Henry Cuellar: “I rise to engage Chairman Wolf in a colloquy with me. I thank the chairman for agreeing to engage in this important…”

“I rise to engage Chairman Wolf in a colloquy with me. I thank the chairman for agreeing to engage in this important discussion with me. As you know, I represent Laredo, Texas, along the U.S.-Mexican border. There has been much violence along the border, including 31 Americans that have been kidnapped on the Mexican side. That is 31 Americans. Twelve of them have been returned, two were killed, and the remaining are unaccounted for. I have been working to increase cooperation with the law enforcement agencies policing the border. In May, I brought together officials from agencies ranging from the FBI to the State Department along with the local law enforcement to help formulate a plan. The Mexican Government on the other side has increased police and federal presence along the border, which is good news, but unfortunately they haven't done enough. We need to respond with strong, decisive efforts of our own to help forge a lasting resolution. I am excited to know, Mr. Chairman, that this bill increases by $23 million the Violent Crime Impact Teams assigned to cities in the United States, and I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and the ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mollohan), and the members of the subcommittee for the leadership that you have shown. I am also currently working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Attorney General, Mr.…”