April 27, 2015

Gallego talks about his first 100 days in Congress

April 15th marked my first 100 days in Congress. When I was sworn in I promised to be your voice in Washington, to do everything in my power to address your concerns and to work tirelessly to expand opportunity and access to the resources you and your family need to move ahead. I promised to put aside partisan politics and work with members of both parties for your well-being and the well-being of our country.

As a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform, I fought to protect the president's immigration executive action, stood for a clean DHS funding bill, and fought against the DHS shutdown — because we should never put our country's security at risk, much less to score political points. I supported a budget that would increase funding for education, protect Medicare for seniors and that would create good paying jobs by repairing and modernizing our transportation infrastructure.

In these first 100 days I put pressure on the FAA to find a quick resolution to the disruptive aircraft noise caused by the flight path changes. I called on Governor Ducey to drop his frivolous lawsuit against in-state tuition for "dreamers," I co-sponsored 26 bills and I introduced my first piece of legislation, the Veterans Education Tax Security Act (VETS Act), which will ensure that disabled veterans, deceased veterans, and deceased members of the Armed Forces are not financially penalized when their student loans are lawfully discharged — because our men and women in uniform deserve protection from unfair and unexpected financial burdens.

A major focus of my work and my staff's work is constituent services. Your phone calls, emails and visits are important to us. Your issues large and small are our issues. We have responded to over 1,850 letters about requests and questions regarding mortgage relief, taxes, the Affordable Care Act and other matters that involve federal agencies.

I attended over 90 community events and gatherings, my staff attended over 200, and we hosted events on education, immigration, coding, transportation, and women's issues among others — because your input on these matters is important to us.

My team has assisted people obtain expedited passports at a time of urgent need, for personal and business travel. And recently, one of our constituents was granted an appointment with the consulate in Senegal after a two year wait to be reunited with his wife. This month, that husband and wife were reunited after five years apart when she was granted a spousal immigrant visa.

As a proud veteran, I am especially pleased with my team's efforts to serve our district's veterans and their families. While cases may be complex and require patience for a response, my staff will continue working tirelessly to address their needs.

My team will continue holding mobile office hours. We want to make sure we are accessible to you and your family. You can contact my office for information about more convenient hours and locations in Guadalupe, Laveen, south Phoenix, west Phoenix, Tolleson and Glendale.

I want to thank you for putting your trust in me. I will keep fighting in Washington for more and better opportunities for you and your family, for equality and social justice. And I will be here in Phoenix to meet with you, listen to your concerns and find solutions.

I am honored to be your Member of Congress. My staff and I are here to serve you. Thank you again.

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego represents Arizona's 7th Congressional District.


Source: az central