Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) announced the winner of the 2012 Congressional Art Competition, Jose Lopez of East Central High School in San Antonio, Texas. Jose’s winning charcoal self portrait, “Mr. Cool Guy,” will be displayed in an eleven month exhibit in the U.S. Capitol. “The Congressional Art Competition provides a chance to formally recognize the talents of students… Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo), joined by the office of Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), hosted a multi-agency meeting in Washington D.C. with a delegation from the Eagle Ford Shale Consortium to discuss a broad range of issues related to the development of the communities impacted by the Eagle Ford Shale.  Topics discussed included opportunities for federal support of… Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) and Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10) have introduced HR 5964, the “Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2012.”  HR 5964 will facilitate crucial updates at U.S. land border ports of entry by giving U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the authority to enter into public-private partnerships with either local governments or private sector… Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Chairman of the Pro-Trade Caucus, and Congressman Francisco “Quico” Canseco (TX-23) announced their support for the decision to extend Mexico an invitation to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.  The TPP is a free trade agreement that seeks to facilitate U.S. trade engagement in the Asia-Pacific region’s huge and growing… Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) congratulated Workforce Solutions and the Border Workforce Alliance (BWA) after the U.S. Department of Labor announced that it has awarded a Workforce Innovation Fund Grant in the amount of $5,999,998 to Workforce Solutions of McAllen, as the lead entity for the BWA.  The BWA is a consortium of the five workforce boards located along the… Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) announced his support for a new federal border initiative targeted at helping communities in the southwest border region confront chronic poverty.  The “Border Community Capital Initiative” (known as the “Border Initiative”) is a collaborative effort of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of… Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) announced that the Department of Transportation has awarded $3,317,353.00 to the City of Laredo to fund improvements at the Laredo International Airport.  These funds will be used to support an ongoing project to rehabilitate the Laredo International Airport’s apron—enhancing airport safety, increasing the airport’s capacity to handle large… Read more »

Yesterday evening, Congressman Henry Cuellar’s (D-Laredo) amendment to H.R. 5743, the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY12, passed the House of Representatives.  Cuellar’s amendment seeks to leverage the force of the intelligence community to enhance border security and combat drug trafficking by expanding intelligence agencies’ information sharing with their counterparts in… Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar’s (D-TX 28) bill H.R. 915, Jaime Zapata Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) Act of 2011 passed the House of Representatives on a bipartisan vote of 391-2.  The bill enhances border security by promoting coordinated efforts and information-sharing among federal, state and local border and law enforcement officials.  The Jaime Zapata… Read more »

Every year since 1963, the President has proclaimed a National Small Business Week to recognize the contributions that small businesses play in creating an economy built to last.  As a former small business owner, I know firsthand that small businesses drive our economy, and I am proud to join workers and employers across the country in celebrating National Small Business… Read more »