The Coronavirus pandemic has once again demonstrated that a crisis reveals character. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's behavior during the Coronavirus underscores the urgency of ending her reign by taking back the House of Representatives. Tragically, she has chosen to put her partisan priorities ahead of the country's interests, and for that, we must defeat her. That is why I am running for Congress. And it is close to impossible to win back the majority without keeping my district, Texas-23, in Republican control.
To say Americans are hurting is an understatement. We have unprecedented levels of unemployment, and nearly 100,000 of our fellow citizens perished thanks to the Coronavirus unleashed on the world by the corrupt Communist regime in China.
Instead of focusing on addressing the fallout from the Coronavirus crisis, what has Nancy Pelosi and her caucus done? They wasted weeks pushing through a three trillion dollar bill, the so-called HEROES Act, that had no chance of passing the Senate and was full of provisions that had nothing to do with the Coronavirus.
The National Taxpayers Union estimated that over 400 billion dollars of Pelosi's bill were unrelated to the pandemic. These provisions included tax cuts for blue state millionaires, money to bailout mismanaged pension funds, and changing election laws to suit liberal priorities. Pelosi and her members also wanted to allow illegal immigrants to be eligible for economic impact payments. Incredibly, the bill contained more references to marijuana than it did to health care or jobs.
Where was Democratic congressional candidate Gina Jones during the HEROES Act debate? Hiding from the voters of Texas-23 and refusing to engage on this critical issue. It is not hard to see why. Gina Jones is a familiar type of Democrat in a swing district who runs to the center rhetorically but votes with the AOC socialists when it matters most. Gina Jones is bought and paid for by Nancy Pelosi - collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from liberal special interest PACs that take their marching orders from the Speaker. She has been all but absent from the debate around the HEROES Act because she knows if she publicly supports it, then she'll be toast in this race, but if she comes out against it, Pelosi will cut off her money supply.
My socialist opponent thinks she can count on demographics and her millions of dollars in the bank to carry her over the finish line without taking a stand on the issues. I have news for her: leadership does not mean silence. It means having the courage to do the right thing, no matter the consequences.
The district Gina and I are running in stretches from my home, San Antonio, through the Hill Country, where I grew up and west nearly the entire way to El Paso. It contains 800 miles of America's border with Mexico. The district is also majority-Hispanic. Our current Republican Congressman, Will Hurd, won this district narrowly even as Hillary Clinton carried it at the presidential level 50% to 47% for President Trump. It is a quintessential swing district.
I'm running for Congress to protect the American Dream for future generations, including my six children. This goal is not a cliché for me. My life's story is an example of it. I joined the Navy without graduating from high school. I eventually earned my diploma, undergraduate degree, and am now a candidate for a Ph.D. in International Development. I served our country for 20 years and retired from the Navy with the rank of Master Chief, the highest rank position for an enlisted soldier.
I served on Capitol Hill as a Department of Defense Fellow, working with the Trump Administration to pass critical legislation to reform our VA to protect our veterans. As someone who served overseas, I know border security is national security. That is why I support a border wall and ending misguided policies like sanctuary cities that encourage illegal immigration. I believe in Texas values like hard work, free enterprise, personal responsibility, the right to life, and the 2nd Amendment. We need more conservative veterans in Congress fighting for these values.
Above all, we need more Members of Congress who are focused on helping their constituents deal with real problems and achieve actual results. We do not need more partisan games that ignore the pain of millions of Americans brought on by this pandemic. We do not need another Congressman or woman who only cares about pleasing their donor base.
By choosing partisan games over helping Americans harmed by the pandemic, Speaker Pelosi has failed the leadership test. She does not deserve her job, and she certainly does not deserve another Congressional seat occupied by one of her puppets like Gina Jones. The battle for the House Majority starts here in south and southwest Texas. The stakes are incredibly high.