Texas Border Business
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Congressman Henry Cuellar spoke at the dedication ceremony of the new San Antonio Federal Courthouse on Wednesday, April 20th. Below are excerpts of his remarks:
I’m excited to join you in today’s dedication ceremony for the new San Antonio Federal Courthouse. Three years ago, I was here during this facility’s groundbreaking ceremony. I’m here again to witness the culmination of bipartisan legislating between our U.S. Senators and our San Antonio Congressional delegates to bring a new Federal Courthouse to San Antonio. I met with JD Salinas during his tenure as Regional Administrator of GSA’s Greater Southwest Region during the preliminary phase of this project. Mr. Salinas was crucial in seeing this project come to fruition.
Several years later, in the Fiscal Year 2016’s Omnibus Appropriations bill, I secured $948 million for the GSA’s annual Capital Investment and Leasing Program (CILP). Approximately $132 million of those funds were allocated specifically to the construction, management, and inspection of the new Federal Courthouse we stand before today. That’s over 91% of the total federal funding for this project that I secured as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Furthermore, I secured $26 million in federal reimbursements for the San Pedro Creek, which flows next to this Courthouse. These moneys were for the Mission Reach Project, a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers project designed to prevent river flooding. This new Courthouse is a state-of-the-art facility designed to meet the increasing demand of the courts.
I look forward to continuing to serve my constituency here in San Antonio as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. I want to give a special thanks to JD Salinas, former Rep. Will Hurd, and the rest of the bipartisan San Antonio Congressional delegates that helped achieve this Courthouse’s construction. I also want to thank Senators Cornyn and Cruz for their work in the Senate to see this project through. Lastly, I want to thank Chief Justice Orlando Garcia and District Judge Xavier Rodriguez for their work in upholding the rule of law in the Western District of Texas.
Background
- In the FY 2016 spending bill, I helped secure $132 million from GSA’s annual Capital Investment and Leasing Program (CILP) for the construction of a new San Antonio U.S. Federal Courthouse. Those moneys were appropriated for a state-of-the-art 225,536 square foot complex.
- Previous funding in the amount of $12 million brings the grand total of funding for this project to $144 million dollars.
- Located in historic downtown San Antonio, this Courthouse will include:
- 8 courtrooms (5 District, 2 Magistrate, & 1 Special Proceeding)
- 13 chambers (7 District, 3 Magistrate, & 1 Special Proceeding)
- The new Courthouse will also house the following Federal offices:
- U.S. District Courts for the Western District of Texas;
- U.S. Court of Appeals;
- U.S. Clerk of the Court;
- U.S. Magistrate Courts;
- U.S. Marshals;
- U.S. Attorneys;
- U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services;
- Federal Public Defender; and,
- The GSA
