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| Dear Friends,
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As you may have read or seen in the news, this week has been a very busy one in Washington.
The House has passed legislation to suspend the federal debt ceiling until March 2017 and to implement a two-year budget deal, we have elected a new speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the House has voted to renew the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which has not been able to take on new customers or new transactions since July 1. The Export-Import Bank finances and insures foreign purchases of U.S. goods for customers who cannot or will not accept credit risk.
I will be back in Washington next week but am looking forward to a busy district work period from November 9 to November 13.
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| Export-Import Bank Revived in House |
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On Tuesday, the House voted 313-118 to revive the Export-Import Bank. I voted to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank because I know the good that it has done for Texas' 28th Congressional District and Texas.
In 2014, $156.6 billion in goods were exported from Texas to countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Fifty-four percent of Texas' goods exports went to TPP countries in 2014, and 18,197 companies from Texas exported goods to TPP countries in 2013. Ninety-one percent of these were the small and medium-sized companies that drive Main Street, USA.
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| Budget Deal Approved by House |
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On Wednesday, the House passed a budget deal 266-167. I voted for this budget deal because without it, the U.S. Department of the Treasury was predicting that the nation could default on its debt by November 3. The results of this could have been catastrophic.
This budget deal provides $80 billion in new funding over two years for defense and nondefense spending. It allocates $32 billion over two years for Overseas Contingency Operations used to cover operations in Afghanistan and against ISIS. The deal also averts 52 percent premium hikes scheduled to hit one-third of Medicare enrollees next year. |
| Electing a New Speaker of the House |
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On Thursday, the House elected Paul Ryan, a Republican member from Wisconsin, as its new speaker. The change in leadership comes after nearly five years in service by outgoing Speaker John Boehner of Ohio. Mr. Boehner of Ohio resigns this week.
It is my hope that Mr. Ryan will have a more moderate approach to governance and can help bring about harmony within and between both parties as we tackle a number of difficult issues in the months ahead. |
| Recognizing Youth of the Month in Laredo |
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| On Wednesday of last week, my Laredo outreach coordinator Alec Martinez, right, met with Mikaella An, a graduating senior at Alexander High School in Laredo, on the occasion of her winning U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Youth of the Month Award. Mikaella hopes to study political science in college after graduating. |
| Learning About Health Care Tax Credits in the Valley |
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On Thursday, my southern district outreach coordinator, Nichole Hernandez, left, met with JoAnn Tamez, senior tax consultant from the Internal Revenue Service, at the Rio Grande Valley Health Care Coalition meeting. At the meeting, they discussed health care law, the premium tax credit and the individual shared responsiblity provision.
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| Small Business Administration Loans |
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My office will soon be releasing a mailer on how to start a small business using the services provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA). In this video, you can learn about the SBA's most popular loan program - 7(a) loans. |
Sincerely,
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| The House is in session this week |
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| LATEST NEWS |
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My office will be holding a Tele Town Hall next week. Please stay tuned for additional information.
This Week's Neighborhood Office Hours:
Tuesday, November 3
Selma Stage Stop Visitor Center
9374 Valhalla
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Selma, TX
Universal City - Public Works Conference Room
265 Kitty Hawk Road
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Universal City, TX
Live Oak City Hall
8001 Shin Oak Drive
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Live Oak, TX
Falcon Community Center
Third at Ramireño
9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Falcon, TX
Zapata County Courthouse
200 E. 7th Avenue
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Zapata, TX
Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 Office
1103 Highway 83
1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
San Ygnacio, TX
Mission City Hall
1201 E. 8th Street
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Mission, TX
Palmview Multi-Purpose Center
406 West Veterans Boulevard
10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Palmview, TX
Palmhurst City Hall
4417 North Shary Road
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Palmhurst, TX
Thursday, November 4
Pleasanton City Hall
108 2nd Street
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Pleasanton, TX
Jourdanton County Courthouse
1 Courthouse Circle
12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Jourdanton, TX
Charlotte City Maintenance Building
11 Bruce Place
2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Charlotte, TX
Office of Congressman Henry Cuellar
602 E. Calton Road, Suite 2
8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Laredo, TX
Fire Department Meeting Room
500 Cenizo
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Sullivan City, TX
La Joya Senior Citizens Center
925 Lee Street
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
La Joya, TX
Penitas City Hall
FM 1427
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Penitas, TX
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