporate-sponsored studies.

Bridge the Gap Respectfully: When scientific consensus and public opinion diverge, we need a “purple solution.” Shouting down skepticism only breeds distrust. We must listen to families respectfully, empower trusted local voices like pediatricians and farmers, and commit to radical transparency by making safety trial results and research data open to everyone.

By grounding our decisions in proven science, acting with transparency, and treating community concerns with respect, we can build a government that is truly accountable, just, and safe for everyone.

Keywords: “By grounding our decisions in proven science, acting with transparency, and treating our community’s concerns with respect, we can build a government that is truly accountable, just, and safe for everyone.”