Media Center
Press Releases
September 21, 2026
Reps. Castro, Meeks, Bera Demand Trump Administration Release Overdue Audit of Venezuelan Oil Fund
Reps. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific, demanded Secretary Marco Rubio release the results of long-promised audits of the Foreign Government Deposit Funds, the… Continue Reading
September 16, 2026Congressman Castro Statement on Russia Sanctions Bill
— Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement on the Lindsey O. Graham Russia and Iran Act of 2026 (H.R. 5334): “For four and a half years, the Ukrainian people have bravely defended their homeland against Russia’s invasion of their country and attempts to wipe them out. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have lost their lives defending their homeland. Families and communities have been devastated, and tens of thousands of Ukrainian children have been kidnapped by Ru… Continue Reading
September 15, 2026Castro Demands Transparency on Venezuela Oil Fund—Forces Vote to Subpoena Trump Administration
(Ranking Member Joaquin Castro motioned to subpoena the Trump Administration during a subcommittee hearing.) WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, motioned to subpoena the Trump Administration for records regarding its Venezuelan oil deal during a House Foreign Affairs Committee Western Hemisphere Subcommittee hearing. Specifically, the motion would subpoena federal agencies and private companies for rec… Continue Reading
In The News
September 19, 2026
US state department under pressure to disclose Venezuelan oil takings
The US state department is stonewalling efforts to find out how much oil money Washington has collected from Venezuela, including by failing to engage with a government watchdog or to share audit reports with Congress. The department has yet to meet with the Government Accountability Office, an independent spending watchdog that has been investigating Venezuela’s oil money since July, said two people familiar with the situation. Top Democrats are threatening to issue subpoenas to the department… Continue Reading
October 16, 2025Texas Democrats: Gov. Abbott should serve Texans, not Trump, and bring our troops home
Governor Greg Abbott should keep the Texas National Guard where it belongs — in Texas. On October 6, Governor Abbott took 200 Texas guardsmen from their families and jobs and sent them to Chicago, Illinois. In doing so, the governor facilitated a power grab by President Donald Trump. Abbott’s peers, the governors of Oregon and Illinois, have both objected to the National Guard descending upon the states they represent. In America’s long democratic tradition, the military has only been deployed… Continue Reading
October 07, 2025Rep. Castro on Texas troops in Illinois and what the shutdown has to do with the cost of healthcare
As 400 Texas National Guard troops arrive in Illinois at the request of President Donald Trump, San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro has asked Governor Greg Abbott to rescind his permission for Texas troops to be used in this way. "The Texas National Guard is here for the people of Texas, to be used for the benefit of the people of Texas, not to be deployed as a political prop by the President of the United States," Castro said at a news briefing on Monday. Castro said Abbott's decision to a… Continue Reading
Videos
September 18, 2026