Water bill that would provide funding to restore Valley resacas passes house - KRGV
Water bill that would provide funding to restore Valley resacas passes house
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the $57.958 billion energy and water development appropriations bill for the 2024 fiscal year.
The Wednesday vote for H.R. 4394 was 210-199.
According to former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, funding from the bill provides millions to the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain and preserve the resacas in the Valley.
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Brownsville, voted against the bill.
In July, Flores announced she was running against Gonzalez in the 2024 election cycle to retake the congressional seat she lost to him in 2022.
In a statement, Flores said Gonzalez voting against the bill makes clear he “opposes funding for clean water, air and the environment.”
“The resacas represent the natural beauty of the Rio Grande Valley and serve as an integral part of our environment in South Texas. Unfortunately, Vicente Gonzalez inexplicably voted against $2 million in critical funding to protect and preserve these waterways in our communities,” Flores said.
In a statement made to Channel 5 News, Rep. Gonzalez said in the past he’s worked with the city of Brownsville to secure funding that restores resacas.
“The bill that I voted against today would increase energy costs for South Texan families, reduce the number of good-paying jobs for American workers, and pave the way for our foreign adversaries to become world leaders in energy,” Gonzalez said. “This bill included many partisan riders and was put on the floor by the majority with the knowledge that it won’t pass the Senate — a classic example of Republican theatrics and the do-nothing attitude from the last three weeks. I’m all for funding resacas, but not at the expense of the livelihoods of South Texans.”
The bill needs to go before the Senate for approval.
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