Congressman Silvestre Reyes
Proudly Representing the People of the 16th District of Texas

Congressman Silvestre Reyes serves as the influential Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the first Hispanic American in U.S. history to lead the committee.  The committee drafts the laws that govern, fund, and oversee the 16 agencies that comprise the U.S. Intelligence Community, including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA), and other executive branch departments and agencies. 

Congressman Reyes is also a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, the primary committee responsible for the funding and oversight of the Department of Defense (DOD).  The committee plays a central role in determining funding levels for Fort Bliss. 

Reyes is an Army combat veteran.  He served in the Army from 1966 – 1968, and fought in the Vietnam War as a helicopter crew chief in the 282nd Combat Assault Helicopter Company known as “the Blackcats."  Following his service in Vietnam, he joined the United States Border Patrol as an agent in 1969.  In 1984, Reyes was promoted to Sector Chief, becoming the first Hispanic Sector Chief in Border Patrol history.

As Sector Chief, Reyes was widely recognized as one of America’s strongest and most effective leaders for border security.  In McAllen and El Paso, Reyes implemented new innovative programs and strategies such as “Operation Hold the Line,” the Border Patrol's Canine Program, and the Border Patrol's National Anti-Drug School Education Program.  The Border Patrol adopted Reyes’ strategy and “Operation Hold the Line” remains a central part of the agency’s Southwest border security strategy.  Reyes retired in 1995, capping an impressive 26 ½ year career.

In 1996, the people of El Paso sent Reyes to Washington, D.C. to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.  In 2008, Reyes was overwhelmingly elected by his constituents for a seventh term, winning over 82 percent of the vote.

Since coming to Congress, Reyes has been instrumental in the expansion of Fort Bliss, a driving force of El Paso economic growth.  In 1995, prior to Reyes’ election to Congress, the Department of Defense directed that the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment be relocated from Fort Bliss to Fort Carson, Colorado, leaving the post without any heavy armored brigades and threatening the viability of a vital economic driver for El Paso.  Through his position on the Armed Services Committee, Reyes worked to prevent the Department of Defense from closing Fort Bliss as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) process.

As a result of the efforts by Reyes, and other community leaders who were united to save Fort Bliss from closure, the post received the top ranking in “military value” among all 97 Army installations in the United States.  Through the BRAC consolidation, Fort Bliss emerged with the largest net gain of active duty troops, and is expected to grow by 24,000 active duty personnel by 2013.  These additional troops at Fort Bliss will expand the post’s economic impact on the local economy from an annual $1.7 billion in 2005 to $6.4 billion annually beginning in 2013. 

Reyes continues to push for funding to prepare Fort Bliss for the large influx of troops who will continue to arrive over the next several years.  This year, he successfully secured the authorization of nearly $1 billion in the 2010 Defense Authorization Bill to construct a new state-of-the-art William Beaumont Army Medical Center campus that will serve Fort Bliss troops, their dependents, and veterans.  He also secured an additional $800 million for critical construction projects in the 2010 budget. 

With his extensive experience and expertise in border security, Reyes is an influential leader on issues involving immigration and border security.  Reyes was instrumental in developing the annual Border Issues Conference in Washington, D.C. and the Border Security Conference at UTEP, which recently featured Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, President Obama’s Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan, and other top level officials.  In March 2009, Reyes was tapped by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to lead a high-level Congressional Delegation to meet with President Felipe Calderon of Mexico to discuss his efforts to combat drug-related violence and assess the effectiveness of U.S. efforts to assist the Mexican government.

In September 2009, Reyes brought U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to El Paso to visit the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in an effort to push for additional resources for both the school and for the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation.  Following the visit, Congressman Reyes worked closely with Majority Leader Hoyer and others to include a funding provision in the Health Care for America Act that would allocate $100 million each year through 2015 to the Department of Health and Human Services to fund grants to develop medical schools in "professional shortage areas," such as El Paso.  These grants would have the potential to accelerate the development of El Paso's medical school and expand critical services for residents.

Reyes has fought to expand access to higher education by supporting increases in the Pell grant, lowering interest rates on student loans, and creating incentives for students to pursue careers in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.  Reyes is a founder and chair of the House Congressional Diversity and Innovation Caucus.  In addition, he has worked with his peers in the House to strengthen K-12 education by advocating for Title I funding increases, Impact Aid, IDEA resources, and comprehensive education policies that strengthen the school lunch program, expand literacy, and promote parental involvement.  For his efforts, Congressman Reyes has been honored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the National GEM Consortium, and the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture and in 2008 the Children Defense Fund Action Council (CDFAC) named Congressman Silvestre Reyes one of the "Best Representatives for Children."

In 2008, the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) presented Reyes (along with former Congressman Duncan Hunter) with the "Outstanding Legislator Award,” calling him as a “great [friend] of the Army as an institution and [supporter] of soldiers and their families.”  Reyes established the Congressional USO (United Service Organizations) Caucus.  In 2006, Reyes was also selected as the "El Pasoan of the Year" by the El Paso, Inc. for his successful efforts in Congress to expand the role and mission of Fort Bliss.  He is also the recipient of the League of United Latin American Citizens “Lucy G. Acosta Humanitarian Award,” and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce “President’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Silvestre was born and raised in Canutillo, Texas.  He is married to his wife of 40 years, Carolina.  They have three children: Monica, Rebecca and Silvestre, Jr.  Reyes is also the proud grandfather of Amelia, Mateo Silvestre, Julian, and Orlando.