In the News
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.
MCALLEN, Texas - Congressman Vicente Gonzalez is pledging to reverse what he calls the unacceptable trend of the rising cost of prescription drugs.
A recently released AP investigation shows during the first seven months of 2018, American families have faced 96 price hikes for prescription drugs for every one price cut.
MCALLEN, Texas - As the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) moves forward, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez says the automotive industry here in the Rio Grande Valley will be impacted the most.
"Overall, I think I am happy there is a deal first of all. You know they say the devil is in the details, so you have to go back and crunch some numbers."
Congressman Gonzalez feels the agreement will benefit the U.S. dairy market, the American wine market and here in the Valley, Gonzalez says the automotive industry will be most impacted.
WASHINGTON - Congressman Vicente Gonzalez has cosponsored H.R. 1017, the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2017, in response to constituent and citizen requests from Seguin, Brownsville, Laredo and other parts of Texas.
EDINBURG, RGV – The government of the United States lost the opportunity to negotiate with Mexico on the issue of insecurity because there is no known formal agreement inserted to NAFTA/USMCA.
That is the view of Congressman Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen.
"For me, I think this was an opportunity that was lost, if we got this agreement finalized without talking about the security issue in Mexico", Gonzalez said.
DONNA, Texas - It's been a problem in the city of Donna for decades.
Water from the reservoirs and canals are contaminated. Now two local Congressmen say they have a plan to clean it all up.
For years area residents in Donna have heard about the warnings concerning contaminated fish and polluted waters in the reservoirs and canals.
Alex Valdez - resident says, "When they first started saying that the fish was contaminated and all that stuff they were saying that the water…you can't fish here."
WASHINGTON - Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) and Filemon Vela (TX-34) today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has moved forward on a remediation plan for the Donna Canal and Reservoir Superfund site to improve the health of residents in Donna, Texas, and surrounding communities.
SAN ANTONIO – The Violence Against Women Act was set to expire as the calendar turned to October Monday, but the government just extended it - for only about two more months.
It's tied to a spending bill the President signed Friday, and all of it expires December 7.
With the clock ticking, we're finding out what that means for victims.
The act was first passed in 1994 to help victims of rape and domestic violence.
"It is an important resource for us," says Marta Pelaez from Family Violence Prevention Services.
PHARR — The three North American countries that agreed on a trade pact 25 years ago to transform competitiveness in the continent, and ignite growth in the Rio Grande Valley, announced on Monday a new North American Free Trade Agreement.
WASHINGTON - Congressman Vicente Gonzalez today released the following statement in response to the U.S. and Canada reaching an agreement for the renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA.