Joaquin Castro
- Previous profession
- Attorney
- First public office
- 2012Elected to the 113th Congress on November 6, 2012
- Years in public office
- 13
Confirmed from the official recordSource: Congressional Directory for the 119th Congress (2025-2026), February 20, 2026. We saved our copy on October 8, 2026.
What these lines mean
These lines come from this official’s entry in the Congressional Directory, which Congress publishes. Each member’s office supplies or approves its entry. We save our own copy and sort each part of the entry by fixed rules. No AI is used.
Previous profession lists the work the entry names outside public office, in the Directory’s own words. Public office here means an elected or appointed position, staff work for an elected official or a legislature, and party or campaign work.
Lifelong politician means: Congress’s biography lists no occupation outside public office. It also means the entry lists no military service. A person on our side confirms these words before they appear.
Years in public office counts elected and appointed positions only. Staff work and party work are left out. Each year counts once.
Since the current Congress began on January 3, 2025, Castro has a recorded vote on 60 laws that passed, and 1 vote on a resolution that passed a law.
The tally counts votes on passage. 1 vote on a resolution that passed a law is listed apart.
This record covers laws that passed. Votes on bills that did not become law are not included yet.
The record in plain language
Of the 118 laws passed since January 3, 2025, 60 came to a recorded vote on passage in the House while Castro is a member. On 1 more, the recorded House vote is on a resolution. Castro votes No on H.Res. 590, the resolution that passed the Rescissions Act of 2025 in the House. The rest passed the House by voice vote or without objection, which records no individual votes.
Castro votes Yes on the Epstein Files Transparency Act and the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
On funding the government, Castro votes Yes on the January 2026 funding law for science, energy, Interior and the EPA, and No on the March 2025 full-year funding law, the November 2025 law that ended the 43-day shutdown, the February 2026 funding law for a further group of agencies and the September 2026 funding extension.
Castro votes No on the Laken Riley Act on immigration detention; the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax and spending law; the HALT Fentanyl Act; the GENIUS Act on stablecoins (digital tokens pegged to the dollar); the defense policy law for fiscal year 2026; the Secure America Act, a 2026 budget law; and the Russia and Iran sanctions law.
Congress cancelled 24 federal rules by recorded vote in the House in that time. Castro votes to cancel 0 and against cancelling 24.
Castro votes differently from most House Democrats on 3 of 58 Yes and No votes: No on the September 2026 funding extension, No on the defense policy law for fiscal year 2026 and No on the HALT Fentanyl Act.
Castro did not vote on the law that extends again the surveillance authority that lets intelligence agencies collect the communications of foreigners abroad from U.S. providers without individual warrants and the Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act.
Votes on laws that passed
Requires the federal prison system to act on sexual harassment and assault of its staff by incarcerated people.
Adds College Station, Texas, and El Centro, California, to the places where federal court can sit.
Lets farmers and ranchers get emergency conservation money up front after a disaster, instead of paying first and waiting for reimbursement.
A package of housing measures intended to increase the supply of homes.
Allows phone emergency alerts to be sent when a shark attack happens nearby.
Protects Alaska Native artists' right to make and sell handicrafts from walrus ivory and other marine mammal materials.
Authorizes a major VA medical facility project in St. Louis, Missouri.
Gives certain licensed hydropower projects more time to start construction.
Sets deadlines for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to process mortgage paperwork for homes and businesses on tribal land.
Renews the federal programs that set aside research money for small businesses.
Full-year fiscal 2026 funding for the Commerce and Justice Departments, science agencies, energy and water programs, the Interior Department and the EPA.
When the IRS postpones a tax deadline after a disaster, the time allowed to claim a refund is now extended to match.
Requires federal agencies to publish digital maps of the rules for boating and fishing on federal waterways.
Protects 40 acres at the Wounded Knee massacre site as land owned by the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes.
Restores federal payments to rural counties with national forest land, which pay for schools and roads.
Renews federal programs for preventing and treating opioid addiction and supporting recovery.
Raises the special pension paid to Medal of Honor recipients.
Requires the Justice Department to publish its unclassified records on Jeffrey Epstein in a searchable form within 30 days.
Renames the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas for Jocelyn Nungaray.
Lets the IRS push back tax deadlines for people in areas where a governor has declared a disaster, without waiting for a federal declaration.
Renames the Salem Maritime site in Massachusetts a National Historical Park and orders a study of expanding its boundary.
Changes the rule that required Alaska Native village corporations to hand land to the State of Alaska to be kept for future cities.
Makes it a federal crime to publish intimate images of a person without consent, including AI-generated ones, and requires online platforms to remove them within 48 hours of a victim's request.
Votes on a resolution that passed a law
Cancels about $9 billion that Congress had already approved: roughly $8 billion in foreign aid and about $1 billion for public broadcasting.
What this member says about laws and orders
This section has two lists: statements in the official record, and excerpts from this member’s own press releases. Together they name 3 laws.
From the official record
Statements from the official record: Not checked yet. A statement appears here after a person reviews our account of the law or order it is about.
From this member’s press releases
From a secondary sourceThese are excerpts from press releases on this member’s official website that name a law or an executive order. We save a copy of each one.
3 excerpts
- Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026September 16, 2026
Congressman Castro Statement on Russia Sanctions Bill
“WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement on the Lindsey O. Graham Russia and Iran Act of 2026 (H.R. 5334):”
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024February 15, 2025
“Since 2018, Congress has specifically included language in appropriations bills, most recently the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, banning the NIH from making changes to how indirect costs are determined. While these announced cuts are temporarily on hold by court order, we urge you to withdraw the notice as soon as possible,” the members continued.”
- Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024February 15, 2025
“Since 2018, Congress has specifically included language in appropriations bills, most recently the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, banning the NIH from making changes to how indirect costs are determined. While these announced cuts are temporarily on hold by court order, we urge you to withdraw the notice as soon as possible,” the members continued.”
Member-requested spending
Congress printed 23 spending items this member requested, $18,546,400 in all, in the lists read for 4 laws.
Laws read: Public Law 119-37, Public Law 119-74, Public Law 119-75, Public Law 119-86.
| Recipient | Law | Purpose | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Research Institute | Public Law 119-74 | Westside Environmental Sensor Tracking and Information Reporting (WESTAIR) SystemDOC · NIST--STR S | None printed | $1,000,000 |
| University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | Public Law 119-74 | UT Health San Antonio Gross Anatomy Laboratory Improvement: Essential Laboratory EquipmentDOC · NIST--STR S | None printed | $1,020,000 |
| St. Mary's University | Public Law 119-74 | Enhancing Research Capacity in Additive Manufacturing, AI, Biomechanics, and Biosciences Through Strategic InstrumentationDOC · NIST--STR S | None printed | $1,031,000 |
| Texas A&M University--San Antonio | Public Law 119-74 | Tracking Waterborne Microbial Contaminants of Concern in Bexar CountyDOC · NIST--STR S | None printed | $1,000,000 |
| City of San Antonio | Public Law 119-74 | San Antonio Police Department Forensic Genealogy ProjectDOJ · OJP--Byrn e | None printed | $1,039,000 |
| Young Women's Christian Association San Antonio | Public Law 119-74 | Mujeres Poderosas: Healing Trauma From Victim/Survivor to Thriver ProgramDOJ · OJP--Byrn e | None printed | $340,000 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas, Inc. | Public Law 119-74 | Mentor Recruitment Project to Prevent Juvenile DelinquencyDOJ · OJP--Byrn e | None printed | $410,000 |
| Bexar County, Texas | Public Law 119-74 | Bexar County Emergency Communications Radio ReplacementDOJ · COPS Tech | None printed | $1,031,000 |
| on STAG--Clean Water Stat Revolving Fund | Public Law 119-74 | e TX San Antonio Ri for Woodlawn Quality ImproEnvironmentAgency · al Protecti | None printed | $80,000 |
| Southwest Research Institute | Public Law 119-74 | Westside Environmental Sensor Tracking and Information Reporting (WESTAIR) SystemDOC · NIST--STR S | None printed | $1,000,000 |
Show all 23
| Recipient | Law | Purpose | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | Public Law 119-74 | UT Health San Antonio Gross Anatomy Laboratory Improvement: Essential Laboratory EquipmentDOC · NIST--STR S | None printed | $1,020,000 |
| St. Mary's University | Public Law 119-74 | Enhancing Research Capacity in Additive Manufacturing, AI, Biomechanics, and Biosciences Through Strategic InstrumentationDOC · NIST--STR S | None printed | $1,031,000 |
| Texas A&M University--San Antonio | Public Law 119-74 | Tracking Waterborne Microbial Contaminants of Concern in Bexar CountyDOC · NIST--STR S | None printed | $1,000,000 |
| City of San Antonio | Public Law 119-74 | San Antonio Police Department Forensic Genealogy ProjectDOJ · OJP--Byrne | None printed | $1,039,000 |
| Young Women's Christian Association San Antonio | Public Law 119-74 | Mujeres Poderosas: Healing Trauma From Victim/Survivor to Thriver ProgramDOJ · OJP--Byrne | None printed | $340,000 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas, Inc. | Public Law 119-74 | Mentor Recruitment Project to Prevent Juvenile DelinquencyDOJ · OJP--Byrne | None printed | $410,000 |
| Bexar County, Texas | Public Law 119-74 | Bexar County Emergency Communications Radio ReplacementDOJ · COPS Tech | None printed | $1,031,000 |
| City of San Antonio Westside Development Corporation | Public Law 119-75 | Community Economic Opportunity InitiativeDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | TX | $250,000 |
| City of Balcones Heights | Public Law 119-75 | Balcones Heights Senior Center RenovationsDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | TX | $250,000 |
| City of San Antonio | Public Law 119-75 | San Pedro Springs Park Upgrades and EquipmentDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | TX | $250,000 |
| Housing Authority of the City of San Antonio, Texas | Public Law 119-75 | Critical Needs-- Multifamily Roof ReplacementDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | TX | $1,124,400 |
| San Antonio Water System | Public Law 119-75 | Laterals to PeopleDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | TX | $2,000,000 |
| City Public Service Board of San Antonio | Public Law 119-75 | Community Resiliency InitiativeDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | TX | $850,000 |
8 rows here have the same law, recipient, purpose and amount as another row. The Congressional Record may print one item more than once. The count and the total include each row.
Read from the lists Congress printed for 4 laws. An item requested by several members appears under each of them, so sums across members count such an item more than once. A list the Congressional Record printed on two days is counted once, from the later printing. A requester is tied to a member only when exactly one member serving in that chamber on that day has the printed name.
Campaign promises
Promises kept: Not checked yet
Not checked yetA person has not reviewed this member’s campaign promises yet. This is what we hold so far.
- Campaign website: www.castroforcongress.com. The Federal Election Commission’s record of CASTRO FOR CONGRESS gives this address.Confirmed from the official record
- Pages of www.castroforcongress.com: Not checked yet.Not checked yet
Online ads
No advertiser in the ad libraries we read is tied to this member by an FEC number or an exact name.
Read from Google Ads Transparency Center, its data file of October 6, 2026. Meta Ad Library: Not started. An ad counts when the library last shows it on or after January 3, 2025.
Campaign money
For the 2026 election cycle, Castro's campaign reports receiving $514,776.02 and reports spending $499,053.88, as of June 30, 2026.
Confirmed from the official record| What the filing reports | 2026 cycleFEC number H2TX35011as of June 30, 2026 | 2024 cycleFEC number H2TX35011as of December 31, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Money raised (total receipts) | $514,776.02 | $689,806.69 |
| Money spent (total disbursements) | $499,053.88 | $713,892.74 |
| Cash on hand (at the end of the period) | $154,379.66 | $138,657.52 |
| Debts (owed by the committee) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Where it comes from
| Reported as received from | 2026 cycleFEC number H2TX35011as of June 30, 2026 | 2024 cycleFEC number H2TX35011as of December 31, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals, itemized | $333,426.20 | $380,204.40 |
| Individuals, unitemized | $40,346.82 | $80,804.56 |
| Other political committees | $141,000.00 | $228,417.00 |
| Party committees | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| The candidate, contributions | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| The candidate, loans | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Committees
- CASTRO FOR CONGRESS Principal campaign committee · 2024 and 2026 · FEC committee C00497933
- TOWARD TOMORROW PAC Leadership PAC · FEC committee C00526657
Every figure is copied from the Federal Election Commission. The campaign's committee reports each one.
See contributions by size and by state, and the saved FEC files
Where this comes from
We saved our own copy of each official House vote file listed here before writing this page. A code beside a file is its fingerprint, a short code that changes if the file's contents change.
