Congressman Henry Cuellar
Congressman Henry Cuellar
Chairman
 
Biographical Sketch
The Wall Street Journal calls him ’’a pro-growth Member [of Congress] in the John F. Kennedy mold.’’ The Dallas Morning News says he’s ’’one of the seven best Texas legislators.’’ The San Antonio Express-News says, ’’Cuellar has worked hard and demonstrated an independent nonpartisan mind-set,’’ and also notes that ’’Cuellar’s willingness to place his district ahead of his political party is refreshing.’’

Born as one of eight children to hard working migrant farm workers in Laredo, Texas, Congressman Henry Cuellar has dedicated his life and career to two decades of public service. Elected to Congress in 2005, Congressman Cuellar is now serving his third term in Congress after serving 15 years as a Texas State Representative and Texas Secretary of State. With five advanced degrees including a master’s degree in International Trade, a degree of Law from Texas A&M University and a PhD. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, he is also the most degreed member of Congress.

In 2005, Congressman Cuellar became the first Laredoan in over 20 years elected to represent the 28th District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. During his first three terms in Congress, he’s stood out among his congressional colleagues as an advocate for better government, commerce and trade, small businesses and border security. As the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism, Congressman Cuellar is widely recognized as a leader on homeland security, border security and national emergency preparedness and response. He has become a national voice on border security issues and he is the former Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response.

In Congress, he currently serves on three House Congressional Committees, including Homeland Security, Agriculture and Government Oversight and Reform. Congressman Cuellar has long been a legislative champion for government transparency and accountability, authoring and passing legislation in Congress to reform federal agency procedures to eliminate bureaucratic redundancy. In 2010, he introduced legislation to assess the performance of federal programs on a quarterly basis. This legislation is moving swiftly through the House of Representatives and could be enacted into law by the end of this year.