In the News
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) sent a letter to Secretary of theAir Force Frank Kendall requesting an internal review to identify barriers holding Latino officers from rising to the senior ranks of general officer. The CHC also requested that the Department of the Air Force (DAF) provide recommendations and action steps to address identified Latino disparities in the DAF.
"We must tackle the systemic challenges that impact Latino Representation in the Air Force. By studying the factors that contribute to low numbers of Hispanics in leadership ranks, we will pave a path toward a more diverse and inclusive military that can confront the unprecedented challenges facing our nation at home and abroad," said Chair Dr. Raul Ruiz.
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The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriage. The bill, known as the Respect for Marriage Act, will need final approval from the U.S. House of Representatives before it heads to President Joe Biden's desk.
If signed into law, the bipartisan bill would require all 50 states to recognize all legal same-sex marriages across the country. Tuesday's vote was part of a final push for congressional Democrats to pass their agenda before Republicans gain majority of the House next year.
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Other House Democrats also celebrated the Respect for Marriage Act's passage on Twitter Tuesday, including Texas Representative Sylvia Garcia, who said that the bill will "provide crucial safeguards for same-sex and interracial couples."
"I Am Vanessa Guillén" (NR) (3.5) [Partially subtitled] [Available Nov. 17 on Netflix.] — Christy Wegener's in-depth, heartbreaking, touching, behind-the-scenes, gut-wrenching, eye-opening, ire-inducing, 96-minute documentary that delves into the disappearance and horrific murder by U.S. soldier Aaron David Robison and his accomplice girlfriend Cecily Aguilar in April 2020 at the Fort Hood military base in Texas of dedicated 20-year-old U.S. Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén.
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[It] consists of insightful commentary by journalist Heather Osbourne, attorney Natalie Khawam, House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congresswomen (such as Kirsten Gillibrand, Sylvia Garcia, and Jackie Speier).
HOUSTON — With the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a Houston 15-year-old got her dream quinceañera.
It's the celebration from childhood to womanhood for many Latinas. For Genesis Tamez, the celebration was extra special.
Genesis' mom told KHOU 11 that doctors said she wasn't supposed to live past 20 days old. She was born at just 25 weeks, weighing only one pound.
Getting to this celebration wasn't an easy feat.
"It's a miracle she is here with us today," said Emily Velasquez, Genesis' sister.
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Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia also heard about Genesis' story and presented her with a congressional recognition to celebrate her birthday.
WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) — A new Netflix documentary about Vanessa Guillén — the Army Specialist who went missing and was found slain at Fort Hood in 2020 — chronicles her family's fight for justice in the aftermath of the 20-year-old Houston native's death, as lawmakers grappled with how to improve the way the military handles sexual assault and harassment.
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Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, including Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Reps. Sylvia Garcia, D- Houston, and Veronica Escobar, D- El Paso, began to introduce and push for legislative reforms to address some of the problems Guillén's death revealed.
Defense Department officials on Wednesday promised changes to oversight in their Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at high schools across America in the wake of multiple cases of sexual abuse of students, but lawmakers said those moves don't go far enough.
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WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress say they are preparing a "full-court press" to pass legislation protecting so-called Dreamers — including more than 100,000 Texans who were brought into the country as children — from deportation while a Texas lawsuit threatens an Obama-era program that has allowed them to stay and work in the U.S. for the last decade.
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DALLAS, TEXAS (November 3rd, 2022) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that six Texas organizations will receive $3,050,010 from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan to enhance air quality monitoring in marginalized communities.
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"I'm proud of the $500,000 in federal grant funds the EPA awarded to the City of Houston for their community air monitoring projects," said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. "This will help improve Houston's local air quality and educate residents on the hazards of air pollutants. These funds are a direct result of President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. I strongly supported both laws in Congress because I knew it would help communities like ours. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this grant will bring to Houston neighborhoods."
A coalition of Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday raised concerns about the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hike campaign, warning of impending job losses as a result of the tighter monetary policy.
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It was signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., along with Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Katie Porter, D-Calif., Madeleine Dean, D-Penn., Jesús García, D-Ill., Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., and Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas.
The Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday that in its continuing efforts to tamp down inflation, it would raise interest rates yet again by another three-quarters of a point to a target range of 3.75 to 4 percent.
Federal Reserve Chairperson Jerome Powell said during a press conference following the announcement that the "historically fast pace" of rate increases is "appropriate given the persistence and strength in inflation and low level at which we started."
Powell, who has been pressured in recent months by members of Congress to avert a recession, said that at some point it will make sense to slow down the pace of increases but added, "We have some ways to go," and said he anticipates ongoing increases.