U.S. Congressional District 33 Candidates in the Democratic Primary March 1
Marc Veasey
Age: 51
Campaign website: www.marcveasey.com
Best way for voters to reach you: Email at Campaign@marcveasey.com or Phone at 817-446-8222
Occupation: Member of Congress
Education: BA, Texas Weslyan University, C/O 1995
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought, with years): Since 2013, I have represented Texas’ 33rd district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Before that, From 2005 to 2013, I as was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, where I served as chair pro tempore of the House Democratic Caucus.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: No
Who are your top three campaign contributors?: Vaughn Vennerberg, SEIU, Brian & Julia Flowers
Why are you seeking this office?: I have proudly served in Congress for nearly 10 years. During this time, I have used my position to create jobs, expand affordable and accessible health care, bolster our infrastructure in North Texas, worked to protect voting rights, fought for comprehensive immigration reform and helped my constituents access critical COVID-19 relief. I also have the opportunity to serve on both the Energy and Commerce and House Armed Services Committee. I have used these positions to deliver critical resources to our state given Texas’ dominance in the Energy sector and the number of servicemembers and defense companies that call North Texas home. I also am proud to announce that in the last few days, I worked with the Administration to secure $403 million in new funding for the Trinity River Project from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I am seeking reelection because I want to continue this progress by serving and delivering resources to the 33rd district of Texas.
What are the biggest challenges facing your district?: A wide range of issues faces my constituents that live in Texas’ 33rd district. Job growth and protecting wages, encouraging economic growth, fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and fueling economic recovery, updating our infrastructure, improving public education, supporting the passage of comprehensive immigration reform, and expanding access to quality healthcare are a few pressing issues that are facing my district.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?:
Expanding access to affordable health care and closing the medicaid coverage gap
Creating good-paying jobs to help hardworking Texas families make ends meet
Bolstering infrastructure in Texas and beyond to ensure folks can safely and efficiently get from point A to B
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?: As outlined above, I have a track record of working to deliver results to the district that I call home. I have used my tenure in Congress to work in a bipartisan way to help meet the needs of my constituents. I am privileged to also sit on two Committees that play a pivotal role in the lives of the many Texans that call our 33rd district home.
What should Congress do to combat inflation?: Following decades of rising inequality and tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, we know that underinvestment in America’s public infrastructure helped create the conditions for the inflation that the U.S. is currently experiencing. To ensure a balanced budget, we must make sure that billionaires and corporations are paying their fair share. Additionally, the economic recovery, fading emergency pandemic relief and the Federal Reserve’s actions will reduce inflation in 2022, but we must get the Build Back Better Act signed into law because it presents the best opportunity for Congress to reduce inflationary pressure long term, cut costs for families and boost economic resilience.
How should the federal government change COVID policy to reflect the omicron variant outbreak?: The pandemic, has shown us how dependent we are on one another. We must ensure essential workers have affordable childcare and good transportation options to make it through these tough times and beyond. The rise of variants has highlighted the need for a investment in a robust testing infrastructure to ensure we have the tools to safely engage in the economy.
The pandemic has also shed light on the critical nature of access to reliable, high-speed internet. Too many families still don’t have access to this essential service in the 21st century economy. We must recognize the digital divide is not solely an issue of access, but also of affordability. I’m proud to have passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that allocates more than $65 billion to support broadband initiatives. It builds on the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which I helped create, by replacing it with the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), lowering the cost of broadband service for households.
Should Congress enact a vaccine mandate for workplaces?: We need to ensure that federal workers can continue to serve Americans in every corner of the country. As such, I support a multifaceted strategy of either mandating the COVID-19 vaccine or making sure federal employees get tested on a regular basis, because we must curb the spread of the virus and make sure federal employees can still perform their jobs. The private sector should follow our lead and ensure a safe working environment for all.
How should the federal government respond to high levels of illegal immigration? Do you support changes in asylum policy, and if so, how would you alter it?: It is clear that we must fix our long-broken immigration system. I support a strategy that is centered on the premise that our country is safer, stronger, and more prosperous with a fair and orderly immigration system. I support the Administration’s efforts to put policies in place that will end family separation and make sure families are reunited. I also believe we must address the root causes of migration: poverty, corruption, violence, and a climate crisis, through diplomatic and funding efforts.
I remain committed to working with my colleagues in Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation that will provide hardworking people with an opportunity to earn citizenship, modernize our immigration system, and keep families together. When we do that, we grow our economy, responsibly manage the border, address the root causes of migration and ensure that the United States remains a refuge for those fleeing persecution.
Did Joe Biden win the 2020 election fairly?: Yes.
What voting-rights legislation or other election regulation would you support?: As co-chair and co-founder of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, I have long supported the federal push to get legislation to protect the sacred right to vote. Over the last year, I have supported efforts to get both the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act signed into law. In my role as a co-chair and co-founder of the CVRC, I have led many letters urging the Administration and the Senate to pass these vital pieces of legislation to enforce national standards to protect the right to vote, especially as states like Texas are enforcing dangerous voter suppression laws that allow partisan gerrymandering. In the upcoming weeks, I will also continue to push the Senate to change their rules and reform the filibuster to ensure that these voter freedom and pro-democracy reforms are signed into law.
Carlos Quintanilla
Did not respond.
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