Rep. Robert Garcia will be among four House freshmen appearing on a panel discussion on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” airing Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on CBS.
Garcia, D-Long Beach, will be joined by Reps. Mike Lawler, R-New York, Summer Lee, D-Pennsylvania, and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, discussing “what unites them, what divides them and what they can get done,” according to CBS. Topics of the discussion include the debt ceiling and the economy.
Garcia is the president of the freshman class of the House Democrats. He is the first openly LGBTQ+ immigrant to serve in Congress.
Garcia was appointed to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, on Wednesday.
Garcia’s mother, Gaby O’Donnell, died in late July 2020 due to complications from the coronavirus at the age of 61. His stepfather, Greg O’Donnell, died from complications from COVID-19 on Aug. 9, 2020, at age 58, one day after the family had a memorial service for Garcia’s mother.
“I promised my family and my community that I would fight for legislation that would protect them and keep them healthy and I plan to do just that on this subcommittee,” said Garcia, who was Long Beach’s mayor from 2014 through 2022.
“I look forward fighting mistruths, myths and conspiracy theories while promoting scientific facts and evidence-based decision making to save lives and promote our economic recovery.”
Garcia also met with Peruvian Foreign Minister Ana Cecilia Gervasi on Wednesday.
“In our meeting, I made clear my support for democratic institutions that represent the people, with free and fair elections under independent electoral supervision,” said Garcia, the first Peruvian-born member of Congress.
“It is clear there are fundamental challenges to preserving and enhancing democratic institutions in Peru, including efforts to tackle corruption, address income inequality and respect and inclusion of indigenous populations.”
Garcia said he expressed “my deep concern” to Gervasi about “excessive use of force by the government against civilian protesters, and encouraged the government to cooperate with human rights investigations including Ombudsman’s Office and the Organization of American States. The right to peacefully assemble and to petition your government is a fundamental human right that must be protected.”
When Garcia was 5 years old, he moved to the United States with his parents and other relatives from Lima, Peru. In a biography supplied by his campaign, Garcia said “My mom brought me to America not knowing English, without an education, and without the right immigration status. We came here on a temporary visa and stayed past its expiration date.
“But thanks to a progressive change in immigration law passed by Congress in the 1980s, we were able to apply for permanent legal residency. I became a U.S. citizen at 21. It was the happiest day of my life.”