Laredo, TX—Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced $2,165,528 in federal funds for the City of Laredo’s coordinated response to COVID-19 and the economic and housing impacts caused by it. These funds were awarded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

“It is critical that our local officials, and the communities they serve, have the resources they need to respond to the pandemic and its economic repercussions,” said Congressman Cuellar. “This federal funding will help our community’s ability to respond to the unique challenges they are facing, from reducing risk of transmission to growing our local economy. As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to ensure that our community receives the funding and support they need to combat this crisis. I want to thank Mayor Pete Saenz, City Manager Robert Eads, City Council and the rest of their staff for their dedication to helping our workers, families and neighborhoods during this crisis.”

As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Congressman Cuellar helped secure $5 billion for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

For more than 40 years, the CDBG program has invested billions of federal dollars in communities across the country, helping millions of Americans. The CDBG program fosters job development and provides assistance to neighborhood-based organizations, including community development corporations, in support of economic development, housing assistance, or neighborhood revitalization activities in South Texas that are critical to fighting this pandemic. CDBG funding can be used for the expansion of community health facilities, child care centers, food banks and senior services.