Press Releases
Rep. Gallego Statement on Support for Lloyd Austin’s Nomination and Congressional Waiver
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) released the following statement:"After hearing firsthand from Mr. Lloyd Austin in an House Armed Services Committee briefing today, I am pleased to strongly support his nomination to serve as Secretary of Defense and the congressional waiver necessary for him to be confirmed."I also spoke with Mr. Austin earlier this month. In that conversation, he committed to ensuring that the Department of Defense's civilian leaders - not uniformed officers or the … Continue Reading
January 12, 2021
Reps. Gallego, DeGette and Sen. Cantwell Reintroduce the Roadless Area Conservation Act
WASHINGTON DC- Today, on the twentieth anniversary of the Roadless Rule, Congressman Ruben Gallego, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, have reintroduced the Roadless Area Conservation Act. Also leading the effort is Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO). The bill would permanently protect millions of acres of America's national forests by making the Roadless Rule the law … Continue Reading
January 06, 2021
Rep. Gallego Statement on the Insurrection and Attempted Coup Delaying Counting of the Electoral College Vote
Washington, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) released the following statement:"Today, domestic terrorists - instigated by a President unhinged from reality - attacked our government and the duly elected representatives of the American people. In spite of this attack, the House will reconvene tonight to continue our constitutionally mandated work to certify the election and uphold our democracy."After completing this duty, Congress must take further steps to secure our democracy. Those who … Continue Reading
January 03, 2021
Taking the Oath of Office
U.S. Representative [evo:firstname] [evo:lastname] was sworn in as a Member of the United States House of Representatives by the Speaker of the House on January 3rd, 2021. The Honorable [evo:firstname] [evo:lastname] was elected to serve as representative of [evo:state]’s [evo:district_ordinal] Congressional District. Representative [evo:firstname] [evo:lastname] was added to the rolls of the House upon executing the oath of … Continue Reading
January 03, 2021
117th United States Congress Convenes
The First Session of the 117th United States Congress commences on January 3rd, 2021. Members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives will attend the First … Continue Reading
January 03, 2021
Newest Members of Congress
The freshman class will be sworn in on January 3rd, 2021 when the First Session of the 117th United States Congress … Continue Reading
December 23, 2020
Rep. Gallego Statement on the Passing of Councilmember and Vice Mayor Calvin Goode
PHOENIX, AZ - Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) released the following statement:"I'm deeply saddened to hear of the passing of a good friend and a Phoenix icon, Councilmember and Vice Mayor Calvin Goode."For more than five decades, Calvin tirelessly served our community, first in our schools and then in City Hall. He took tough stances and fought with courage to improve the city he loved- despite the fact that our city and community hadn't always treated him and those who looked like him or shared … Continue Reading
December 17, 2020
House Passes Gallego, Mullin Bill to Boost Resources for Urban Indian Health Organizations
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, H.R. 6535, the Coverage for Urban Indian Health Providers Act introduced by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), passed the House by voice vote. H.R. 6535 would expand Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) coverage to urban Indian health organizations, creating parity within the Indian Health System and giving urban programs a desperately needed boost in resources as they suffer shortages, closures, and financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 … Continue Reading
December 16, 2020
House Sends Veterans’ Package Including Gallego Bill to President’s Desk
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the House passed by voice vote a comprehensive veterans' legislative package, H.R. 7105, that included Rep. Gallego's bill H.R. 4908, Native American Veteran Parity in Access to Care Today (PACT) Act. The package also includes provisions supported by Congressman Gallego to assist homeless veterans, improve women's access to the VA, enhance benefits to veterans and their families, and help student veterans who've been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.H.R. 4908 was first … Continue Reading
November 16, 2020
House Passes Gallego Bill to Ensure Timely, Accessible Health Care for Native American Veterans
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, H.R. 6237, the PRC for Native Veterans Act introduced by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), passed the House of Representatives by voice vote. The PRC for Native Veterans Act would require the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to reimburse the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Tribally-run health facilities for purchased and referred care (PRC) used for Native American veterans.H.R. 6237 clarifies that VHA is responsible for reimbursing not … Continue Reading
October 28, 2020
Reps. Gallego, DeGette Slam Trump’s Decision to Open Up Alaska’s Tongass National Forest to Harmful Clearcutting and Roadbuilding
WASHINGTON, DC— Today the U.S. Forest Service announced its official decision to move forward with stripping Roadless Rule protections from Tongass National Forest in Alaska, one of the world's largest remaining intact temperate rain forests and a place that has been treasured by Americans for generations. The Roadless Rule has protected Tongass National Forest since 2001."The decision to strip Roadless Rule protections from this pristine national treasure is as reckless as it is unsurprising, … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
Gallego, DeGette Slam Administration Decision to Strip Protections from Tongass National Forest in Alaska
WASHINGTON, DC - Last night, the U.S. Forest Service released its Final Environmental Impact Statement exempting the Tongass National Forest in Alaska from the 2001 Roadless Rule, despite broad opposition in Southeast Alaska and across the country."The Forest Service's decision to strip roadless protections from Tongass National Forest is deeply misguided, and it threatens the very future of this national treasure," said Rep Ruben Gallego. "Tongass National Forest is home to Alaska Native … Continue Reading
September 22, 2020
House Passes Gallego-Authored Bill to Uphold Trust Responsibility to Native American Veterans
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the House passed H.R. 4908, Native American Veteran Parity in Access to Care Today (PACT) Act, by voice vote. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Chairman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the U.S., would bring the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in line with the federal trust responsibility to Tribal Nations by ending the practice of charging American Indian and Alaska Native veterans a copayment for receiving care at the … Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
House Passes Gallego-Authored Bill to Protect Native American Children from Abuse
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the House passed H.R. 4957, the Native American Child Protection Act, by voice vote. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Chairman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples and Ranking Member Paul Cook (R-CA), authorizes three programs aimed at improving the prevention, investigation, treatment, and prosecution of family violence, child abuse, and child neglect involving Native American children and families.The programs were originally established … Continue Reading
September 15, 2020
Young, Gallego Introduce Bicameral, Bipartisan Bill to Extend Census Deadline, Ensure Fair and Accurate Count
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Don Young (R-AK) and Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced bicameral, bipartisan legislation, the 2020 Census Deadline Extensions Act (H.R. 8250), alongside Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Brian Schatz (D-HI). This bill restores the original Census deadline to October 31, 2020 from the September 30, 2020 end date implemented in July. This would allow the U.S. Census Bureau more time to finish data collection and processing, in turn leading to a … Continue Reading
August 29, 2020
Rep. Gallego Statement on Pro-Democracy Protests in Belarus
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) issued the following statement in response to weeks of pro-democracy protests in Belarus following widespread and credible reports of corruption and vote rigging in its Presidential election on August 9."The People of Belarus deserve to be heard, and President Lukashenko isn't listening," Rep. Gallego said. "These protests are the direct result of decades of oppression and stifling authoritarianism in Belarus and are proof that strongman-led … Continue Reading
August 25, 2020
Rep. Gallego Votes to Preserve Critical Access to Medications and Safe Voting by Protecting the U.S. Postal Service From Trump Administration Attacks
WASHINGTON, DC—Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) issued the following statement after voting for the Delivering for America Act (H.R. 8015), which would preserve and enhance USPS services. "President Trump has shown a willingness to weaponize the federal government to serve his political campaign interests and the U.S. Postal Service is no exception," Rep. Gallego said. "Trump's political crony, Postmaster General DeJoy, has removed critical mail sorting machines and cut the availability of overtime … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
ICYMI: House Committees Approve Gallego Bills to End Copays and Improve Care for Native Veterans, Extend FTCA Coverage to Urban Indian Health Clinics
WASHINGTON, DC - This week the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Veterans Affairs Committee passed three bipartisan bills authored by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) that were aimed at improving access to high-quality, affordable health care for Native Veterans and Native Americans living in urban areas. The bills would also serve to bolster an Indian health system that has suffered severe financial and resource shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic.More information about the 3 bills … Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Rep. Gallego Statement on Trump’s Ill-Advised Plan to Withdraw U.S. Troops from Germany
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) issued the following statement in response to Defense Secretary Mark Esper's announcement that the U.S. will move to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany."Our troops in Germany are not there to protect Germany. They are there to protect the United States, a task that they have done ably since 1945," Rep. Gallego said. "They ensure we are ready to deploy around the world and provide excellent care to our wounded. And yes, they're there to provide … Continue Reading
July 07, 2020
ICYMI: House Climate Crisis Action Plan Highlights 3 Gallego Bills
WASHINGTON, DC - Last week, the house Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released its congressional climate action plan aimed at achieving net-zero carbon pollution by 2050 and addressing the legacy of environmental injustice harming America's low-income communities and communities of color.The report identifies three bills authored by Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) as important legislation to pass in order to successfully address climate change by conserving old growth forests, protecting … Continue Reading