In the News
Nine Democratic members of the Problem Solvers Caucus are urging House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to back three rules changes as she aims to drum up enough support to take over the Speakership in the next Congress.
The band of Democrats have been threatening to withhold their votes unless Pelosi agrees to overhaul House rules according to their proposals, throwing a wrench into Pelosi's bid for the gavel.
As expected, U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, was one 16 House Democrats to sign a letter made public on Monday opposing their party's leader, Nancy Pelosi, to be the next house speaker. If successful, ousting Pelosi would send a tremor through the party and signal a serious divide throughout the caucus, as Pelosi has led House Democrats for 16 years.
WASHINGTON - Congressman Vicente Gonzalez today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a loan of $50,000,000 to San Miguel Electric Cooperative.
This Rural Development investment will help San Miguel Electric Cooperative fund system improvements for a lignite fired steam electric generating unit. The funding will be on loan for 19 years and will strengthen eight rural electric cooperatives that serve approximately 270,000 residential and commercial consumers in 42 counties across Texas – including the 15th District of Texas.
Nine centrist House Democrats are throwing another hurdle in the path of top party leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as she sprints toward the speaker's gavel.
BROWNSVILLE, RGV – Congressman Filemon Vela has blasted Presidents Trump's decision to deploy 5,200 troops on the border in response to a caravan of Central American migrants heading north through Mexico.
EL PASO, Texas – State Sen. José Rodríguez, a member of the Veterans Affairs and Military Installations Committee, has criticized President Trump's plans to send active duty military to the border.
Trump said he would send as many as 1,000 active-duty Army troops to help secure the southern border and stop what he has called an "onslaught" of Central American immigrants heading north through Mexico.
A caravan of migrants, currently about 1,000 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, includes many women and children seeking refuge from violence and economic hardship.
RIO GRANDE CITY, RGV – It's a sign of just how much the Starr County economy has grown when its economic development leaders can be blasé about an investment of $50 million.
But, to some extent that is happening. Investments of more than $150 million and $250 million, mostly in the energy sector, are becoming the norm.
"The numbers today are a little surreal," said Rose Benavidez, president of Starr County Industrial Foundation, which is the economic development division for what has historically been of the poorest counties in Texas.
FALFURRIAS – Brooks County leaders met to discuss flooding issues in Falfurrias on Monday.
Flooding in Jim Hogg, Duval and Brooks counties brought community members together to find a solution for the stagnant water and drainage issues.
"What impacts one county, impacts the next and impacts the next, so there's no way around not working together," says Congressman Vicente Gonzalez.
None of the three counties can budget for a loan – grants are needed.
The Texas Department of Transportation released this statement:
The Department of Justice awarded a nonprofit $700,000 to help pay for legal services for victims of human trafficking.
The grant for Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid Inc. comes from the DOJ's Office of Victims of Crime-Human Trafficking and is part of a series of monies awarded to four other entities, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez announced Thursday.
The DOJ awarded a total of $802,799 to the five entities, with the nonprofit taking the bulk of the funds.
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration said Thursday it will waive more than two dozen environmental and land use laws to speed construction of new border barriers in parts of the Rio Grande Valley, a move that has angered local property owners and environmentalists who say it will lead to protected wildlife corridors being walled off along the river.