Dear john,
My language to reform the Presidential permit process was passed by the House Appropriations Committee in the Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs House Appropriations bill. Bridges are an economic lifeline for our border communities - they facilitate international trade, commerce and tourism. I will continue to fight for improved infrastructure in our border communities.
To view my remarks on the Presidential permit reform language in the House Appropriations State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs full Committee markup, click here.
As always, if you need help with a federal agency, please contact one of my offices: - Washington, DC: (202) 225-1640
- Laredo: (956) 725-0639
- San Antonio: (210) 271-2851
- Rio Grande City: (956) 487-5603
|
I attended the House Appropriations State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs full Committee Markup. Beyond my language to reform the Presidential permitting process, I also secured nearly $147 million for the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC).
To view a recording of my remarks on the IBWC, click here. |
|
I met with Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening in Washington, DC.
Agriculture is South Texas’ bread and butter. I will always fight for our farmers and ranchers. Thank you, Russell, for stopping by! |
|
I also met with Katherine Neigh, a rising senior at J.B. Alexander High School in Laredo, in my Washington, DC office. Katherine was in town as a National Youth Correspondent at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference held at George Mason University.
Thanks for stopping by, Katherine! |
|
I also attended the House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government full Committee Markup.
As a Senior Member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue to work with my colleagues to deliver bipartisan, common-sense solutions for South Texas and the American people. |
|
Thank you to Elizabeth Bonker of Communication 4 ALL and Caden Larson of Children with Autism Deserve Education (CADE) for visiting with me.
As Co-Chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus, I will continue to fight for federal resources for students with autism. |
|
Thank you to Dalinda Alcantar for bringing members of the Boys & Girls Club to visit me in my Washington, DC office.
I will always support our youth in Congress and enable them to achieve their American Dream. |
|
I had dinner with Secretary of State Antony Blinken alongside my colleagues from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. It was good seeing Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, again as well.
I spoke with Secretary Blinken about issues important to South Texas, including expediting international bridge permits in Laredo and across the border, and backlogged passport applications.
I look forward to continuing our conversation and working to bring great progress to TX-28. |
|
I love spending time with my family. We cooked fajitas for dinner on Sunday.
I hope everyone was also able to spend some quality time with family this past weekend! |
|
Thank you to UTSA and Henry Cisneros for hosting the premiere of Austin: The Emerging Mega-Metro, a documentary highlighting the growth of the San Antonio-Austin Metroplex.
It was a pleasure for my office to join you. |
|
The City of Laredo kicked off the Laredo International Sister Cities Festival at the Sames Auto Arena.
More than 200 vendors offered their unique products.
Thank you to the City of Laredo and all the event sponsors and vendors for hosting a great event. |
|
Thank you to the Northeast Partnership for inviting my office to join your July monthly meeting.
The Northeast Partnership is instrumental for the growth and prosperity of Guadalupe County, and my office is proud to be a part of it.
See you next month! |
|
Congratulations, Herbie Villareal, on your retirement from public service.
You have impacted the lives of many, and your contributions will not be forgotten. Thank you for inviting Robert Bazan from my office to join you on this special day.
Again, congratulations, and thank you for your service! |
|
A big thank you to Paul Harris, the Claude Black Community Center, and AACOG for inviting my office to join you in distributing over 80 fans to the residents of San Antonio's East Side.
We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with you and making a difference in more people’s lives. |
|
Thank you to Bethany House Laredo and City of Laredo Councilwoman, Alyssa Cigarroa, for bringing together stakeholders with the aim of providing more service to those in need.
My office is committed to working with you for those that need it most. |
|
Congratulations to the 11 recently sworn-in Border Patrol Agents.
Thank you, Laredo Sector Acting Deputy Chief, Jude Patterson, for inviting Melissa from my office to join you for this special occasion. |
|
One of my priorities in Congress is to improve the quality of life for South Texans. This week, I’d like to share with you several energy grant opportunities that my office can help with: - Solar for All
- This competition will award up to 60 grants to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofit recipients to expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities primed for distributed solar investment—enabling millions of low-income households to access affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy.
- Empowering Rural America New ERA Program
- The Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program helps rural Americans transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy. By reducing air and water pollution, New ERA funding improves health outcomes and lower energy costs for people in rural communities.
- Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) Program
- Under the Powering Affordable Clean Energy Program (PACE), USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service will forgive up to 60 percent of loans for renewable energy projects that use wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, or biomass and for renewable energy storage projects.
- Consumer Electronics Battery Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Collection
- This Funding Opportunity Announcement will provide funding to support the recycling of consumer electronics batteries and battery-containing devices to help build a robust domestic critical material supply chain for EV batteries in the United States.
For more information, click here. |
For more information on available federal grant opportunities, visit my website or contact my Grants Coordinator, Randy Aguilar, at [email protected]. |
|
