Houston Matters interviewed the State Senator as part of a series of interviews with candidates running in important races in the November 6 midterm elections

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Texas State Senator Sylvia Garcia talked to Houston Matters about the role of Congress in American politics, immigration and health care, as part of a series of interviews with candidates running in important races in the November 6 midterm elections.

Garcia is a Democrat who represents District 6 in the Texas Senate and has a long trajectory in local, regional and state politics. She served as Controller for the City of Houston, as well as Harris County Commissioner, and she is now running to represent the Texas 29th Congressional in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Senator highlighted the checks and balances function of Congress and said “it is appropriate that we hold the other two branches [of government] accountable when necessary,” although she added there is no need to “obstructionists.”

Garcia also addressed the work that still has to be done in Congress to accomplish a full recovery from the devastation Hurricane Harvey caused last year in Texas.

For the State Senator, the Texas Congressional Delegation must make sure that “Houston and our whole region and the state gets all the dollars we need for full recovery, not just recovering some parts of town, not just for flood mitigation projects, but recovery to put people back in their homes and make sure their homes are back to where they were pre-Harvey.”

Garcia also advocated for an equitable distribution of recovery funds that should be used to meet housing needs, as well as flood mitigation infrastructure.

Regarding immigration, the Senator said she supports a comprehensive reform and noted that immigration is a broad subject that is “too hard to piece meal because it’s so inter-connected.”

For Garcia, undocumented immigrants who meet certain requirements, including having a clean criminal record, deserve a path to citizenship. She also addressed the Trump administration's zero tolerance at the border policy, which led to family separation, and called it “heartless.”

When asked about health care, she said it must be made “more affordable and more accessible” and underlined the need to have more health care facilities in east Harris County. She also expressed her support for increased funding for federally qualified clinics and for not making any cuts to Medicare nor Medicaid.

Garcia, who took questions from listeners, addressed the rights of transgender persons and assured that she is “fully committed to ensuring that no one is discriminated and that we protect all our rights.”

The Senator also talked about the controversy surrounding her resignation from the State Senate and contended a letter she sent to Texas Governor Greg Abbott this summer “was a resignation letter as a matter of law.”

Houston Matters interviewed Phillip Aronoff, who is Garcia's opponent, last month.

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