South Texas delegation votes in support of economic stimulus package as it clears House

EDINBURG — One chamber down, one to go.

The South Texas congressional delegation voted unanimously in favor of the economic stimulus package Wednesday as House Democrats rammed the bill through to passage without a single Republican vote.

The $819 billion stimulus plan backed by President Barack Obama contains hundreds of millions of dollars for the Rio Grande Valley, including investments in levee improvements, ports of entry, K-12 education, job training and infrastructure.

The bill is now expected to move forward in the Senate with Democrats in that chamber likely presenting their plan Monday.

U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, said the package is needed to stem further job losses and stimulate short- and long-term economic growth.

"The economy is in a crisis not seen since the Great Depression," he said. "This economic stimulus package is greatly needed because of the situation we find our country in."

The massive bill, one of the most expensive pieces of legislation in history, contains billions of dollars in state spending and tax cuts for workers.

The package passed by the House gives 95 percent of U.S. workers a tax cut and is projected to create 300,000 jobs in this state, Hinojosa said.

Texas' slice of the pie includes $3 billion for infrastructure, $7.3 billion for schools, $1 billion for improvement to ports of entry and smaller amounts in other categories.

With nearly 2 million workers losing their jobs in the past four months alone, job creation is paramount, Hinojosa said. The new spending should immediately curb unemployment in the Valley, where the jobless rate rose to 9.1 percent in Hidalgo County last month.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said in a statement that the country's economic climate demanded a "once-in-a-lifetime response."

But he added that the historic level of spending - which would further inflate the federal deficit - requires careful oversight.

"Once these funds are passed into law, the next step will be aggressive, unprecedented oversight to make sure that every penny is accounted for and spent wisely," he said.

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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4424.