Ted Poe: “Just a stone's throw away from the Champs-Elysees and the Louvre in Paris stands the Hotel de Vendome, the former home…”

“Just a stone's throw away from the Champs-Elysees and the Louvre in Paris stands the Hotel de Vendome, the former home of the official embassy of the Republic of Texas. In fact, France was the first nation to recognize Texas as an independent nation in 1836, when a treaty was signed between the two countries. Today, a marker denotes the building where the Texas embassy was in France. In turn, France had an embassy in Austin, Texas, not far from our current Texas Capitol Building. Notably, Texas also once belonged to France before Spain reclaimed Texas. Explorer La Salle planted the French flag in Texas in 1685 and established a settlement in Matagorda. Texas later became a sovereign republic and 9 years later joined the United States. So on this day when French President Macron addressed Congress, Texas remembers and appreciates that Texas was not only an independent country France first recognized, but was once a part of France. And that is just the way it is. ____________________”