Congressman Filemon Vela (C’85) represents the 34th Congressional District of Texas, which is anchored in Cameron County in the southernmost tip of Texas. He is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, where he was the only Texas Democrat appointed by the House of Representatives’ Leadership to serve as a negotiator on the Conference Committee which drafted the 2014 Farm Bill, and was closely involved in its reauthorization in 2018. Congressman Vela also sits on the House Armed Services Committee, where he has fought to ensure that U.S. servicemembers are prepared to respond to a range of military operations. He is committed to ensuring that servicemembers and their families have access to housing, healthcare and basic living necessities to sustain them through the challenges of military service.

In addition to his committee assignments, Congressman Vela is also the Deputy Head of the United States Delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Parliamentary Assembly (PA). The NATO PA is composed of over 250 delegates from 30 NATO countries who provide oversight of NATO operations and act as a conduit between the alliance and legislators of member countries.

In Congress, Vela has been a strong advocate for immigrant rights, education programs—including Head Start and Pell Grants for college students—and community health centers. He is vehemently opposed to the construction of a border wall and is focused on bringing peace, security and facilitating trade with our neighbors in Mexico.

Congressman Vela is married to Rose Vela, a former Justice on the Texas Court of Appeals and current Director of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. They reside in Brownsville, Texas.