House Speaker John Boehner and Republican leaders are moving to revive President Barack Obama’s beleaguered trade agenda with an elaborate procedural workaround that was quickly greeted with skepticism among some Democrats.   Under the emerging plan, the House would vote on a bill that would give Obama fast-track authority to negotiate a sweeping trade deal with Pacific Rim… Read more »

House GOP leaders seeking to rebound after a surprise floor defeat on trade are zeroing in on a new strategy to grant President Obama fast-track authority. The plan is to vote as soon as this week on the fast-track bill approved by the House on Friday but to leave aside a second part of the original package that was torpedoed by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other… Read more »

In less than two years, the number of Texas-based immigration cases stuck in federal courts has swelled by about 60 percent.    Through April of this year, about 77,000 immigration cases in Texas were still meandering through the system. That’s one spot below California’s 89,300, and an increase of 58 percent since October 2013, according to data compiled by the Transactional… Read more »

The House Appropriations Committee approved a funding bill Wednesday that includes a policy rider to block newly implemented net neutrality rules temporarily. The 30-20 party-line vote on the financial services and general government appropriations bill is the most direct action by congressional Republicans to stall the new rules since they were approved by the Federal Communications… Read more »

A political newcomer Wednesday dropped his bid to unseat Ruben Hinojosa, but not without saying the 10-term Democratic incumbent should quit, too.   Mission policeman Paul Williams dropped his campaign for the Texas House District 15 seat, saying in a news release he needed to focus on "professional and personal priorities" that would detract from his campaign.   “There are… Read more »

Session is over at the State Capital and several bills will have a major affect on the Rio Grande Valley.  The RGV Hispanic Chamber will host their annual “Legislative Report Card Luncheon” so that the community can attend and hear a report from the Valley’s Elected Officials on the bills that passed and how they will affect the Valley on Wednesday, July 15th at The Club at… Read more »

Dos helicópteros UH-60 Blackhawk del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los Estados Unidos llegaron a Laredo, Texas, para reforzar la vigilancia en la frontera con México.   Las aeronaves reemplazan al helicóptero EC-120 que el pasado 5 de junio fue atacado a balazos desde el lado mexicano por hombres armados, en la frontera de Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.   Tanto la… Read more »

 En menos de dos años, el número de casos de inmigración que están estancados en las cortes federales de Texas aumentaron en un 60 por ciento. Hasta abril de este año, aproximadamente 77 mil procesos de inmigración  seguían pendientes en el sistema. Ese número es menor que los 89 mil 300 de California, representando un incremento del 58 por ciento desde octubre de 2013, de… Read more »

The Latino Coalition (TLC), one of the largest membership and advocacy organizations for Latino-owned small businesses, commemorated 20 years of building partnerships and strengthening America's small business community with the 2015 Small Business Summit and Anniversary Gala Dinner on Wednesday at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC.   "TLC continues… Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX28) today announced the successful passage of House Resolution 891, a bill he authored to rename the post office in Floresville as the “Floresville Veterans Post Office Building.” Speaking today on the House Floor, Congressman Cuellar stressed the importance to rename this post office in honor of all veterans, both living and deceased. The post office,… Read more »