Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) a Deputy Whip of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, joined President Barack Obama at the White House today where the President announced a new initiative to reign in government excess by requiring lawmakers to offset new spending with budget cuts and other revenue enhancements. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar today announced that Caroline Elizabeth Lopez and Kevin Michael Beauchemin, both of Schertz, and Daniel A. Slade, formerly of San Antonio, have accepted appointments to join the 2013 class of the United States Military Service Academies. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2346, the Fiscal Year 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Bill. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar today joined a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R. 2187, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, which makes critical investments to modernize, upgrade, and repair school facilities across the country. Included in the bill is an estimated $569 million in new funding for Texas schools. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar today joined a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act. The bill, which cracks down on predatory lending practices and ensures that the mortgage industry follows basic principles of sound lending, responsibility, and consumer protection, passed the U.S. House on a 300-114 vote. Included in the bill were amendments authored by Congressman Cuellar to study the real-world impact of a major new lending accountability measure and to provide housing counseling in Texas colonias. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar today announced that, under new rules issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), certain areas of Hidalgo County are now eligible to apply for millions of dollars in USDA rural development funding. The rule change resulted from legislative language that Congressman Cuellar authored and included in the committee report for the 2008 Farm Bill. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) and Congressman Dennis Moore (KS-03) last week introduced H.R. 2142, the Government Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Performance Improvement Act. The legislation would provide congressional policy makers with better information on program performance so that they can conduct more effective oversight, improve the effectiveness of agency and program operations and ensure that taxpayer money is being used efficiently and effectively. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar today announced that, beginning this month, Social Security and Veterans Affairs beneficiaries across Texas will receive one-time economic recovery payments of $250. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar today joined a broad, bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights on a 357-70 vote. The legislation provides Americans with the rights and information they need to make responsible decisions about their credit cards, and it bans the unfair credit gimmicks and arbitrary fees and rate increases that have hurt millions of families during the economic downturn. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar this week joined other members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition to unveil H.R. 2116, the Fiscal Honesty and Accountability Act of 2009, a measure that would strengthen Congress’ commitment to fiscal responsibility and accountability by reinstituting statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules. The legislation, which would require both the House and Senate to abide by rules that prohibit growth in deficit spending, has been a cornerstone of efforts to restore fiscal discipline to the federal government. Read more »