Congressman Hinojosa to Retire at End of Current Term

Statement

It is with a profound sense of gratitude and emotion that I announce my decision not to seek re-election to the U.S. Congress as your representative of the 15th congressional district of Texas. I wish to thank my lovely and supportive wife, Marty; and my five children, Ruben Jr., Laura, Iliana, Kaity and Karén, who have all supported me throughout my service in Congress.

I want to thank each and every one of you who are here and also those who could not attend today. All of you have been instrumental in helping us accomplish so much in the last 20 years. I would also like to give a special thanks to the people of the 15th District who have entrusted me to represent their interests in Congress by electing me to 10 consecutive terms.

I have enjoyed a career that extends over 50 years, with over 40 years in elected positions in public service beginning with my first office serving on the Mercedes school board. I went on to become a member of the Texas State Board of Education, a founding member and co-chair of South Texas College and the South Texas Independent School District.

For the last 20 years, it has been my privilege to represent the voters of the 15th District. During that time, I fought to improve the quality of life of South Texas families, children and communities. I worked tirelessly to improve education, economic development, health care, international trade and transportation.

In the area of education, I worked with my colleagues to strengthen federal programs from cradle to career. I am most proud of my leadership in making college more affordable and accessible for students, especially low-income and under-represented students.

As a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, I led the effort to create a separate federal designation for Hispanic Serving Institutions. One of the largest gains in Pell grants occurred under my watch as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training. Now students can obtain Pell grants for almost $6,000, making college more affordable and within reach for millions of students.

Through the enactment of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, I also championed the inclusion of $2.5 billion in targeted investments for HBCUs, HSIs, Tribal Colleges and Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions.

With the University of Texas Pan American and now UT-Rio Grande Valley, I helped establish HESTEC to expand career opportunities in the STEM fields for Latino and Latina students. It is recognized as a national model for recruiting and strengthening the educational pipeline in the STEM fields.

I am very proud to have supported our nation's Dreamers. These students deserve a path to U.S. citizenship. After all, this is the only country they have ever known. As the proud of son of Mexican immigrants, I remain hopeful that Congress will enact comprehensive immigration reform for future generations of Dreamers and immigrant families.

For Hidalgo County, I brought $300 million in federal funding to reinforce our levees and to stem flooding from major storms. I led the effort to secure the construction of two international bridges, the Anzalduas Bridge and the Donna Bridge, which expanded international trade and spurred tremendous economic growth in our region.

I am also very proud of my work to advance the designation of the I-69 and I-2 interstate highways, which represent a major accomplishment of our time -- and one that many said would never happen. We accomplished it through determination and team work.

I will finish my term for the people of my district when my term expires at the end of next year. After that, I will pursue the possibility of serving as a distinguished visiting professor at a university, as a vice chancellor of a university system or working in the private sector.

I am delighted that the 15th District has many rising, impressive young leaders, and I look forward to candidates, who, like me, will continue to stand up for our community and for what we believe in. As I start this next phase of my life, I am excited about the opportunities that the future holds, and I look forward to serving the public in new ways and on many other levels in our communities here in Deep South Texas.

My heart will always be in the 15th District. Thank you very much for all of your support over the years and God bless America.

Source