A $50 million allocation to a federal appropriations bill would be used to fight citrus greening and other citrus diseases. The money was added to the Fiscal Year 2016 Agricultural Appropriations bill, according to a news release from Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who helped allocate the funds. Cuellar’s district includes part of the Rio Grande Valley, the top citrus-producing area in Texas. The Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC), a task force targeting the citrus greening crisis, woul... Read more

A $50 million allocation to a federal appropriations bill would be used to fight citrus greening and other citrus diseases. The money was added to the Fiscal Year 2016 Agricultural Appropriations bill, according to a news release from Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who helped allocate the funds. Cuellar’s district includes part of the Rio Grande Valley, the top citrus-producing area in Texas. The Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC), a task force targeting the citrus greening crisis, woul... Read more

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX28) received the Friend of the National Parks Award from the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). This award recognizes Congressman Cuellar’s votes during the 113th Congress which contributed to the protection and enhancement of America’s national parks. NPCA’s Friend of the National Parks Award was established in 1999 to track and publicize congressional members’ votes on significant park issues. This year, NPCA tracked votes for thre... Read more

Dozens of congressional Democrats are joining Republicans to back legislation blocking the Obama administration’s new rule to redefine its jurisdiction over the nation’s waterways. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers made the regulation final Wednesday in an attempt to clarify that small streams, wetlands, headwaters and tributaries are covered by the Clean Water Act and the rules that go along with it. Opponents labeled the rule as a massive “power grab” by... Read more

Following the World Trade Organization’s fourth ruling May 18 that U.S. mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) regulations violate global trade rules, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn announced his support for House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway’s legislation, HR 2393, to repeal the burdensome law. This latest ruling would allow Canada and Mexico, America’s two largest export markets, to seek authority from the World Trade Organization (WTO) to use retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agri... Read more

Floresville will receive a $7.495 million loan and a $1.798 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to upgrade its water system and wastewater treatment facilities. Anticipated for weeks, the official public announcement was made at a May 11 ceremony at Floresville High School. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and USDA officials joined Floresville City Council members and other local civic leaders for the event. USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Lisa Mensah announced that Flores... Read more

Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX28) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Lisa Mensah today announced that Encinal Water Supply Corporation will receive $30,000 in federal funds to complete a Preliminary Engineering Report and Environmental Report. The reports are required for the city to complete an application to apply for financial assistance from USDA Rural Development for water system improvements. “These federal funds are an important investment for the... Read more

USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Lisa Mensah today announced nearly $30 million for 15 projects to build and improve water and wastewater infrastructure in rural communities across Texas.“Modern, reliable and affordable water and wastewater infrastructure is the foundation on which strong, sustainable rural communities are built,” Mensah said. “Rural Development is committed to ensuring that rural Americans, including nearly 20 million rural Texans, have access to the economic opportunitie... Read more

For the past few months, we've put a call out on Opinion pages for writers who are interested in writing for us regularly via our Board of Contributors. Today, we are pleased to announce the 20 who have been selected to serve on this inaugural board, listed below. All come from different industries and vocations and have varied interests and hobbies. In our first group meeting on Wednesday, the discussion was lively and their questions were rich and thought provoking. Our goal is to present opin... Read more

Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX28) joined U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Lisa Mensah and community leaders today in Floresville to announce $9.4 million in federal funds to improve the water and wastewater system for the City of Floresville. This funding is a result of “Build Out Texas,” a new initiative designed to improve critical infrastructure in Texas. This award is part of a nearly $30 million USDA Rural Development investment in Texas in which the ... Read more