Proud of our work this year to make sure all Minnesotans across our district have the resources they need to thrive.
Our work for a more equitable and just world continues.
Today marks two years since a group of violent insurrectionists attacked our Capitol.
I will never forget the experience of fearing for my life, my fellow members, and staff on a day designed to show the strength of our democracy.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of January 6th.
I am thankful that we had a Speaker and were ready to respond and defend our democracy in the days that followed.
Imagine if this were to happen under Republican control?
Today I am being sworn in for a 3rd term representing my community in Minnesota.
This seat is not just for me. It is for the thousands of people in my district who want a representative who fights for climate action, fights for workers, and fights to protect our democracy itself
urging the administration to extend and redesignate TPS for Somalia.
Somalia is facing a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by protracted armed conflict.
Our letter:
asking for a full pardon for Daniel Hale.
Daniel’s case is exactly what the pardon power is for: where the letter of the law cannot capture the complex moral judgements that human beings make in extraordinary circumstances.
Daniel deserves justice.
If we are serious about tackling the humanitarian crisis that migrants from Latin America face we must address the root causes of the crisis.
Proud to help lead this effort to ensure that weapons from the United States do not end up in the hands of criminal groups.
For years, lax regulation has allowed US-origin weapons to be illegally diverted for illicit use in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Today, I introduced the ARMAS Act, a new bill to restore oversight over small arms exports and disrupt gun trafficking.
https://castro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/castro-torres-sires-lead-introduction-of-armas-act-to-stem-gun-trafficking-to-latin-america-and-caribbean…
While we took the time to pass an $858 billion pentagon spending bill, our constituents are wondering if we are going to be able to fund *their* priorities. We need an end of year spending package that meets this moment.
Senator Paul Wellstone showed what it meant to fight unapologetically for working people. And he showed that it is possible to stay true to your progressive values and lead a life of public service.
Proud to honor him on the House floor today.
Let’s be clear: spending this much money on pentagon bloat does not make us safer. We can focus our energy on critical efforts—like assisting the Ukrainian people in fighting off an illegal Russian invasion—without spending over $850 billion on wasteful contracts.
It includes egregious funding to extend the failed War on Drugs mentality in Colombia that has led to some of the worst human rights abuses in the world. It also prohibits the closing of Guantanamo and removes all congressional provisions related to the war in Yemen.
It is not moral to spend more money on a Pentagon budget than we spend on priorities that impact the daily lives of my constituents. We have a responsibility to reduce our exorbitant military budget and spend more money on housing, education, childcare, and healthcare.
Pentagon spending now totals more than transportation, veterans, education, justice, international affairs, the environment, housing, science, space, job training, and employment combined. Our spending priorities should reflect our values.
The annual pentagon spending bill now totals over $850 billion. That’s more than $55 billion over what the President requested. It is unconscionable to spend a record-breaking amount on our defense budget while thousands of Minnesotans in my district struggle to make ends meet.
The House just passed legislation to enshrine marriage equality into law.
This bill will codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriage. Next stop: President Biden’s desk!
To do that, we will need to lead with our values, to not shy away from the diversity, freedoms and ideals that make the unfinished project of the American Republic great.
We will need a legislative strategy to stop the most egregious cuts. We will need a messaging strategy that uses our bully pulpit to push back against their agenda. And we will need a political strategy to elect and reelect progressive champions.
And the advocacy of the CPC helped lead to the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, which will lower drug prices, create millions of good-paying jobs and create the most consequential reduction in carbon emissions in our country’s history.
We put our bodies on the line to push for an extension of the eviction moratorium and to protest a corrupt Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. We were able to successfully advocate for commonsense gun safety legislation.
It was the Progressive Caucus that successfully pushed for massive public investments, unemployment insurance and direct survival checks in the American Rescue Plan.
As a Caucus, progressives have been able to shape some of the most consequential pieces of legislation in generations. It was the Progressive Caucus that advocated successfully for student debt cancellation.
Corporate Profits reached an all-time high of $2,522,000,000,000 this year.
Meanwhile, real wages declined more than 8.5 percent.
The problem is and has always been corporate greed and the politicians who do nothing to stop it.
Every worker deserves paid sick leave. Period.
Our office is proud to cosponsor the Healthy Families Act that would create a national paid leave standard for workers.