Last week's failure of Congress to send the President a supplemental appropriations bill to address the border humanitarian crisis is just the most recent example showing Congress is broken and taxpayers have a right to be frustrated. 

That is why I supported the passage of the emergency supplemental funding in the House, while still opposing legislation to repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that was proposed by the right wing. I would have preferred the supplemental to have included the language from the bipartisan legislation that Senator John Cornyn and I introduced that would have provided funding to address the crisis and made commonsense policy changes.  

Nevertheless, even though it was not a perfect bill, I was unwilling to vote to do nothing and watch the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) run out of funds in the next 30 days. 

Just saying "no" is not the leadership our people need and I believe it is no longer acceptable to spend the overwhelming majority of our time looking for reasons to say no instead of looking for commonsense solutions. No one party has a corner on the market for good ideas. Voters elected us to work in a bipartisan, good faith manner, craft commonsense solutions, and avoid crises in the first place.

To read my full thoughts on bipartisanship and compromise in Congress, please click here.


Neighborhood Office Hours in Live Oak

From left to right: Outreach Coordinator Pete Arguello, constituent Guilebado Saldaña and Live Oak May Mary Dennis pose for a photo with a personalized certificate from me congratulating Mr. Saldaña on achieving U.S. citizenship. Pete Arguello, outreach coordinator for Bexar County, helped Guilebado Saldaña obtain his U.S. citizenship in July and presented Mr. Saldaña with a personalized certificate from me during a Neighborhood Office Hour (NOH) in Live Oak, Texas last week. During Neighborhood Office Hours, constituents have the opportunity to meet with my staff to access legislative information or to receive assistance with matters at the federal level.

Ribbon Cutting of Mission Fordyce Trail

Pictured from left to right: Rio Grande City Mayor Pro-tem Hernan R. Garza III, City Commissioner Dave "Chachi" Jones, Rio Grande City Mayor Ruben Villarreal, Outreach Coordinator Vanessa Nichole Hernandez and City Commissioner Rey Ramirez attend the grand opening of the Fordyce Nature Trail in the Rio Grande Valley.

Last Thursday, my office joined Rio Grande City and Mayor Ruben Villarreal for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new scenic Fordyce Nature Trail on U.S. W 83 in Rio Grande City.  My outreach coordinator, Nichole, presented the City of Rio Grande with Congressional Certificate of Recognition. The park’s beautiful design will now provide the community with safe and much-needed walking, running, hiking and biking trails.

Operation Lone Star in Rio Grande City

Children and families attend free medical services during Operation Lone Starr in the Rio Grande Valley on August 4 where my Mission Office donated books from the Library of Congress. My Mission office participated in Operation Lone Starr August 4 at Ringgold Middle School in Rio Grande City, Texas. This collaborative effort with the Texas Military Forces, Department of State Health Services, City of Laredo Health Department and various volunteers brings free medical services to under-served communities across the Texas Border. My office provided books from the Library of Congress to each child at this event in which my staff stressed upon the importance of reading.

Laredo Outreach Coordinator Says Farewell

Outreach Coordinator Jorge Garcia, pictured here with me at the Laredo International Airport, served until recently in my Congressional Laredo office. Jorge is now preparing to begin  law school in Houston.

Jorge Garcia served as my outreach coordinator for Webb and Zapata County for the past year. This fall, Jorge is starting law school in Houston. Jorge has been an excellent addition to the team for the past year and I wish him all the best as he starts school. Thank you for all your hard work!

Intern Corner
I would like to thank the wonderful students who interned at my Laredo District Office during this summer.

Rolando Medrano, Laredo Office:

Rolando Medrano, a junior at Texas A&M International University, interned at my Laredo Office during the summer. Rolando Medrano is a junior studying Political Science with at Texas A&M International University. He is a native Laredoan and enjoys swimming, traveling and debating. He decided to pursue an internship with Congressman Cuellar’s Laredo Office to further his knowledge of the “behind-the-scenes” realm of the political world. Rolando plans to finish his degree and immediately intern with FEMA in 2015 and the White House in 2016. He has aspirations to begin a career in politics. To read Rolando's full profile, click here.

Selina Lugo, Laredo Office:

Selina Lugo, second year graduate student at Texas A&M International Univeristy, interned my Laredo Office this summer.

Selina Lugo, also a proud native Laredoan, is a second year graduate student studying Political Thought and History at Texas A&M International University. Selina decided to apply for an internship with the Laredo Office because she sought experience in a political environment and felt it would be a perfect starting point for her career. She plans to graduate soon and attend law school.

To read Selina's full profile, click here.

Sincerely,

P.S. For up-to-date coverage of what is happening in TX28 and more, you can follow me on Twitter @RepCuellar or like me on Facebook.