A longtime South Texas lawmaker was named ranking member of a subcommittee overseeing funding of federal agencies handling border security.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, District 28, announced on Wednesday via a news release his appointment as the ranking member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. A ranking member is the second in command after the chairman.
“I’ve lived at the border my entire life — I know the work that needs to be done and how to tackle the problems that communities up and down the Southern Border face on a daily basis,” Cuellar stated. “We will accomplish these common-sense, bipartisan initiatives while treating migrants and those seeking to come to the United States with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
The Department of Homeland Security includes Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and FEMA, among others. In all, Homeland Security employs 229,000 people over its 22 agencies.
“I am honored to serve as Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee and I will use this new position to continue advocating for border communities,” Cuellar said. “As the first Representative of a border district to lead this Subcommittee, I will deliver bipartisan, common-sense solutions to secure our border, champion the men and women in green and blue, and protect border communities.”
Cuellar will be a member of two other subcommittees: Defense and Military Construction & Veterans Affairs.
The congressman said he’d use his position in the other two committees to help deliver resources for veterans, military bases in San Antonio and those currently serving.
