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WESLACO, Texas - On the eve of a visit to the Rio Grande Valley by the leadership of the U.S. side of the International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar has announced increased funding for the agency.\xa0

The U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) is a federal government agency and the U.S. component of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), which applies the boundary and water treaties of the United States and Mexico and settles differences that may arise in their application.\xa0

The USIBWC is headed by Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner. Giner is slated to visit the Valley on Wednesday July 19.

\u201cOne of the things that I did even as our Republican colleagues we're cutting everywhere - I think they're going to cut about $131 billion - I was able to get an increase of over $36 million to the International Boundary and Water Commission. That\u2019s almost a 25 percent increase,\u201d Cuellar said, in a webinar with news reporters.

\u201cThe reason this is important is\u2026 the International Boundary and Water Commission will be able to - and I put some language (in the appropriations bill) specifically (for this) - there'll be able to improve the predictability and reliability of water delivery fees for the border.\u201d

Giner is slated to give the opening remarks at what is being dubbed a \u201cFederal-State Stakeholder Meeting.\u201d It takes place at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center\u2019s main building auditorium in Weslaco on July 19. The meeting is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. and finish at 5:00 p.m.\xa0

Other agencies to be featured at the stakeholder meeting are the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Texas Water Development Board.

The address of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center is 2415 E. Highway 83, Weslaco, TX 78596.

For more information about the stakeholder meeting call Esther Cortez, public affairs assistant for USIBWC at 915-317-5915. Or, email her at: esther.cortez@ibwc.gov.

Here are Rep. Cuellar\u2019s remarks about the IBWC during the webinar.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.