Press Releases
Castro Statement on Abbott Ending In-State Tuition
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement following Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to end in-state tuition in Texas: “This is a choreographed surrender. Legislation to gut the in-state tuition program just got shut down in the Texas legislature. Now Trump’s DOJ steps in and goes against what the legislature did, and Abbott and Paxton are refusing to defend the law enacted in 2001 and signed by Rick Perry. It’s backdoor legislating by … Continue Reading
June 04, 2025
Castro Statement on DOJ Suing Texas Over In-State Tuition
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Justice suing Texas over its law allowing undocumented students to receive in-state tuition: “This lawsuit is meritless, cruel, and vindictive. Republicans in Texas created this program in 2001 to establish parity so all tax-paying folks, regardless of status, can receive the benefits they are owed. Legislation to strip in-state tuition in Texas also just died … Continue Reading
June 03, 2025
Congressman Castro Leads San Antonio Delegation in Fight to Protect Joint Base San Antonio
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35), and Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) sent a letter to Secretary Hegseth demanding that Joint Base San Antonio is selected to house the proposed Western Hemisphere Command. This comes after Secretary Hegseth’s memorandum that would direct the consolidation and relocation of U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South into a single Western Hemisphere Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. “For over two … Continue Reading
May 27, 2025
Castro Statement on Potential Changes to Joint Base San Antonio Under Secretary Hegseth
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s proposal to restructure and relocate Army North and Army South in San Antonio: “Joint Base San Antonio is very important to San Antonio’s economy and to many of my constituents. I am working alongside city leaders to ensure that San Antonio is not impacted by the chaotic actions of the Trump Administration, which make us less safe and … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Castro, Salazar, Cherfilus-McCormick, and Lawler Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen U.S.-Caribbean Relations
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Chair of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Ranking Member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, and Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY), Chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, introduced the Strengthening U.S.-Caribbean Partnership Act. This bipartisan bill would … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Castro Statement on Disastrous Republican Budget Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement on the Republican budget bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives this morning: “The Republican budget bill that just passed the House is a direct attack on Texas working families, kids, seniors, and women. All Democrats, including me, voted against this bill because it will be disastrous for the country. “Nearly 150K Texans in my district rely on Medicaid for their healthcare, and health … Continue Reading
May 14, 2025
Congressman Castro Statement on Director Gabbard's Firing of Top Two Officials at the National Intelligence Council
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement: “Tulsi Gabbard fired the top two officials at the National Intelligence Council for telling the truth. Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act is built on the fiction that the Venezuelan regime controls the gang Tren De Aragua.We know this is false. I joined Intelligence Committee … Continue Reading
April 29, 2025
Congressman Castro Leads CHC Members in Push to Retain the Name of Fort Cavazos
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Castro (TX-20), Vice Chair for Diversity and Inclusion, led the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) delegation in urging Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to retain the name of Fort Cavazos — recently renamed after General Richard E. Cavazos, the first Mexican American to reach the rank of four-star general. This letter comes after Secretary Hegseth’s order to rename Fort Moore, a military base in southwest Georgia, back to Fort Benning. Secretary Hegseth … Continue Reading
April 29, 2025
Rep. Castro Introduces Resolution of Inquiry Compelling the Administration to Release Records to Justify Deportation of Individuals
The Resolution of Inquiry (ROI) comes amidst the deportations of individuals without due process to El Salvadoran gulags WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) introduced a Resolution of Inquiry (ROI), a procedural tool that directs the Trump Administration to provide Congress with all records - created on or after January 20th, 2025 - relating to the removal of United States individuals to El Salvador. The President is requested, and the Secretary of State is directed, … Continue Reading
April 25, 2025
Statement from Congressman Castro on the FBI Arrest of Wisconsin Judge
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement in response to the FBI arrest of Wisconsin judge, Hannah Dugan, for allegedly obstructing immigration agents. “This arrest is another troubling attack on the judiciary and the rule of law. The Trump Administration continues its authoritarian campaign against its perceived enemies: universities, law firms, immigrants, political opponents, and judges, among others,” said Congressman … Continue Reading
April 15, 2025
Castro, Booker, Hirono, Jayapal Lead 117 Democrats in Opposing HHS Proposed Rule to Take ACA Eligibility Away from DACA Recipients
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last Friday, Representatives Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), along with U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI), led 117 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. expressing strong opposition to the department’s proposal to reverse Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace eligibility for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, a move that would … Continue Reading
April 10, 2025
Congressman Castro Introduces the Postal Service Clusterbox Responsibility Act to Ensure Safe and Secure Mail Delivery
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Castro (TX-20) introduced the Postal Service Clusterbox Responsibility Act - legislation that would ensure USPS continues maintaining cluster boxes for eligible neighborhoods. The legislation comes after the USPS abandoned their longstanding practice of maintaining and repairing damaged clusterboxes for neighborhoods in San Antonio and across the United States. As a result, many constituents - including seniors and people with disabilities - are forced … Continue Reading
April 09, 2025
Congressman Castro Celebrates the Addition of Three Iconic Latino Music Recordings to the National Recording Registry
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Vice Chair of Diversity and Inclusion for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and longtime advocate for Latino representation in media and entertainment, celebrates this morning’s announcement that the Library of Congress has selected three of his nominations for the National Recording Registry. This year, the Library of Congress will induct Vicente Fernández’s “El Rey,” Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” and the … Continue Reading
April 02, 2025
Rep. Castro Statement on the Administration’s Latest Tariffs Targeting Texas
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement in response to the Trump Administration ramping up their reckless trade war and imposing sweeping tariffs that will have a direct and enormous impact on Texas. “Texans do not want a reckless tariff war. President Trump said he “couldn’t care less” about higher prices. But these tariffs will lead to the biggest tax increase on everyday Texans in decades, and Republican leaders are refusing to stand … Continue Reading
March 27, 2025
Congressman Castro Leads San Antonio Reps. in Fight to Protect San Antonio’s Historic Missions
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35), and Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) are demanding that the Government Services Administration (GSA) reverse its decision to terminate the lease for the San Antonio National Park Service headquarters—a decision that would endanger the safety, maintenance, and preservation of the San Antonio Missions. In the letter sent to Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian, the Congressmen highlight the historical, … Continue Reading
March 25, 2025
Rep. Castro Recognized as Most Effective Democratic House Member in the 118th Congress
The Center for Effective Lawmaking Highlights Rep. Castro for His Continued Legislative Success WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) was recognized by the Center for Effective Lawmaking as the most effective Democratic House member in the 118th Congress. The Congressman introduced over 30 bills and bipartisan amendments in the 118th Congress and worked effectively behind the scenes to move his proposals through the legislative process. Despite being a member of the … Continue Reading
March 14, 2025
Reps. Castro, Jayapal, Raskin, Scanlon Demand Answers Over Detention and Attempted Deportation of Mahmoud Khalil
WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Ranking Member of the Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee, are leading 103 Members of Congress in demanding answers from Department of Homeland … Continue Reading
March 07, 2025
Reps. Castro, Tran Lead 40+ Democrats Demanding Immediate Action to Reverse Mass Firings of Veterans, Military Spouses
WASHINGTON — This week, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Congressman Derek Tran (CA-45) led 41 of their colleagues to demand that the Trump administration halt the mass firings of veterans and military spouses from federal agencies and reverse previous terminations. In a letter sent yesterday, lawmakers expressed outrage at the administration’s callous disregard for military families and instructed the Office of Personnel Management to provide comprehensive data on the specific number of … Continue Reading
March 05, 2025
Congressman Castro, 150+ Democrats Fight Back Against Trump-Musk Plan to Gut Social Security Workforce
WASHINGTON — On Monday, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and more than 150 House Democrats sent an urgent demand to the acting head of the Social Security Administration (SSA), pushing to halt a Trump-Musk plan that would gut the Social Security workforce and threaten benefits for millions of American seniors. Multiple reports have indicated that the Trump administration is advancing plans to close Social Security field offices and significantly cut the SSA workforce. In San Antonio, more … Continue Reading
March 05, 2025
Congressman Castro Slams Trump-Musk Plan to Sabotage PACT Act Implementation with Mass Firings at the Department of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement in response to reports that President Trump and Elon Musk plan to fire more than 80,000 employees who work at the Department of Veterans Affairs, including tens of thousands of employees who were hired in recent years to support implementation of the 2022 Honoring Our PACT Act: “San Antonio is home to more than 90,000 veterans who risked everything to serve our country. I challenge Trump and Elon Musk to … Continue Reading