Henry Cuellar | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's28th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Ciro Rodriguez |
| 102ndSecretary of State of Texas | |
| In office January 2, 2001 – October 5, 2001 | |
| Governor | Rick Perry |
| Preceded by | Elton Bomer |
| Succeeded by | Geoff Connor (acting) |
| Member of theTexas House of Representatives | |
| In office January 13, 1987 – January 2, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | W. N. Hall |
| Succeeded by | Richard Raymond |
| Constituency | 43rd district (1987–1993) 42nd district (1993–2001) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Enrique Roberto Cuellar (1955-09-19)September 19, 1955 (age 70) Laredo, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Imelda Cuellar |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Laredo College (AA) Georgetown University (BS) University of Texas, Austin (JD,PhD) Texas A&M International University (MA) Naval War College (MS) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Cuellar supporting the Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act. Recorded October 27, 2021 | |
Enrique Roberto "Henry" Cuellar[1] (/ˈkweɪ.ɑːr/KWAY-ar; born September 19, 1955)[2] is an American politician and attorney serving as theU.S. representative forTexas's 28th congressional district since 2005. A member of theDemocratic Party, his district spans from theRio Grande towards the suburbs ofSan Antonio.
Cuellar served in theTexas House of Representatives for 14 years, from 1987 to 2001, and briefly served as theTexas secretary of state in 2001, making him, as of 2025, the most recent Democrat to have held a statewide office in Texas.
Cuellar was first elected to Congress in2004, after defeating incumbentCiro Rodriguez in a primary challenge. He is considered a centrist orconservative Democrat within theHouse Democratic Caucus.[3][4][5] He has since been comfortably reelected in every general election while surviving a number of competitive primary races, most notably in 2020 and 2022.[6]
In early May 2024, Cuellar was indicted on money laundering, bribery and conspiracy charges by a federalgrand jury inHouston, Texas. He is alleged to have accepted nearly $600,000 fromAzerbaijan and a Mexican commercial bank in order to influence U.S. policy. His criminal trial is scheduled to start in April 2026.
Cuellar was born inLaredo, Texas.[citation needed] Both of his parents wereMexican-American. His father, Martin Siller Cuellar Sr. (1926–2019), was born inTamaulipas,Mexico, and immigrated to the United States.[7][8] His mother, former Odilia Perez (1928–2015), was a native ofZapata, Texas.[9]
Cuellar graduated in 1973 fromJ. W. Nixon High School. He received anAssociate of Arts degree fromLaredo Community College, then known as Laredo Junior College.[citation needed] He then attended theWalsh School of Foreign Service atGeorgetown University and graduatedcum laude with aBachelor of Science in foreign service. He also earned aMaster of Arts (MA) ininternational trade fromTexas A&M International University, aJuris Doctor (JD) from theUniversity of Texas School of Law, and aPh.D. from theUniversity of Texas at Austin.[3]
As of 2023, he was finishing a master's in defense and strategic studies from theNaval War College, graduating in 2025.[10][11][12]
In 1981, Cuellar opened his own law firm in Laredo and became a licensedcustoms broker in 1983.[citation needed] From 1984 to 1986, he taught atTexas A&M International University as anadjunct professor of international commercial law.[citation needed]
Cuellar was a member of theTexas House of Representatives from 1987 to 2001, representing most of Laredo. During his time as a state representative, he served on the House Appropriations, Higher Education, and Calendar committees. He also served on several national legislative committees dealing with state budgets, the U.S.–Mexico border, and international trade.[13]
In 2001, GovernorRick Perry appointed Cuellar to beSecretary of State of Texas. He served in the office for just over nine months until his resignation, after whichGeoff Connor held the position in an acting capacity.[14] As of 2025[update], Cuellar is the last Democrat to have served in the role.
During his short time as Texas secretary of state, Cuellar issued an opinion that, while not legally binding, argued that home-rule cities in the state of Texas could not adopt ranked-choice voting for their elections under theTexas Constitution. That opinion has been the primary basis for the city of Austin ignoring the passage of the city's 2021 Proposition E, which would have adopted ranked-choice voting in Austin.[15][16]
In 2002, Cuellar was the Democratic nominee for the House of Representatives inTexas's 23rd congressional district. He lost to five-term incumbent RepublicanHenry Bonilla 52%–47% in the closest race Bonilla had faced up to that point.[citation needed]
Cuellar spent much of early 2003 preparing for a rematch against Bonilla. However,redistricting shifted most of Laredo, which had been the heart of the 23rd since its creation in 1966, into the28th district, represented byCiro Rodriguez. Cuellar challenged Rodriguez, a former friend, for the nomination, winning by 58 votes.[17]
The Washington Post described the campaign as "nasty". The initial count gave Rodriguez a 145-vote lead, but, after a recount, Cuellar led by 58 votes.[18] Cuellar's victory was one of only two primary upsets of incumbents from either party in the entire country.
The 28th district was far more Democratic than the 23rd, making him heavily favored in the general election. In November, he defeated the Republican by a 20-point margin, becoming the first Laredoan in over 20 years to be elected to represent the 28th district.[citation needed]
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On March 7, 2006, Cuellar again defeated Rodriguez in the Democratic primary with 52% of the vote in a three-way race. No Republican filed.
On June 29, theU.S. Supreme Court ruled that theTexas Legislature had violated Latino voters' rights when it shifted most of Laredo out of the 23rd and replaced it with heavily RepublicanSan Antonio suburbs.[19] As a result, nearly every congressional district fromEl Paso to San Antonio had to be redrawn, and the primary results for these districts were invalidated. A court drew a new map in which all of Laredo was moved into the 28th district while the south San Antonio area was moved to the 23rd. An election open to all candidates with arunoff if no candidate won 50% was scheduled for the date of the general election, November 7, 2006.
In the general election on November 7, 2006, Cuellar had no Republican opposition. He handily defeated Ron Avery ofMcQueeney, the chairman of the conservativeConstitution Party inGuadalupe County, and Democrat Frank Enriquez, aMcAllen trial attorney, with nearly 68% of the vote.
Cuellar was unopposed in the Democratic primary on March 4, 2008. In the general election, he outran PresidentBarack Obama, winning nearly 70% of the vote to win reelection while the president won 56% in the district.[20]
Cuellar was unopposed for the Democratic nomination in 2010 and won reelection in the general election.[21]
Cuellar was opposed in the November 6 general election by Republican and Libertarian Party candidates.[22]
Guadalupe County, a Republican stronghold that usually opposed Cuellar for reelection, was removed from the reconfigured 28th district.[23]
Cuellar defeated the Republican, 112,262 votes (68%) to 49,095 votes (30%). Hisel took 2% of the vote, and aGreen Party candidate received the remaining 1%.[24][25]
Cuellar was unopposed in the Democratic primary and faced no Republican opposition in 2014.[3]
Cuellar won a rematch in the March 1, 2016, Democratic primary with former Republican congressional candidate William R. Hayward, who switched parties to run again for the House. Cuellar received 49,962 votes (89.8%) to Hayward's 5,682 (10.2%).[26] Cuellar then defeated Republican Zeffen Patrick Hardin in the November 8 general election, 122,086 (66.2%) to 57,740 (31.3%). Green Party nominee Michael D. Cary received 4,616 votes (2.5%).[27]
In 2018, Cuellar was unopposed in the Democratic primary. He won 84.4% (117,178 votes) in the general election.[28]
On January 11, 2019, the progressive organizationJustice Democrats, which supported U.S. representativeAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez's successful 2018 primary campaign inNew York City, announced that it was seeking a primary challenger against Cuellar in the Democratic primary scheduled for March 4, 2020.[29] On July 13, 2019, theJustice Democrats organization announced its support forJessica Cisneros, a 26-year-old immigration and human rights attorney from Laredo who had announced a primary campaign against Cuellar.[30] Cuellar defeated Cisneros 51.8% to 48.2% in the primary.[31] He won the general election in November with 58.3% of the vote, defeating Republican nominee Sandra Whitten and Libertarian nominee Bekah Congdon.[32]
In a rematch of the 2020 primary, Cuellar finished first with a plurality in the Democratic primary, tallying 23,552 votes, 48.4%, over Cisneros, who received 22,745 votes, 46.9%. Cuellar and Cisneros qualified for the May runoff while a third candidate, Tannya Benavides, was eliminated after getting 2,289 votes (4.7%).[33]
During the runoff, Cuellar faced renewed scrutiny over an incident in 2018 where he fired a pregnant staffer who had requested parental leave and subsequently suffered a miscarriage, and according to court documents, subsequently urged other staffers to help him discredit her.[34][35][36]
On June 7, trailing by 281 votes in the runoff, Cisneros requested a recount to be conducted by the Texas Democratic Party.[6] Cuellar extended his lead to a 289-vote margin during the recount.[6] The Associated Press called the race on June 21, 2022.[37] Cuellar went on to easily win reelection against the Republican nominee.
During the primary election process, Cuellar gathered support from key party leaders; the endorsements were seen as a move to head off a primary challenge against him.[38][39]
Leaders that endorsed him for 2024 included Democratic leaderHakeem Jeffries, whipKatherine Clark, and Democratic Caucus chairPete Aguilar.[40] Former speakerNancy Pelosi, former majority leaderSteny Hoyer and assistant democratic leaderJim Clyburn also endorsed Cuellar.[40]
On July 1, 2024, it was reported that Cuellar's office is the worst-paid U.S. House office. The median salary in his office is $47,480.[41]
Cuellar faced Republican political newcomer and physician Jay Furman in the general election. Cuellar narrowly defeated Furman by just under a 5% winning margin, the closest election of his congressional career.[42] Trump carried the district in the concurrent presidential election, making Cuellar one of only 13 Democrats to win in a district that Trump won.
For the119th Congress:[43]
Cuellar is aconservative Democrat.[51][3] He has described himself as a "moderate centrist".[3] During the 117th Congress, he voted with the Democratic caucus 96.8% of the time.[52]
During the Trump administration, Cuellar voted with the Democratic majority 87.9% of the time, while voting with Trump's stance 40.6% of the time.[53][54][55] Cuellar was ranked the 6th-most bipartisan member of the House of Representatives in the first session of the117th United States Congress by the Lugar Center andMcCourt School of Public Policy.[56][57] He is one of two members belonging to the fiscally-conservativeBlue Dog Democratic Coalition in the Texas congressional delegation.[44][dead link]
As of August 2023, Cuellar had voted in line withJoe Biden's stated position 96% of the time.[a][58]
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In 2011, Cuellar authored and co-sponsored legislation seeking to honor slain ICE agentJaime Zapata. Billed as a border security bill, it would increase cooperation among state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies during investigations of human and drug smuggling from Mexico.[59]
In 2013, in a statement with House colleaguesBeto O'Rourke andFilemon Vela Jr., Cuellar renewed his opposition to a border fence along the Rio Grande between the U.S. and Mexico. He denounced inclusion in the Senate immigration bill of an amendment sponsored by senatorsBob Corker andJohn Hoeven that called for 700 additional miles of border fencing, calling the fence an antiquated solution to a modern problem. The fence, he said, ignores the economic ties between the two nations, which reached $500 billion in 2012.[60]
Cuellar was one of three Democrats to vote forKate's Law, which expands maximum sentences for immigrants who reenter the U.S. after being deported.[4] He supported legislation to strip federal funding for jurisdictions that havesanctuary policies in place.[4]
On June 15, 2007, Cuellar endorsed thenU.S. senatorHillary Clinton for president in 2008. He said, "Senator Clinton is the only candidate with the experience and toughness to hit the ground running on her first day in the White House."[citation needed] In 2007, he held a fundraiser for Clinton in Laredo that raised over $200,000 and was attended by former presidentBill Clinton.[citation needed]
Cuellaropposes abortion rights.[4][51] He has voted for a ban on abortion after 20 weeks.[61]
In 2023, he was among the four Democrats who voted to amend the annual defense policy bill to ban a Biden administration policy that allowed service members to be reimbursed for abortion-related travel and other expenses.[51]
In 2021, he was the only Democrat to vote against theWomen's Health Protection Act, which aims to preserve access to abortion nationwide. The Act was proposed in response to theTexas Heartbeat Act, which bans abortion after 6 weeks in Texas.[62]
Cuellar is the only Texas Democrat on theHouse Appropriations Committee and is prolific in using his perch to deliver federal funds to his district.[63] In 2011, he delivered federal funding to open aVeterans Administration outpatient clinic operated jointly withUT Health San Antonio inLaredo, Texas. At the time, the mayor declared that the project "would not have been possible" without the congressman's support.[64]
In 2020, Cuellar secured $1.2 million in federal funding to support efforts to fightCOVID-19 inWebb County.[65]
On March 21, 2010, Cuellar voted for theAffordable Care Act, which passed the House by a vote of 219–212.[66]
Cuellar was instrumental in shepherding through passage of thebipartisan infrastructure deal in 2021. He was one of nine moderate Democrats who threatened to boycott a procedural vote unless House leadership first allowed a vote on President Biden'sInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.[67][68] The effort was successful and resulted in the successful passage of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.[69]
Cuellar supported the return of earmarks to Congress and has used his position on Appropriations to become one of the 20 top earmarkers in Congress.[70][71]
On June 26, 2009, Cuellar voted with the House majority to pass theAmerican Clean Energy and Security Act, also known as thecap and trade bill.[72] In March 2023, Cuellar announced that he would vote to roll back environmental regulations in President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, making him one of only two Democrats to do so.[73]
Cuellar followed-up with customs officials on theGlobal Trade Exchange project which was part of theSafe Ports Act in a meeting on 30 October 2007. In this meeting Cuellar queried Deputy Commissioner of CustomsThomas S. Winkowski. Winkowski testified to Cuellar U.S. Attorneys were still trying to "go around the legal challenges that [the U.S. government] had in obtaining the database and that Customs was "Still trying to get our arms around" the Global Trade Exchange, so that they could "know what's inside it".[74]
Cuellar supports legalsame-sex marriage and voted for theRespect for Marriage Act.[75]
In 2025, Cuellar was one of two House Democrats (the other beingVicente Gonzalez) to vote in favor of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would ban transgender athletes from participating in women's and girls' sports at federally funded schools and educational institutions.[76][77]
In 2020, Cuellar was one of six House Democrats to vote against theMarijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which aimed tolegalize cannabis at the federal level.[78] In 2014, he voted for a Republican measure blocking the implementation of a Washington, D.C., decriminalization law.[79]
Cuellar is an opponent of theRohrabacher–Farr amendment which would limit the enforcement of the federal law criminalizing marijuana in states that havelegalized medical cannabis.[80]
Cuellar has supportedautomated license plate recognition federal contractorPerceptics and has been linked to lobbying on behalf of the firm byPodesta Group. Perceptics CEO John Dalton called him a "friendly congressman" for Perceptics.[81]
Cuellar supports U.S. support forUkraine in the wake ofRussia's invasion.[82][83] In the wake of news that the Iranian regime was supplying drones to Russia to use in the war, Cuellar led a bipartisan letter calling for the Biden administration to cripple Iran's access to technology so that American-made technology isn't used to feed Russia's war.[84]
Cuellar voted to provideIsrael with support following theOctober 7 attacks.[85][86]
Cuellar is a leading proponent for the proposed expansion of passenger rail fromSan Antonio, Texas, toMonterrey, Mexico, a project he has advocated for since 2008.[87][88][89] He spearheaded support for feasibility studies by both the United States and Mexican governments on the proposal and has sought federal funding to supplement private funds in a public-private partnership.[90] An agreement has been signed between United States and Mexican officials to explore the proposal.[91]
The project is supported bySamuel García, governor ofNuevo León state where Monterrey is located.[90] The governor visited Washington, DC in 2021 on a trip hosted by Cuellar's office to build support for the proposal link.[92] The train's route would connect San Antonio to Monterrey in 2 hours, with a stop in Laredo, within Cuellar's district.[93][94]
On December 18, 2019, Cuellar voted in favor ofboth articles of impeachment against Trump.[95]
Following theJanuary 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, Cuellar called for asecond impeachment of Donald Trump.[96] On January 13, he voted in favor of impeachment.[97]
On April 10, 2025, Cuellar was one of only four Democrats who joined all of the Republicans in the House in voting in favor of theSafeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, commonly known as the SAVE Act. The bill places strict requirements to prove American citizenship in order to vote in federal elections.[98]
On January 19, 2022, theFBI obtained a search warrant for Cuellar's Laredo residence and campaign office as part of a federal probe relating toAzerbaijan, known for its practice of "caviar diplomacy" and money laundering scandals like theAzerbaijani Laundromat.[99][100][101][102][103] A federal grand jury also issued subpoenas for records related to Cuellar, his wife, and at least one campaign staffer related to the matter.[104] Cuellar has taken an interest in Azerbaijan and co-chairs the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.[104]
As of May 2022, Cuellar's lawyer maintained Cuellar was innocent and was not a target of the investigation; the FBI had made no statement at that point.[105] In response, party leaders includingSpeaker of the HouseNancy Pelosi reaffirmed their support for Cuellar.[106] As of January 2023, no arrests had been made in the case, the FBI had not indicated Cuellar was a person of interest and Cueller was not believed to be the subject of the investigation.[107] Cuellar easily won reelection following the incident.[107]
On May 3, 2024, Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, were indicted on money laundering, conspiracy, and bribery charges.[108] The indictment says that nearly $600,000 in bribes from Azerbaijan and a Mexican commercial bank waslaundered into shell companies owned by Imelda from December 2014 through at least November 2021.[109][110] After the indictment was unsealed, Cuellar released a supportive statement regarding his wife.[111] Former presidentDonald Trump defended Cuellar.[112] On August 14, 2025, federal judgeLee Rosenthal dismissed two of the charges.[113]
After Cuellar's indictment, two political advisors he had worked with pleaded guilty to charges that they had conspired with Cuellar to launder more than $200,000 in bribes from a Mexican bank. Cuellar's indictment accuses him of accepting money from a Mexican bank in exchange for "influencing the Treasury Department to work around an anti-money laundering policy that threatened the bank's interests." The advisors, including Cuellar's former campaign manager, Colin Strother, allegedly facilitated the payments. Strother and Florencio "Lencho" Rendon struck plea deals in exchange for cooperating with the investigation into Cuellar; they each face up to 20 years in prison and fines in excess of $100,000. Cuellar has said he is innocent of the charges and that his actions were "consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people."[114]
Cuellar is represented by criminal defense attorney Josh Berman ofClifford Chance LLP.[115][104]
Cuellar's criminal trial was originally scheduled to begin in September 2025, but a federal judge moved the date to April 2026, along with dropping two of the 14 charges.[116][113] A federal judge denied Cuellar's request to move the trial from Houston to Laredo.[117]
Cuellar is one of eight children. His father was an immigrant migrant worker.[8] A brother, Martin Cuellar, serves as Sheriff inWebb County.[118] A sister, Rosie Cuellar, is the municipal judge inRio Bravo.[119]
Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, have two daughters. In 2014, Cuellar portrayedGeorge Washington during the annualWashington's Birthday Celebration in Laredo.[120][121] Cuellar isRoman Catholic.[122]
On October 2, 2023, at around 9:30.p.m.ET, Cuellar was held at gunpoint andcarjacked by three robbers outside of hisWashington, D.C., apartment residence. The suspects stole Cuellar's vehicle, as well as his luggage, although the car and all of his belongings were recovered by law enforcement a few hours later.[123] Cuellar was reportedly unharmed. A police investigation is ongoing.[124][125]
about pilots going on at Laredo that sound a lot like Perceptics'
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of Texas 2001 | Succeeded by Geoff Connor Acting |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 28th congressional district 2005–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theBlue Dog Coalition for Communications 2017–2019 Served alongside:Jim Costa (Administration),Dan Lipinski (Policy) | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by Jim Costa | United States representatives by seniority 47th | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
