Friend,   

This week, tens of thousands of San Antonio voters made their voices heard in our local, state, and federal primaries. As we look ahead to the May runoffs and the November election, you can help to strengthen our democracy by encouraging your eligible friends and neighbors to check their voter registration or register to vote.  

As the largest wildfire in state history finally begins to weaken, my heart goes out to families who have been forced to flee from their homes. I’ve urged Governor Abbott to redeploy Texas National Guard troops from his political stunts in South Texas to fight the fires and help with disaster recovery, and I hope he will listen.  

If you have loved ones who have been affected by the fire or if you want to support relief efforts, you can find a good list of resources here. 

Resources for You  

FAFSA Fix: The Department of Education recently provided guidance to fix a technical issue that prevented mixed-status families from filling out the new FAFSA form. I know the rollout of this year’s FAFSA form has been frustrating, and I’m pushing the Department of Education to do more to help families with the financial aid process.  

Tackling Student Debt: A college education shouldn’t come with a lifetime of debt. President Biden recently announced a major new initiative to help more Americans qualify for debt relief. If you took out less than $12,000 in loans and have been in repayment for 10 years, your remaining debt is eligible for full cancellation. 
 
To get that relief, you need to enroll in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan. Even if you don’t qualify for cancellation, enrolling in the SAVE plan can provide major monthly reductions on your loan payments. 

News for San Antonio 

Making Travel Easier Around San Antonio: Last year, I got nearly $1 million through the federal community project funding process to help VIA install new multilingual tools that will make it easier for commuters to fund bus stops, check arrival times, and get directions to the bus once it arrives. These tools will be especially helpful for blind and low-vision riders and others who depend on VIA to get around. Check out the new signs at a bus stop near you soon!  

Expanding San Antonio Airport: Since Congress passed a major infrastructure package in 2021, I’ve been working to make sure that San Antonio gets the funding we need. Last month, I announced $18 million in new funding to help San Antonio airport develop a new terminal connector that will allow passengers to move between terminals without having to go through security again. 

Funding for Career and College Readiness: 

Last month, I shared with you that my office was able to get $4.5 million to support college and career readiness programs at seven San Antonio ISD high schools. Recently, I visited Burbank High School to meet with students who are benefiting from these programs. I’m excited to see how the grant will help these students prepare for future success.

Supporting Health Care Access and Research: 

Funding for CentroMed: For more than half a century, CentroMed has been an important source of affordable health care, especially for families on the West and Southsides. In February, my office announced $4.6 million in federal funding to support CentroMed’s health services and get more families and seniors the care they need. 

Expanding Diabetes Research: Like a lot of folks in San Antonio, diabetes runs in my family. To help address the public health impact of diabetes and kidney disease, I recently worked with UT Health San Antonio to get $117,000 for a program to develop early-career scientists for careers in kidney science. The program, which is appropriately called SPURRS (the San Antonio Program for Undergraduate Research in Renal Science) will help train the next generation of health care providers and hopefully bring us closer to a cure.  

Honoring Black History Month:

As we celebrated Black History Month in February, my office was proud to announce a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support a UTSA retrospective featuring Texas-based printmaker and visual artist Delita Martin, who is known for her dynamic representations of Black women.  

Black artists have had a distinct role in shaping our country’s history and culture, but they don’t always get the representation they deserve. I'm glad UTSA will be able to share her art with our city. Delita Martin’s exhibit will be on display at the Russell Hill Rogers Galleries from now through March 22. 

Expanding the PACT Act: In 2022 – after years of work with Texas-based advocates – I was proud to vote to pass the PACT Act, a historic new law that expanded health care and benefits to millions of servicemembers who were exposed to toxins during their service. 

In an important update, the Biden administration recently announced that the VA is eliminating the waiting period for PACT Act benefits. Starting this week, all veterans who were exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, or post-9/11 conflicts will be eligible for VA care. I’m glad that many veterans will be getting access to care earlier than expected – but I’m also pushing for the VA to further expand PACT Act benefits to veterans who were exposed to toxins in the Panama Canal Zone and during other deployments.  

Welcoming San Antonio Students to Washington: 

It’s always fun to welcome young visitors from San Antonio to our nation’s capital. In February, I got the chance to meet with a brilliant group of students from North East ISD’s International School of the Americas during their visit to D.C.  

Before their trip, this group did lots of research into transportation and immigration policy and they asked tough, smart questions. I was glad to give them an update on some of my recent work – including my ongoing push for light rail connecting San Antonio to Austin.  

Get in Touch 

My San Antonio and Washington D.C. offices are open to help residents of San Antonio with issues involving the federal government.   

To share your views on policy, request a Capitol tour, or get in touch regarding other matters in Washington, call 202-225-3236.  
  
To get help with a federal agency or get in touch regarding other matters in San Antonio, call 210-348-8216.  

Sincerely,

Joaquin Castro
Member of Congress