U.S. Chamber of Commerce recognizes Congressman Cuellar for his leadership and bipartisanship in the 116th Congress
Texas Border Business
Laredo, TX—Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) was awarded the Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award and the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship by the United States Chamber of Commerce. These two awards are to presented to members of Congress who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward.
“It is an honor to be one of only five members of Congress to receive both the United States Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award and the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship,” said Congressman Cuellar. “Now more than ever, we must walk across the aisle and come together to pursue common ground and bold solutions to the historic challenges facing our communities and our nation. Americans are counting on it. As we see more unrelentless division and dysfunction in Washington, I am committed to stepping up and working with both Democrats and Republicans to move our country forward. I want to thank the Chamber of Commerce for these awards and their commitment to advocating for hard-working Americans.”
“Now more than ever, our nation needs elected leaders with the courage to pursue common ground and bold, bipartisan solutions to America’s greatest challenges,” said U.S. Chamber President Suzanne Clark. “These awards honor the deserving members of Congress that are forging common-sense sense solutions, working across the aisle, to enact lasting and meaningful reforms. In the days ahead, Congress must work together and support our nation’s free enterprise principles that will help bring our economy back to strength and put our people back to work.”
“Last year, the U.S. Chamber pledged to heighten our focus and reward bipartisan leadership and constructive governing, and we are now making good on that promise today,” Clark added.
Good public policy does not just happen, it requires leaders committed to doing the hard work, such as refining proposals and building support. The new Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award recognizes members of Congress who demonstrate the leadership needed to advance policies that support American business. It is presented to the 10 top senators and 20 top members of Congress on the leadership component of the Chamber’s forthcoming “How They Voted” congressional scorecard. Since the start of the 116th Congress, the Chamber has urged members to cosponsor certain bills and refrain from cosponsoring others. This award is based on the number of times a member took the recommended actions.
Since the days of Jefferson and Hamilton, America has benefitted from leaders who found ways to work together despite their differences. The new Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship recognizes those members of Congress who in their actions have demonstrated a willingness to work across the aisle in support of common objectives. The Jefferson-Hamilton Award is presented to the 10 top senators and 20 top members of Congress based on the number of bills — except those formally opposed by the Chamber — a Member cosponsors introduced by a Member of the opposite party. Members are ranked relative to the performance of all other members of their party, with the top ranked in both parties earning 100%.
In 2019, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) was also recognized as one of the “Most Bipartisan Members in the 116th Congress”, according to a new report by Quorum Analytics. The report states that thirty eight percent of legislation co-sponsored by the Congressman originated with a member of the opposite of the party.
