Dear Friends,
Recently, I hosted Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Walter Bastian in South Texas. As Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Bastian is responsible for developing programs, policies and strategies to strengthen the United States' commercial position in the Western Hemisphere. Given the huge amount of trade that flows through South Texas, I wanted to bring Mr. Bastian to the Rio Grande Valley to identify ways that the U.S. Department of Commerce can help grow our economy. Mr. Bastian toured the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, the Rio Bravo Bridge, the Los Indios Bridge, and the West Rail bridge. Additionally, we met with business and local leaders in Brownsville, Harlingen, and Matamoros.
Representatives Vela and Hinojosa with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Walter Bastian at the Pharr International Bridge
President Theodore Roosevelt said, "A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace." The USS Forrestal and the men and women who served on her, embodied this notion and played a key role in world events. After 38 years of service, the USS Forrestal sailed her final voyage last month--arriving at the Port of Brownsville to be recycled by All Star Metals.
The USS Forrestal made history in November 1963 when a C-130 Hercules plane landed on its flight deck—at the time it was the largest and heaviest airplane to ever land on a Navy aircraft carrier and proved that is was possible to fly 25,000 pounds of cargo 2,500 miles and safely deliver it to a carrier. The Forrestal experienced tragedy in 1967 in the Gulf of Tonkin. On its flight deck, a rocket misfired and hit an airplane, which happened to be occupied by future Senator John McCain. The result was a serious fire, which killed 134 sailors and injured 161. The Forrestal crew battled the fire for hours and was able to extinguish it. I had the privilege of being the keynote speaker at an event held on South Padre Island to honor the ship and those brave men and women who served on her decks.
The recycling of the Forrestal will be used to drive the American economy forward, while providing more than 200 jobs at the Port of Brownsville.
Ken Killmeyer, Historian of the USS Forrestal Association, standing in front of the USS Forrestal at the Port of Brownsville
Finally, I want to congratulate the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville (CDCB) for a $190,500 grant award they recently received from the national NeighborWorks network. This fiscal year 2014 grant funding is provided to support local NeighborWorks organization efforts to revitalize and sustain communities through promoting and preserving affordable housing while creating local jobs. The Community Development Corporation of Brownsville is a non-profit community housing development organization founded in 1974 and is one of the largest non-profit producers of single-family housing for ownership in Texas. Specifically, the funds were awarded for organizational operations and will allow CDCB to continue to develop programs to produce affordable housing in the Rio Grande Valley.
The grant also includes capital investment funds, which will be applied toward a multifamily family rental project. The Community Development Corporation of Brownsville plays an important role in South Texas as it delivers safe, sanitary and affordable housing to low-income residents and is particularly focused on helping those who reside in colonias. I am proud to support this grant, and will work to ensure that Washington policymakers understand the funding needs of organizations such as CDCB that contribute greatly to our region.
Sincerely,
Filemon Vela
Member of Congress
