Rep. Cuellar Pushes Back Against Proposed Republican Budget That Would Hurt South Texans

This press release from Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX) was published on 2026-04-14 and titled "Rep. Cuellar Pushes Back Against Proposed Republican Budget That Would Hurt South Texans". It focuses on the environment and touches on education, housing.

Rep. Cuellar Pushes Back Against Proposed Republican Budget That Would Hurt South Texans

Today, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28) released the following statement in response to the administration’s proposed budget, which outlines the president’s funding priorities for the upcoming fiscal year and serves as a starting point for Congress as it begins the appropriations process: “The administration’s budget proposal takes direct aim at the programs South Texans count on. “It would eliminate Community Development Block Grants, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing . That means fewer affordable homes get built, street and water projects get cancelled, and local communities lose the tools they need to grow their economies. “It would also cut $1.4 billion from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) . This program helps mothers and young children afford healthy food. Across South Texas, it helps families stretch grocery budgets and keeps children on track during critical stages of development. The Republican’s budget adds to the cuts already made in the so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and makes food even less affordable. These proposed changes would reduce the monthly WIC fruit and vegetable benefit from $54 to $13 for breastfeeding mothers and from $27 to $10 for young children. That takes fresh, healthy food out of the mouths of mothers and their children. That’s wrong, and it’s not American. “The proposal would eliminate the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps families manage high electricity bills during extreme Texas heat. In our state, that support helps people keep the lights on and their homes safe during the hottest months of the year. “It would eliminate Community Services Block Grants, cutting off direct support to families that helps reduce poverty and promote self-sufficiency. “The budget would also cut $6 billion from the National Institutes of Health and $2.5 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, limiting critical research for diseases like Alzheimer’s and weakening public health systems that support communities across South Texas. “These decisions don’t make the need go away. They put more pressure on families and communities already dealing with higher costs. “As a senior appropriator, I’ll continue to fight against these proposed cuts and work to protect the critical programs helping South Texas.” The following represents a selection of cuts proposed in the Republican budget plan to departments/agencies: Cuts $10.7 billion from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Overall USDA discretionary budget cut of $4.9 billion Cuts Small Business Administration (SBA) funding by 51% ($513 million) The following represents a selection of cuts proposed in the Republican budget plan to programs: Eliminates Community Development Block Grants Eliminates the HOME Investment Partnerships Program Eliminates Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing Cuts $1.4 billion from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Reduces WIC fruit and vegetable benefits from $54 to $13 for breastfeeding mothers Reduces WIC fruit and vegetable benefits from $27 to $10 for young children Eliminates the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Eliminates Community Services Block Grants Cuts $6 billion from the National Institutes of Health Cuts $2.5 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Eliminates housing counseling Cuts Project-Based Rental Assistance by $903 million Cuts Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly by $72 million Cuts Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities by $21 million Cuts homelessness assistance by $922 million Eliminates 12 K-12 funding streams, including English Language Acquisition programs Cuts higher education funding by 81% ($2.7 billion), including eliminating TRIO, GEAR UP, and SIP programs Cuts workforce development programs, including a 90% cut to Job Corps Eliminates the USDA Rural Housing Voucher Program Cuts USDA rural single family housing guaranteed loans by $5 billion Cuts USDA rural single family direct loans by $17 million El congresista Cuellar rechaza la propuesta de presupuesto republicano que perjudicaría a los residentes del sur de Texas Washington, D.C. – Hoy, el congresista estadounidense, el Dr. Henry Cuellar (TX-28), emitió la siguiente declaración en respuesta al presupuesto propuesto por la administración, el cual describe las prioridades de financiamiento del presidente para el próximo año fiscal y sirve como punto de partida para el Congreso al iniciar el proceso de asignaciones presupuestarias: “La propuesta de presupuesto de la administración apunta directamente a los programas en los que los habitantes del sur de Texas confían. “Eliminaría las Subvenciones en Bloque para el Desarrollo Comunitario, el Programa de Asociaciones de Inversión HOME y el programa Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing. Eso significa que se co