Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism, has requested Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to move swiftly without delay in placing an unmanned aerial vehicle along the Texas-Mexico Border to help gather critical intelligence information to combat drug trafficking, weapons smuggling and potential terrorism threats. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) today announced that one year after being signed into law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has delivered over $19 billion in committed federal funding to Texas and provided over $4.2 billion in tax cuts to hard-working Texans, delivering a stabilizing boost to communities throughout the state during the economic recovery of the past 12 months. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) today joined USDA Rural Development State Director Paco Valentin and Jim Hogg County Officials to announce over $5.2 million in federal funding for the construction of a 48-bed jail in Hebbronville, Texas. Jim Hogg County will receive $3,949,000 in federal grant funding and $1,317,000 in a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Assistance Funds Program. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) today released the following op-ed to local media on the state of the nation's deficit and how restoring spending rules in Congress can immediately reduce federal spending: PAYGOing Our Way Out of Debt By Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) When you’ve dug yourself a hole, the best way to get out is to stop digging. I believe it works the same… Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) today helped pass statutory Pay-As-You-Go legislation to reestablish spending rules for Congress to rein-in federal spending, draw down the nation’s debt and restore the fiscal discipline of the 1990s when deficits were turned into record-setting surpluses. PAYGO rules last expired in the House in late 2002. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), U.S. Census Director Dr. Robert M. Groves and Dallas Census Regional Director Gabriel Sanchez today visited the Border Colonias outside of Laredo, Texas, as part of a national campaign to raise awareness for the 2010 Census this spring. Congressman Cuellar and Director Groves will work together to monitor how the border region participates in the national Census this March. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) today announced that the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Bennie G. Thompson, has appointed him as the new Chairman of the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism. Congressman Cuellar will leave his post as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response, but will retain his membership on that committee as he assumes his new leadership role. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) today joined his colleagues in the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition to release a comprehensive plan aimed at cutting spending and balancing the budget. The “Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform” includes historically bipartisan approaches to rein-in federal spending and draw down the nation’s debt. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) this week helped pass H.R. 4462, legislation that would allow individuals who make charitable contributions to victims of the Haiti earthquake to claim an itemized deduction on their 2009 tax return this April. The bipartisan legislation passed the House of Representatives unanimously on Wednesday, and President Obama is expected to sign the measure into law shortly. Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) on Tuesday met with Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves to discuss how the 2010 Census will advertise and conduct outreach efforts along the border in Texas. The majority of South Texas counties are considered “hard to count” areas where past Census participation ranks well below the national average. Read more »