Congressman Henry Cuellar Appointed To Leadership Team

CONGRESSMAN HENRY CUELLAR APPOINTED TO LEADERSHIP TEAM

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar was selected by House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) to serve on his Whip Team for the 110th Congress. As a Senior Whip, Congressman Cuellar will work with Majority Whip Clyburn to gather support for Democratic legislation and initiatives. Senior Whips serve on policy oriented task forces created by the Majority Whip and play a key role on the Whip Team. They are responsible for developing strategies to ensure legislative success and are asked to plan strategically about how issues impact certain members and Caucus groups.

"I'm deeply honored to have been selected by the House leadership for this position," said Congressman Cuellar. "I look forward to bringing change to Washington and advancing legislation that meets the needs of working families. As a Senior Whip, I will continue fighting for greater access to health care and education, for economic development, and for increasing our national security. I will work to foster unity in our caucus and build bipartisan coalitions with my colleagues from across the aisle."

The term "whip" is derived from the British Parliament which adopted the term from the fox-hunting position "whipper-in," the rider who kept the fox hounds gathered together behind their mission. The whip's job in Congress is to gather support for legislation when it comes to the floor for a vote. The Democratic Caucus relies on the whip team to pull together the votes to pass its agenda.

Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Homeland Security, Budget, and Agriculture Committees in the 110th Congress; accessibility to constituents, education, health care, economic development, and national security are his priorities.

http://www.house.gov/list/press/tx28_cuellar/whip.html