Congressman Henry Cuellar announced today a new financial incentive from the U.S. Army for recruiting college Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets to take courses in critical foreign languages, including Arabic and Mandarin Chinese. To qualify for the incentive, cadets would have to commit to entering the Army, the Army Reserve or the Army National Guard as a commissioned officer. Under th... Read more »

Americans feel the effects of rising oil prices from the gas pump to the kitchen table. The price of oil reached a record $146 a barrel on July 11th, and it is imperative that Congress works on behalf of American families and business to lower energy costs and increase energy independence with a thorough and inclusive plan. I support a comprehensive energy strategy founded on three components: Inc... Read more »

In the last two days, U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar has supported two key pieces of legislation that directly affect the transportation system in Texas: H.R. 6532, the Highway Trust Fund Restoration Act, and H.R. 3999, The National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act. The U.S. House of Representatives voted separately on both measures on Wednesday and Thursday. H.R. 6532, which re... Read more »

U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar voted today for the comprehensive housing overhaul bill, H.R. 3221, which is the most complete response to the American mortgage crisis to date. Amendments to the legislation, which will assist struggling homeowners and help strengthen the domestic housing market, passed the House by a vote of 272 to 152. Although Texas has fared better than other states in the ho... Read more »

U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar returned today from a six-day Congressional Delegation tour to the Middle East where he visited Texas troops and discussed democracy and anti-terrorism initiatives with leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Congressman Cuellar was part of a three-member bi-partisan Texas delegation team that also included Congressmen Gene Green (D-Houston) and Michael McCaul (R-Aus... Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar issued the following statement today in reaction to the rescue of 15 people held captive by Colombian rebels. The hostages included three American military contractors taken captive when their surveillance plane went down in 2003. Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and Thomas Howes, who were believed to have been held longer than any other U.S. citizens currently in captivity... Read more »

U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar passed an amendment today that would require the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to report to Congress on the effectiveness of a national child abuse hotline. Congressman Cuellar’s amendment was included in the Manager’s Amendment in H.R. 5876, The Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act o... Read more »

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar and South Texas Food Bank Executive Director Alfredo Castillo announced today that the South Texas Food Bank will receive $136,670.48 in conjunction with the 2008 Farm Bill, which oversees the monetary assistance for the nation’s nutrition programs. It is expected that the total amount of pounds of food the South Texas Food Bank receives will increase from 1,063,889 ... Read more »

U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar successfully passed an amendment today to mandate a feasibility study to expand high-speed rail to South Texas. The amendment was included in H.R. 6003, The Passenger Rail Improvement Act of 2008, which invests in the safety and improvement of our nation’s passenger rail infrastructure. By a vote of 311 to104, the House passed H.R. 6003, which would modernize and ... Read more »

U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar co-sponsored legislation Wednesday that would help renovate and modernize public schools in Texas and around the country. By a vote of 250 to 164, the House passed the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 3021), which provides funding to states and school districts to help ensure that school facilities and learning environments are... Read more »