Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia Statement on Governor Abbott's Decision to Call a Special Session on Redistricting

MEDIA CONTACT:
Joseph Guzman
202-355-8084
joseph.guzman@mail.house.gov

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29) released the following statement in response to Governor Abbott's decision to call a special session on redistricting:

“For the last six and a half years, I have been honored to represent the 29th Congressional District of Texas. It is a vibrant working-class community that contributes immensely every day to our Greater Houston region, state, and nation.

“Now, Trump and Abbott are scheming to rig next year's Congressional elections in Texas through a convoluted and shameless mid-decade redistricting plan. Let's call this what it is: a brazen, racist, power grab. It's pathetic and rotten to the core—a desperate attempt to ensure that they can keep the majority in the House of Representatives by force, despite Trump's increasingly unpopular agenda for our country.

“This fight is about protecting our shared values of fairness, dignity, and the belief that our democracy belongs to all of us, not just the powerful few. The people of my district have fought for generations to claim their rightful place in our democracy. We are here today because of the sacrifices of civil rights champions who paved the way for people like me, a Mexican-American who grew up on a farm, picking cotton in the hot sun of South Texas, to serve in Congress.

“This isn’t just about my district. This is an attack on equal representation itself, on the promise written into the Constitution that every person counts and every vote matters.

“It is time for Texans to stand up to Abbott and Trump, and say hell no. We refuse to let them rig our elections. We refuse to let them dilute representation for communities like mine. I’m ready for this fight, and I hope you are too.”