Press Releases
Statement from Congressman Castro on President Biden’s Efforts to Prevent Israeli Ground Invasion of Rafah
SAN ANTONIO — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement commending President Biden’s commitment to halt U.S. offensive weapons shipments to Israel if Israel invades Rafah, a city in Southern Gaza where approximately 1.5 million Palestinians are currently sheltering: “For months, Palestinian families have fled to Rafah to escape death and destruction in … Continue Reading
May 04, 2024
Congressman Castro Announces Winners of the 2024 Congressional Art Competition for the 20th District of Texas
SAN ANTONIO — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) held a ceremony with local students, artists, educators, and community members to announce and celebrate the winners of the 2024 Congressional Art Competition for the 20th Congressional District of Texas. “The Congressional Art Competition is always a great opportunity to highlight the work of San Antonio’s talented young artists. This year, my office received more than 100 amazing submissions from across our Congressional District, … Continue Reading
May 03, 2024
Congressman Castro Celebrates Final Rule to Expand ACA Coverage to DACA Recipients
SAN ANTONIO - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a longtime Congressional leader in efforts to expand access to health care for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, released the following statement praising the Biden administration’s action to remove the prohibition that prevented DACA recipients from enrolling in coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace: “Over the last twelve years, DACA has allowed hundreds of thousands of first-generation Americans … Continue Reading
April 30, 2024
Congressman Castro Urges Senate to Authorize Direct Flights from San Antonio to Washington D.C. to Support Military Travel, Economic Growth
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement urging the U.S. Senate to advance bipartisan legislation included in the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024 that could authorize direct flights from San Antonio to Ronald Reagan International Airport (DCA), the closest airport to Washington D.C. The legislation is supported by a bipartisan and bicameral coalition of members of Congress from Texas, as well as local leaders and … Continue Reading
April 20, 2024
Statement from Castro, Velázquez, Doggett, Jayapal, Khanna, Ocasio-Cortez, Balint, Casar, Takano, McGovern, Barbara Lee, Blumenauer, Chu, Johnson, Carson, Watson Coleman, Jesús “Chuy” García, Jonathan Jackson, and Tokuda on the Israel Security Supplemental
WASHINGTON — Today, nearly 20 members of Congress — Reps. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Greg Casar (TX-35), Mark Takano (CA-39), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Judy Chu (CA-28), Hank Johnson (GA-04), André Carson (IN-07), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), and Jill … Continue Reading
April 19, 2024
Congressman Castro, Dads Caucus Push Food and Drug Administration to Prevent Lead Contamination in Children’s Food
WASHINGTON - After reports surfaced of lead-tainted applesauce and Lunchables being served to children in Texas and across the country, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and 30 members of the Dads Caucus wrote to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanding an explanation on how lead-tainted children’s food was allowed to be sold to parents and fed to kids, and to chart a clear path forward to ensure this never happens again. “Alarmingly, this issue was not discovered by the FDA or any … Continue Reading
April 17, 2024
Castro, Escobar Lead 24 House Democrats Expressing Concerns About U.S. Methodology to Assess Israeli Compliance with NSM-20
WASHINGTON - Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) led 24 of their colleagues last night in a letter to U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines expressing concerns over the methodology used in National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM 20) to ensure that Israel is … Continue Reading
April 16, 2024
After Nationwide Push Led by Congressman Castro, Library of Congress Adds Latino Music Giants to National Recording Registry
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement to celebrate this morning’s announcement that the Library of Congress has selected two songs by artists he nominated - Juan Gabriel’s “Amor Eterno” (1990) and Héctor Lavoe’s “El Cantante” (1978) - for inclusion in the National Recording Registry. “Today’s announcement represents the Library of Congress’ growing recognition that music by Latino musicians has shaped the soundtrack of American life,” said … Continue Reading
April 16, 2024
Castro, Nadler Raise Competition Concerns with Disney-FOX-WBD Joint Sports Streaming Venture
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the Chief Executive Officers of the Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FOX, seeking more information about the companies’ new joint sports streaming venture (“JV”). The unnamed JV, which was announced in February 2024 and is expected to debut this fall, unites the three most dominant programmers in the sports … Continue Reading
April 11, 2024
Castro, Gallagher, Baldwin Introduce Open Translation Center Act to Strengthen Translations of Open-Source Materials from China, Russia, and Other Nations of Strategic Interest
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Congressman Mike Gallagher (WI-08), the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI) introduced the Open Translation Center Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill to establish a federally funded research center that will be charged with creating publicly-accessible translations of open-source materials (including … Continue Reading
April 11, 2024
Castro, Fitzpatrick Launch Bipartisan Push to Protect U.S. Development Finance Programs from Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
Devex: New bill aims to give DFC watchdog law enforcement power WASHINGTON - Today, Reps. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) introduced the Enhancing Development Finance Corporation Oversight Act of 2024, bipartisan legislation that would grant law enforcement authority to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) in order to improve oversight and accountability of U.S. foreign aid programs. Six years ago, … Continue Reading
April 11, 2024
Reps. Castro and Cuellar Host Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and Mrs. Rachel Sakai in Washington D.C. for Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s Address to Congress
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the co-chair of the U.S.-Japan Caucus, and Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), a longtime member of the Caucus, welcomed Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and his wife, Mrs. Rachel Sakai, to Washington D.C. as their guests for Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s address to a joint meeting of Congress. The congressmen both represent the city of San Antonio, Texas, which has maintained a sister city relationship with Kumamoto, Japan for nearly … Continue Reading
April 09, 2024
Congressman Castro Announces $30 Million Grant for City of San Antonio Solar Energy Project
SAN ANTONIO - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) announced that the City of San Antonio will receive $30 million in federal funding to launch a solar energy project that will become the largest municipal onsite solar program in Texas and offset an estimated 13% of the electricity consumption from municipal buildings. The funding was made available as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation that Congressman Castro worked to pass in 2022. “In 2022, I was proud to vote for … Continue Reading
April 05, 2024
Castro, Cuellar, Gonzalez, and Casar Call on USPS to Halt Changes That Could Lead to Mail Delays in South Texas
SOUTH TEXAS — Today, Democratic congressmen representing communities in South Texas - Reps. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), and Greg Casar (TX-35) - released a letter urging U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to halt a plan to shift mail processing operations away from Corpus Christi and McAllen to a centralized processing facility in San Antonio. Earlier this year, the implementation of a similar shift in Houston-area mail processing led to … Continue Reading
March 25, 2024
Reps. Castro, Cherfilus-McCormick and Senators Murphy, Kaine Introduce Bill to Curb U.S. Firearms Trafficking to the Caribbean
WASHINGTON - Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, along with Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Senator Chris Murphy (CT), and Senator Tim Kaine (VA), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights & Global Women’s Issues, have introduced the Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causes Harm (CATCH) Act, … Continue Reading
March 23, 2024
As Humanitarian Crisis Mounts in Gaza, Senior House Democrats Urge President Biden to Enforce U.S. Law on Security Assistance to Israel
WASHINGTON - Today, six senior House Democrats with significant experience in foreign policy and human rights - Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12), Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) sent a letter urging President Biden to make clear that continued efforts by the Israeli government to restrict humanitarian aid to Gaza will require the United … Continue Reading
March 21, 2024
Reps. Castro, Grijalva, and García Press DHS to Address Major Barriers to Asylum with CBP One App
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07), and Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), led 27 of their House colleagues in calling on the Department of Homeland Security to address serious concerns regarding the use of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s mobile application (CBP One) as the primary mechanism for managing asylum interview … Continue Reading
March 19, 2024
Statement from Congressman Castro on Initial Supreme Court Ruling on Texas Senate Bill 4
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) to go into effect pending a final ruling expected later this year: “By enabling the Fifth Circuit’s disingenuous procedural jurisprudence, the United States Supreme Court undermines its own credibility. The Supreme Court has opted to allow for a trial run of a constitutional crisis. "SB 4 is an alarming state overreach that … Continue Reading
March 13, 2024
Statement from Congressman Castro on House TikTok Divestiture Vote
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement after voting NO on H.R. 7521, a bill that would compel the owners of TikTok to divest from the app or face a ban in the United States: “As a member of the Intelligence Committee and a dad to three young kids, national security and online safety are issues I take seriously. I also appreciate that TikTok has become an important platform for people across the world to speak truth to power, grow small … Continue Reading
March 12, 2024
Congressman Castro Secures Commitment from CIA to Declassify Information on Surveillance of Latino Civil Rights Movement
WASHINGTON - Today, during an open hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a senior member of the Committee, pressed the leaders of U.S. intelligence agencies to declassify and release materials pertaining to surveillance of the Latino civil rights movement. During questioning, CIA Director William J. Burns committed to working with Congressman Castro to improve the historical record and ensure U.S. intelligence agencies can … Continue Reading