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 Agriculture – Rural ... 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 aircrafts and ... 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 Mexico and Canada. “... 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 Border Enforcement Securi... 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 Week. There are 28 million... Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) announced that South Texas school districts will now have the opportunity to compete for federal funding under the Race to the Top program. Race to the Top is a United States Department of Education contest created to encourage innovation in public education. Under guidelines announced today, the Race to the Top district-level competition will offer scho... Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) sent a letter to Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in support of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (TX DPS) request for the procurement of excess equipment from the Department of Defense (DoD). The letter was signed by fourteen of Cuellar’s colleagues in the Texas congressional delegation. “With the drawdown in Iraq complete and most of ... Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) released the following statement after the Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG) reached a determination that it will not establish a South Texas Training Center in McMullen County: “I am pleased that the TXARNG has responded to the concerns of many in McMullen County and decided to look elsewhere to locate its new training center. Over a period of years, I... Read more »

From “who is your inspiration?” to “who selects committee members?” Poteet High School students had a long list of questions for Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) today. And even though he is in Washington this week to cast votes on legislation, Cuellar was able to answer these students face-to-face using videoconferencing technology. During the half-hour videoconference that connected Cuellar ... Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) announced that many Texans will soon be seeing a check in the mail from their health insurance company thanks to the medical loss ratio provision of the Affordable Care Act. Under the provision’s “80/20 rule,” health insurance companies are required to spend at least 80 cents of every dollar they receive in premiums on health care or activities that impr... Read more »