texas, governor abbott, mayor turner, judge emmitt, chief osavedo and all the others are doing a tremendous job under considerable strain. what we must do in the federal government is to continue to support them and their teams. i want to also thank the men and women who are putting their lives on the line to help the people of texas. their heroism is truly humbling. homeland security's own customs and border protection, u.s. coast guard and others are working with the national guard and local first responders and have saved countless lives. yesterday we tragically lost one of these local heroes. houston police sergeant steve perez. our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to those who have lost loved ones in this terrible storm. while the focus has been understandably on texas, we are working with the state of