The Congressional Hispanic Conference addressed the group’s objectives for the upcoming legislative term at a news conference on Feb. 1.
Co-chairs Reps. Tony Gonzalez (R-Tex.) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) were joined by Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), Brian Mast (R-Fla.), and Resident Commissioner for Puerto Rico Jenniffer González-Colón, along with several others, to speak with reporters about the group’s past accomplishments and some goals they have already realized.
“This group is going to be very prominent in the role of talking about border security and immigration, and that’s all great ... but you’re going to see us talk about a whole lot more than that,” Gonzalez said. “You’re going to see this organization, the Hispanic conference, talk about small business and helping the American people. You’re going to see us talking about police and supporting our law enforcement and [talking about] trade and commerce.”
“These are the people that won us the majority; these will be the people that will keep us the majority ... it’s important that the conference remains united going forward.”
Gonzalez then yielded the floor to his Diaz-Balart, who said, “It’s important to know that this is a group to be reckoned with ... we are a diverse group who represent Hispanics, who have Hispanic origins. And let’s be very clear; the Hispanics in this country are concerned with the same issues, and are affected by the same issues, that every other person in this country is concerned about.
“In an era where buying a dozen eggs has become a luxury item, where gas prices are strangling families, where we have a crisis on the border, where we have record-high inflation, it’s great to see that the Hispanics in our country have woken up to the damage that the left-wing, that the socialist, that the Democratic policies have inflicted on this country,” Diaz-Balart said.
The lawmaker went on to point out that the members of the conference have seats on a number of committees and will “have a say on every important issue that the house deals with in this Congress.”
Several other members of Congress also spoke. Two of the members acknowledged that several Spanish-speaking news outlets were present and offered some comments in Spanish.
Other members of the group echoed similar themes to the co-chairs’ remarks, pointing out the impressive presence that Hispanic and Latino minorities have in the United States and vowed to work with other congressional groups to implement policies that are good for all Americans.
The Congressional Hispanic Conference was founded in 2003 by Republican Hispanic members of Congress. Its stated goal is to emphasize national as well as international issues that have a significant impact on the Hispanic community in the United States.
