As the polarization in D.C. spreads, the people willing to come to the middle find less and less acceptance.
Pete Gallego
Our challenge is to stop people from driving drunk. Punishing them afterwards doesn't bring back the victim or make the family feel better. The idea is to stop the DWI before it happens.
I don't have the luxury of just hanging out in my primary and, once I win the primary, I'm fine. I have to talk to Democrats and Republicans.
It's a lack of respect for the community when you're not willing to debate because it's the 'wrong' network.
In the district I represent, I have to talk to everybody.
If you want to come fight the good fight to make a difference for people and to try to get the government back on track, where we govern from the middle and not from the extremes, then understand that it's a lonely road, and you're going to have a hard time.
One of the things that ties people together, whether they live in a rural or urban area, is the really big number of people who have served in the military. Veterans issues are very important in the district.
Obama's very unpopular. I don't need a poll to tell me that.
It's tremendously undemocratic in a democratic society when you deliberately disenfranchise thousands of people.
I told the president 'no' to special treatment for Congress when he tried to exempt them from Obamacare.
In Mexico, they don't have birth certificates... They don't have registration cards for voters. They have one national ID. We don't have a national ID.
I learned long ago you run unopposed, or you run scared.
No one will steal my son's American Dream.
It's important we understand our system seeks justice and not revenge.
The men and women at our borders, given adequate resources, are doing an excellent job of keeping us safe.
The fact that I am Latino is not a secret. There's not much I can do about that. It is what it is. I think people know that my last name ends in a vowel. What can I tell you?
Around here, manana seems to be the busiest day of the week. We never seem to get there.
Frankly, no issue is worth shutting down the government and denying pay to those committed to public service.
It's always bothersome when California does something better than Texas.
When Congress puts party labels aside, like we did on VA reform, we can accomplish some great things for the American people. But those occasions were far too rare.
It takes a certain personality to thrive as a member of the House.
My grandmother was not a U.S. citizen. Growing up along the border, you see the real human side of immigration - not the picture often drawn by politicians far removed from the border.
I like having a battleground district because I think that's real-life America.
The luxury for me is that I've spent already several millions of dollars across the district getting people to know who I am... So, my name ID is really, really high.
It was in the best interests of Zavala and other counties that we move forward with a farm bill and provide certainty to ranchers, farmers, food banks, and other providers.
A robust democracy requires active participation.
I think it becomes incumbent upon a candidate to essentially disavow some of the things that are in that party platform. Otherwise, I think the assumption is that you are a true believer.
The irony is that kids are treated equally when it comes to tests and standards and expectations but not treated equally when providing funds to meet those standards and expectations.
There's no such thing as anybody who can't be beat; everybody can be beat. It's a question of how hard you're willing to work. It's a question of the environment, the surroundings. Frankly, there's a lot of issues with timing.
PACs don't vote in the district; people do.
I saw how hard my parents worked, and I didn't want to be a freeloader.
Because fossil fuels are not only a finite resource but hazardous to the environment, it is imperative that we diversify the resources used in generating electricity.
Every decision I make in Congress will be centered on the needs of the district.
I didn't come to Washington to be part of the problem.
Our voting records are not necessarily the same, but, you know, we're all Texans, and at the end of the day, we try to help each other out.
HB 2 leaves 90% of the children behind. The disconnect between this bill and the basic needs of Texas schoolchildren is appalling.
How do you defend inaction in the face of crisis? How is that defensible for anybody?
We've made our living for a long time on commerce and trade at the border.
If immigration reform doesn't happen, that doesn't say good things about our democracy, that everybody wants it, but Congress couldn't pass it.
There's this fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party, and until that fight gets settled - because they're the majority - there's a lot of things that are pretty much on hold.
California - with more cars, more drivers and more people - still has less DWI-related deaths than Texas does.
This is pool. This is setting up your next shot, and I always want to make sure when we're setting up San Antonio's next shot we have a good shot at making sure that we continue to build our infrastructure in such a way that San Antonio will be a player for years to come in national defense issues.
Here's the thing about Texas - and the thing about the border. We all know undocumented immigrants. They sit in our churches, are friends with our children, and work all around us. They are just like us.
The policy of the future cannot forever be determined by the politics of the past - or even the present.
I was impressed by the capability and talent and intellect of our troops on the ground. These kids are really impressive.
When the law says you're entitled to an attorney, it doesn't mean you're entitled to an attorney who sleeps or an attorney who doesn't do his job.
A lawmaker cannot be pro-sequester while also purporting to be pro-national security or supportive of a strong economy.
We must work for a solution to address the senseless cuts that hurt our border, our economy, and our country.
Sequestration will make it extremely challenging - and in many cases impossible - for employees to meet their mortgage payments, pay their healthcare expenses, plan for retirement, or help their children attend college. To be blunt, these families are at risk.
I have never been in favor of gay marriage, and I am not in favor of gay marriage.
