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Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) issued the following statement on the Department of Justice’s investigation into Operation Lone Star:

“Governor Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star” has been an unmitigated disaster. Billions of dollars have been wasted and the readiness of our troops has been eroded. Governor Abbott has used our servicemembers as a political tool – they and the people of Texas deserve better.

I have personally heard from servicemembers assigned to Operation Lone Star about the dreadful conditions they face. Earlier this year, I led the members of the Texas Democratic Congressional Delegation in a letter to the Texas Military Department Inspector General urging an investigation on how Operation Lone Star was impacting the morale and readiness of deployed servicemembers. During this year’s FY2023 NDAA, I introduced an amendment that would have expanded the oversight abilities of the service branch inspectors general to include state active-duty National Guard mission, specifically with Operation Lone Star in mind. Finally, in May I co-led a letter with Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) requesting the Treasury Department to investigate the operation for misappropriation of covid-relief funds. Since then, the Department has opened an inquiry.

After consistently raising concerns about the legalities of the operation and the well-being of our servicemembers, I look forward to the Justice Department’s findings into Greg Abbott’s political stunt.”

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