Chet Edwards For Congress

Congressman Chet Edwards, Class of ’74
Fighting for Texas A&M University

Congressman Chet Edwards, Class of ’74, has worked hard for his alma mater in Congress.

With one out of every four jobs in Brazos County tied to Texas A&M or the A&M System, Chet knows that funding for key research projects is vital to the economy of the Brazos Valley and crucial for the University as it seeks to expand its research programs.

As one of only four Aggies in Congress, Chet has used his seniority and seat on the key Appropriations Committee to secure for Texas A&M $50 million more than the Administration requested in 2007.

Supporting Vital Agriculture Research

• In 2007, Chet secured $21.96 million for fifteen farming, forestry, and animal health research programs at Texas A&M. The Administration did not request funding for the A&M program under its budget, so Chet included the needed funds in the 2008 Agriculture Appropriations bill. The $21.96 million will fund several high priority research programs including studying the effects of the Farm Bill on regional farming communities, researching livestock and dairy policy, studying the effects of healthy foods and diet on disease prevention, studying the sustainability of irrigation in rural communities, and revegetating training acreage for soldiers at Fort Hood.

Strengthening Our Homeland Security & National Defense:

Chet has secured:

• $22 million for Texas A&M for the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center. The Administration budget had cut this to $9.5 million, which would have resulted in cutting 50 instructors and staff (out of 110) and cutting the number of trained first responders from 40,000 to 9,000.




• $1.96 million for Texas A&M's Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute for nuclear nonproliferation efforts such as developing new ways to detect, prevent, and reverse the proliferation of nuclear materials and educating the next generation of leaders in the nuclear sciences field.

Fighting for Other Key A&M Programs:

• $1.2 million for the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT). The ALERRT program, administered by Texas State University in conjunction with Texas A&M University trains law enforcement officers (who are typically the first to respond to acts of violence in our schools, hospitals, shopping malls or other heavily populated public places) to act quickly in an effort to save lives and prevent injuries.




• $984,000 for biofuels development to support research on sorghum for biomass production in Texas and the South. It would also assist the development of production practices to produce, harvest, and transport billions of tons of biomass which will be a sustainable fuel for energy independence.

KWTX TV: Rudder High Dedicated with General's Family on Hand

Reporter: Steve Fullhart | KWTX TV | Sep 5, 2008

The official dedication of Rudder High School was a family affair Friday.

General James Earl Rudder's children and other family members travelled from far and near to mark the opening of Bryan's second high school.

The $51 million facility bears the name of the former Texas A&M president who led his rangers during D-Day in World War II.

"I'm not sure what he'd think, really," said James Earl "Bud" Rudder Jr., the son of the general. "He would be proud because he worked hard, and he meant to do good things, and he would be pleased with being recognized."

Principal Hugh Piatt emphasized Gen. Rudder's ideals on Day 1 for his students, who will be known as the Rangers.

"Having the courage to take risks that no one else has done, and for them, translating that into setting goals and being successful," Piatt said. "It's really powerful, and the kids have bought into it."

Among the speakers at Friday's event was Congressman Chet Edwards, who was an Earl Rudder Award winner during his time at Texas A&M.

Edwards hoped the students would "remember the life story and values of Earl Rudder, his courage, his integrity, his lifetime commitment, not just on D-Day, but a lifetime of commitment to making the world a better place."