Tyler Reporter

Lance Gooden, a member of the U.S. Congress representing Texas’ 5th district, shared his views on several topics through a series of tweets. Gooden, who succeeded Jeb Hensarling in 2019 and previously served in the Texas House of Representatives, has been vocal about issues related to immigration and government spending.

On February 21, 2025, Gooden expressed criticism towards Joe Biden's administration regarding the allocation of FEMA funds. He stated that Biden's press secretary had misled the public by denying that FEMA funds were being used to support illegal aliens. "Here are a few examples of FEMA grants to NGOs: Border Servant Corps: $15,125,447 Jewish Family Service San Diego: $22,077,365…" he tweeted.

Later that day, Gooden addressed former President Trump's policies concerning taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants. He questioned the Democrats' intentions following Trump's decision to cut these benefits. "What do Democrats plan to do in response? Roll up their sleeves to challenge this in court and fight to keep your tax dollars subsidizing freebies for illegal immigrants."

In another tweet on February 21st, Gooden highlighted a significant decline in human smuggling activities reported by smugglers in Mexico. He attributed this decrease to Trump's stringent border policies and expressed hope for further reductions. "Human smugglers in Mexico are reporting an 80% decline in business... Let's make it a 100% decline."