In South Texas, people understand what trade does for a community.
You see it on Interstate 35. You see it at our ports of entry. You see it in warehouses, rail yards, trucking companies, and small businesses.
Every day, trucks cross through Laredo carrying auto parts, produce, medical supplies, energy equipment, goods, and much more, headed to communities across America. Those shipments move through Texas and into manufacturing hubs across America.
WILL THE EU FINALLY GET TOUGH ON CHINA’S ‘EXISTENTIAL’ TRADE THREAT? DOUBTFUL
Laredo does not just sit on the border. Laredo helps power the American economy. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
In 2024, the Laredo Port of Entry processed more than $331 billion in trade between the United States and Mexico. More than 6 out of every 10 commercial trucks crossing the Texas-Mexico border moved through our region.
When traffic backs up in Laredo, factories slow down. Store shelves take longer to fill. Prices climb. Families across the country pay more.
For decades, maritime ports received dedicated support through the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. Meanwhile, land ports carried enormous trade volumes without a permanent funding stream to match.
That never made much sense to me.
It’s why I introduced the bipartisan Land Port of Entry Modernization Trust Fund Act alongside Republicans and Democrats representing border communities. We put this bill together to strengthen trade, improve efficiency, and help America compete.
Our approach does not create a new tax. It creates a new funding stream for land ports of entry and for further infrastructure projects that help generate and process that commerce in the first place. It also supports new inspection facilities, updated cargo technology, bridge improvements, and additional Customs and Border Protection officers.
At the border, trade and security work together. Anyone who tells you otherwise does not understand South Texas.
CBP officers need modern equipment and enough space to inspect cargo efficiently and stop deadly fentanyl, weapons, and human trafficking. Long lines and outdated facilities hurt security operations just like they hurt truck drivers, manufacturers, ranchers, and businesses trying to move products across the border.
South Texans live that reality every day.
The World Trade Bridge in Laredo already handles more commercial truck traffic than any other land port in the country. Local leaders continue advocating expansion plans because trade keeps growing and freight keeps moving. Recently, the new CPKC rail bridge line opened in Laredo, adding another major freight connection between the U.S. and Mexico.
Those projects moved forward because people sat down together and solved problems. Democrats. Republicans. City and local officials. Business leaders. Law enforcement. That is how we get things done in Texas.
I previously secured language expediting the presidential permitting process for cross-border bridge construction, a priority for South Texas. That effort helped accelerate six international bridge permits, and I will continue fighting for a federal permitting process that keeps pace with modern trade demands. International bridge projects and land ports of entry cannot spend years tied up in unnecessary delays while freight volumes keep climbing. Smarter coordination between agencies and streamlined permitting help projects move faster while maintaining strong security and oversight standards.
People back home do not care about partisan politics. They care about results. They want roads that move traffic. Bridges that handle trade. Ports that keep America competitive.
And they rightly expect Washington to keep up with reality.
Trade between the U.S. and Mexico continues to grow rapidly. More manufacturers continue bringing operations closer to home. More freight moves through Texas every year, and Laredo sits right in the middle of that growth.
That growth also creates opportunities beyond freight movement alone. I’ve supported efforts to strengthen rail connectivity between Texas and northern Mexico, including long-term planning for passenger rail connections linking Monterrey, Laredo, San Antonio, and beyond. Better connectivity means stronger economic cooperation, improved mobility, and more efficient regional development on both sides of the border.
Congress now faces a choice. We can prepare for that future, or we can let congestion choke supply chains and raise costs for American families.
TRUMP WAS RIGHT, GERMANY WAS WRONG — FIRST ON NATO, NOW ON TRADE
In South Texas, we understand something Washington forgets too often: When America moves products faster and more safely, workers win. Businesses win. Families win.
As a senior appropriator, I will keep fighting for bridge projects, rail improvements, freight corridors, smarter permitting, inspection technology, and stronger connections to Interstate 35 because those investments create jobs and strengthen communities across the country.
Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D., is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. He previously served as Texas Secretary of State and in the Texas House of Representatives.
This content is part of a sponsored section by AEM