Press Releases
Rep. Gallego Announces 2017 Congressional App Challenge Winners
From left: Niyonkuru Pamphile, Edgar Alvarez, and Jesus HernandezWASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Ruben Gallego recognized three students from Arizona's 7th Congressional district as winners of this year's Congressional App Challenge - a competition that encourages high school students from across the United States to create their own mobile applications.Metro Tech High School seniors Edgar Alvarez, Jesus Hernandez, and Niyonkuru Pamphile won first place for their app, titled "American … Continue Reading
December 05, 2017
Democratic Veterans in Congress Decry Trump Administration’s VA-Tricare Merger Proposal
WASHINGTON DC - Today, 5 veterans serving in Congress - Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Anthony Brown (D-MD), Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) - wrote to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin urging him to reconsider a plan reportedly being developed behind closed doors to partially merge the VA and DOD health care systems. The letter argues that the proposal represents a dangerous step towards privatization and could compromise the VA's critical … Continue Reading
December 04, 2017
Rep. Ruben Gallego Statement on President Trump’s Decision to Shrink Bears Ears National Monument
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego released the following statement in response to President Donald Trump's announcement that he would drastically shrink the Bears Ears National Monument.Last week, Rep. Gallego introduced a bill (HR 4518) that would protect the original acreage identified by the tribes as needing federal protection. The bill currently has 25 cosponsors."President Trump's reckless decision to remove protections for these sacred lands is unprecedented. Tribal nations have … Continue Reading
December 01, 2017
Rep. Ruben Gallego Introduces Bill to Protect Bears Ears National Monument
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) introduced a bill to protect the Bears Ears National Monument from an unprecedented attempt by the Trump administration to downsize and redraw the monument's boundaries.Last year, following extensive negotiations with five Native American tribes, President Obama signed Proclamation 9558, which established the Bears Ears National Monument, conserving 1.35 million acres of wilderness and protecting over 100,000 Native American archaeological … Continue Reading
November 30, 2017
Rep. Ruben Gallego Statement on Flight Path Changes at Phoenix Sky Harbor
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego released the following statement in response to the agreement reached by the City of Phoenix, neighborhood associations, and the federal government to reverse changes to departure flight paths at Sky Harbor airport that were implemented in 2014:"Since taking office, I've worked hard to compel the FAA to reconsider flight paths that exposed thousands of homes and businesses in our city to harmful levels of aircraft noise. I'm pleased that today's agreement … Continue Reading
November 17, 2017
Rep. Gallego Reacts to Release of Documents Detailing Plans for Trump’s Border Wall
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) released the following statement in reaction to the disclosure of planning documents obtained by the Texas Observer related to the construction of President Trump's border wall:"The grave concerns voiced by border communities about President Trump's wall were confirmed by the documents obtained by the Texas Observer. "They prove that fulfilling this divisive campaign promise will require the use of eminent domain to seize property from our … Continue Reading
November 16, 2017
Rep. Ruben Gallego Statement on the GOP Tax Disaster
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego released the following statement after passage of the House Republican's tax plan:"Donald Trump has an obsession with winners versus losers, so I'll put it this way - the only winners under this scam are rich people like Trump and his cronies, while middle class families, students, and workers will lose ‘bigly.' The spoils of this tax plan go overwhelmingly to the wealthiest Americans, while the rest of the country is left to foot the bill."Don't let the … Continue Reading
November 16, 2017
Reps. Gallego and Byrne introduce bill granting Congressional Armed Services Committees jurisdiction over war powers
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL) introduced bipartisan legislation that would place jurisdiction over war powers issues, including authorizations for the use of military force (AUMF), under the Congressional Armed Services Committees. These matters are currently under the jurisdiction of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Under House Rule X, the House Armed Services Committee has … Continue Reading
November 15, 2017
32 Democrats Hold Santander Accountable for Potentially Discriminatory Employment Practices
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Reps. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Yvette Clarke (NY-09) and 30 of their House Democratic colleagues wrote to Scott Powell, Chief Executive Officer of Santander Consumer USA regarding the company's use of automated call monitoring software to make employee evaluation and compensation decisions.Automated software analytics - such as the Call Miner program used by Santander - are often built based on data sets that skew white, male, and toward certain dialects - which has been … Continue Reading
November 14, 2017
Democratic Reps. to Speaker Ryan: Do you support seizing private property to build Trump’s border wall?
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Congressman Beto O'Rourke (D-TX), Congressman José Serrano (D-NY), Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA), and Congressman Vincente Gonzalez (D-TX) wrote to House Speaker Paul Ryan urging him to clarify his position on whether the federal government should be permitted to use eminent domain to obtain land for the construction of President Trump's border wall. As the letter explains, because more than 70 percent of the land abutting the … Continue Reading
November 06, 2017
Rep. Ruben Gallego: “We need to get to the bottom of what ICE is doing in Arizona”
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) wrote to the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Phoenix Field Office, Enrique Lucero, requesting data and policy documents related to the agency's operations in Arizona. Citing the recent Motel 6 scandal and the deportation of immigrant parents who posed no danger to their communities, the letter states that ICE's actions in the state have called Lucero's leadership into question and fed demands for greater … Continue Reading
October 31, 2017
Democratic Reps. Demand Clarification from Speaker Ryan on House Response if President Trump Fires Robert Mueller
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Reps. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Brendan Boyle (PA-13), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) wrote to House Speaker Paul Ryan urging him to both express public support for Robert Mueller's investigation and explain what steps he will take in the event that President Trump fires the Special Counsel. The letter notes that Trump already dismissed FBI Director James Comey in order to impede one inquiry into possible … Continue Reading
October 30, 2017
Rep. Gallego Statement on First Special Counsel Indictments
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) released the following statement in response to the indictments of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates:"Today's charges against Paul Manafort and Rick Gates are a clear indication of the seriousness of special counsel Mueller's investigation."Mueller must be able to continue this investigation to its conclusion without any meddling by President Trump or his administration. If President Trump fires … Continue Reading
October 26, 2017
Reps. Gallego, Lieu, Jayapal and Raskin to President Trump: Come Clean about Decision to Fire U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Reps. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Jamie Raskin (MD-08) wrote to President Trump urging him to disclose internal documents and communications related to the firing of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. The letter follows an October 12th story in the Washington Post detailing the intense interest shown by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in securing the release of businessman Reza Zarrab, who was being prosecuted by Bharara. The … Continue Reading
October 13, 2017
Rep. Gallego Statement on Trump’s Decision to “Decertify” the Iran Nuclear Deal
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) released the following statement in response to reports that President Trump will declare Iran to be out of compliance with the Iran nuclear deal:"Though imperfect, the Iran deal is an important tool that until now has taken the Iranian nuclear threat off the table."All evidence points to the fact that Iran has so far complied with the agreement. Just last week, the Secretary of Defense told me that he believes Iran is in compliance, in an open … Continue Reading
October 13, 2017
Rep. Gallego Statement on Trump’s Decision to Cut off Critical ACA Payments
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) released the following statement in response to news reports that President Trump will cut off the Cost-Sharing Reduction payments required under the Affordable Care Act:"Instead of working to make health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans, President Trump is yet again proving that the only people he cares about are himself and those who are as wealthy as he is. Trump's mean-spirited and spiteful decision to cut off cost-sharing … Continue Reading
October 12, 2017
Coffman, Gallego, Bacon, & Panetta Introduce New Authorization for Use of Military Force Bill
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representatives Mike Coffman (R-CO), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Don Bacon (R-NE) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), in a strong bipartisan effort, have introduced H. J.Res. 118, a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), to provide clear Congressional authorization guidelines for the use of military force. "The threats we face today are far different than those we faced over a decade ago, and this legislation reflects Congress's Constitutional role in … Continue Reading
October 11, 2017
Reps. Gallego, DeSaulnier and Jones Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Veterans Unfairly Forced to Return Separation Pay to the Federal Government
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) and Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) introduced the Restore Veterans' Compensation Act of 2016, legislation that would prevent the federal government from recouping separation pay from veterans who later qualify for VA disability benefits. The bill also makes other changes to the Department of Defense's recoupment policies to make them fairer to veterans.Many service members qualify for separation pay when they depart the … Continue Reading
October 10, 2017
Rep. Gallego Statement on the Trump Administration’s Repeal of the Clean Power Plan
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego released the following statement in response to the Trump administration's decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan:"The Trump administration's decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan is a reckless step backward and a disappointing abdication of our responsibility to address a worsening climate crisis. Scott Pruitt's actions mean that millions of Americans will be exposed to more pollution, and many regions of the United States will face the prospect of … Continue Reading
October 03, 2017
In response to questioning from Rep. Ruben Gallego, Defense Secretary James Mattis Confirms that Iran is Complying with Nuclear Deal
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee entitled, "US Defense Strategy in South Asia," Secretary of Defense James Mattis was asked by Congressman Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) about whether Iran is currently in compliance with the Iran nuclear deal, officially titled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Mattis replied in the affirmative and indicated that the Intelligence Community and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concur with his … Continue Reading