Press Releases
Congressman Castro and Congresswoman Salazar Press VA to Extend PACT Act Benefits to Panama Canal Zone Veterans
WASHINGTON - On Friday, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27) led a bipartisan group of 17 members of the House of Representatives in a letter urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand benefits and services for veterans who developed cancer and other health conditions after exposure to toxic herbicide during service in the Panama Canal Zone (PCZ). “As the Department of Defense routed herbicide to Southeast Asia in the 1950s, 1960s, and … Continue Reading
February 16, 2024
Congressman Castro Secures $4.6 Million for CentroMed Community Health Services
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) announced that his office has secured $4,658,823 in federal funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Health Center Cluster grant program to help San Antonio’s CentroMed network provide high-quality, compassionate health care to more than 121,000 patients at 24 clinical sites throughout Bexar, Comal, and Guadalupe Counties. “For more than half a century, CentroMed has been an important center of affordable care for … Continue Reading
February 15, 2024
Congressman Castro Announces $18 Million to Expand Operations at San Antonio Airport
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) announced that San Antonio International Airport will receive $18 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to support expanded operations, including the development of a new terminal connector to allow passengers to move between terminals without having to leave and re-enter secure areas. “San Antonio International Airport is our portal to the rest of the world. Over the last year, the airport has seen incredible growth - … Continue Reading
February 14, 2024
Statement from Congressman Castro on Deferred Enforced Departure for Palestinians
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement in response to President Biden’s designation of Deferred Enforced Departure for certain Palestinian nationals in the United States: "Last November, I asked President Biden to extend Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status to Palestinians in the United States. I'm relieved to see today's announcement. "Nearly 30,000 people in Gaza - mostly women and … Continue Reading
February 13, 2024
Congressman Castro Fights to Renew Federal Funding for Affordable Child Care in San Antonio
WASHINGTON - Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the co-founder and chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Pre-K and Child Care Caucus joined Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), who is also a co-chair of the Caucus and Reps. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), along with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (VA), Bob Casey (PA), Bernie Sanders (VT), and Tina Smith (MN) to lead more than 100 members of Congress in an urgent push to renew federal funding for child care. Despite widespread … Continue Reading
February 07, 2024
Congressman Castro Announces $25,000 for UTSA Exhibition Featuring Texas-Based Printmaker Delita Martin
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) announced that his office secured a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for the University of Texas at San Antonio to hold a solo exhibition by Delita Martin, a master printmaker known for creating representations of Black women in complex and luxuriant narrative portraits. Delita Martin is an artist currently based in Huffman, Texas. She received a BFA in drawing from Texas Southern University and an MFA in printmaking … Continue Reading
February 06, 2024
WATCH: Congressman Castro Condemns Baseless Republican Impeachment Against Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) spoke on the House floor to condemn the baseless Republican attempt to impeach U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: Watch and download here A transcript of Congressman Castro’s remarks (as delivered) is below: This impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas is a sham. The process was a sham. The charges are a sham. And you might wonder — if that's the case, then why go through all of this trouble? Well, last November, … Continue Reading
February 06, 2024
Statement from Castro, McGovern, Jesús “Chuy” García, Casar, Kamlager-Dove, Ramirez on the General Election in El Salvador
WASHINGTON - Following Sunday’s general election in El Salvador, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere released the following statement with Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-02), co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35), Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-30), and Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (IL-03): “As members … Continue Reading
January 26, 2024
Congressman Castro Announces $6 Million for San Antonio Head Start Programs During Visit to Hutchins Elementary School
SAN ANTONIO — Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Pre-K and Child Care Caucus, has announced that his office secured more than $6 million in federal grant funding for San Antonio Head Start early education programs. The funding was announced during a visit on Thursday to South San Antonio Independent School District’s Hutchins Elementary School, which operates three Head Start classrooms. Photos and B-roll of the visit are available … Continue Reading
January 25, 2024
Congressman Castro Secures $4.5 Million to Expand College and Career Readiness Programs at Seven SAISD High Schools
SAN ANTONIO — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) announced that his office has secured an anticipated $4.5 million in federal grant funding over the next three years to support college and career readiness programs at seven San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) high schools. Earlier this month, the Department of Education issued a notification of the first grant allocation, which includes $1,492,381 to cover the budget period from 2/1/2024 to 1/31/2025. “Over the last several … Continue Reading
January 24, 2024
Castro, Warren, Durbin, Torres Push Commerce Department to Prevent Gun Violence Abroad by Strengthening Firearm Export Controls
In new letter, lawmakers call on Commerce to Improve Firearm Export License Approval and Monitoring Policies Text of Letter (PDF) WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Senator Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Senator Dick Durbin (Ill.), the chair of the Senator Judiciary Committee, and Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35) sent a letter urging the Commerce Department to incorporate a set of … Continue Reading
January 23, 2024
Statement from Congressman Castro on Installation of Additional Razor Wire Along the Rio Grande
SAN ANTONIO — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement in response to reports that Texas National Guard soldiers are placing additional razor wire along the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, just one day after the Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing the Biden administration to remove existing wire that prevented federal immigration enforcement officers from carrying out their duties: “Governor Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create … Continue Reading
January 19, 2024
Castro, Cuellar, Gonzales, Casar Push for Full Ecosystem Restoration of Martinez Creek on San Antonio’s Westside
WASHINGTON - Today, San Antonio representatives Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Tony Gonzales (TX-23), and Greg Casar (TX-35) launched a bipartisan push for Congress to approve a full aquatic ecosystem restoration of Martinez Creek on the Westside of San Antonio. Under their proposal, Martinez Creek would be eligible for the full range of measures that are available for San Antonio’s San Pedro, Apache, and Alazán creeks. “Martinez Creek and the adjacent historically … Continue Reading
January 18, 2024
Statement from Congressman Castro on Critical Incident Review on Uvalde Mass Shooting
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement as a preliminary response to the Department of Justice’s Critical Incident Review on the May 2022 school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas: “My heart is with the families in Uvalde as they relive the worst days of their lives. Nearly two years after the massacre, the anguish and pain at Robb Elementary School is impossible to forget. As a father of three kids - two in elementary school - … Continue Reading
January 13, 2024
Statement from Congressman Castro on Migrant Deaths Near Shelby Park
SAN ANTONIO — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement following reports that a mother and her two children drowned after Texas officials refused to allow federal Border Patrol agents to access the Rio Grande River: “This is what Operation Lone Star looks like on the ground. Texas officials blocked U.S. Border Patrol agents from doing their job and allowed two children to drown in the Rio Grande. “Governor Abbott’s inhumanity has no limit. Everyone who … Continue Reading
January 12, 2024
Statement from Congressman Castro on Governor Abbott’s Obstruction of Federal Immigration Enforcement in Eagle Pass, TX
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement in response to multiple reports that Texas state officials are blocking U.S. Border Patrol agents from conducting their duties and enforcing U.S. immigration law along the banks of the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas: “This is unprecedented interference by a governor and state government in federal immigration enforcement. Governor Abbott is interfering with Border Patrol’s ability to do its job and … Continue Reading
January 10, 2024
Congressman Castro Secures Nearly $6 Million for San Antonio ISD to Purchase Low-Pollution School Buses
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) announced that his office has secured $5,925,000 for San Antonio Independent School District to purchase 15 low- and zero-emission school buses that will reduce air pollution and improve air quality in San Antonio. The funding is provided through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bipartisan infrastructure law that Congressman Castro worked to pass in 2021. “Today’s announcement is a major step forward in San Antonio ISD’s work … Continue Reading
January 06, 2024
Congressman Castro Marks Three Years Since January 6, 2021 Attack on the U.S. Capitol
SAN ANTONIO - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence who served as an impeachment manager during the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, released the following statement to mark the passage of three years since the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol: “Three years ago, the United States endured one of the darkest days in our history. As Congress gathered to certify the results of the November … Continue Reading
December 30, 2023
Congressman Castro Releases 2023 Report for the 20th District of Texas
Read the Full Report SAN ANTONIO - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released his end-of-year report detailing 2023 accomplishments on behalf of the 20th Congressional District of Texas. “Over the past two years, San Antonio residents have seen many reasons to be excited about the future. As the economy has rebounded and life has returned to normal, new jobs have brought thousands of families a better quality of life. As our city continues to grow, I want to make sure that no one is … Continue Reading
December 18, 2023
Congressman Castro Leads Texas Democrats, Hispanic Caucus Members Urging Justice Department to Block Texas “Show Me Your Papers” Law
Read the letter SAN ANTONIO — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) will lead Texas Congressional Democrats and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in a letter urging the U.S. Department of Justice to pursue legal action to prevent the enforcement of Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), an unconstitutional and dangerous bill that would authorize state law enforcement and judicial authorities to obstruct federal immigration law. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is expected to sign SB 4 into law … Continue Reading