For Immediate Release
March 7, 2024
Contact: Athina Lawson
Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz Delivers the Spanish Language Republican Response to the Nation
WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (TX-15) delivered the Spanish language Republican Response to the Nation following the State of the Union address:
Click here to watch the Spanish Language Republican response
Full remarks:
Good evening, I am Mónica De La Cruz, and it is an honor to represent District 15 of Texas in the House.
I was raised by a single mother and I’m the granddaughter of a Mexican farmer.
With hard work and thanks to God, I was able to start a small business while raising my children alone.
I have lived the American dream.
But tonight, I listened to a president who does not understand us.
President Biden tried to say everything is perfect, but we know that’s not true.
Parents want the best for our children. But under Biden, everything is harder.
On the border, we see Biden’s disaster.
At the beginning of his term, he stopped enforcing our laws.
And now, the cartels and many criminals enter our country.
As a mother of two, it pains me to see how drugs entering through the border have killed thousands of young people.
The president says his policies are humane, but what is humane about allowing someone to kill our people?
Recently, a young woman named Laken Riley was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant that this government allowed in.
Republicans want to stop this, but the president does not cooperate.
And it’s not just the border—President Biden is also harming our economy.
Under his administration, inflation reached its highest point in four decades, and credit cards are maxed out.
Everything is very expensive — from food and gasoline to childcare and mortgages.
Under the previous administration, Hispanics led the country in new small businesses.
Now, the dream of being your own boss seems out of reach.
Biden’s tall tales won’t pay our bills.
And while you take care of your family, violence is on the rise.
Biden has supported weak prosecutors and movements that want to defund the police.
Hispanics come to this country seeking safety and freedom, and we are concerned that Biden is so weak with our enemies.
We see how Putin attacks Europe while Iran’s partners kill American troops, and communist China spies on us and steals from us.
And we know that Russia, Iran, and China help the socialist governments of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
We deserve a strong leader, and Biden is not strong.
Just ask yourself:
- Are you better off than three years ago?
- Is the American dream more alive today?
- How is your pocketbook?
- Is our country stronger?
We have to make a decision about our path.
These three years have been hard, but I still have hope.
Republicans support working families.
We want safe communities, a strong economy, and order at the border.
We protect the Social Security and Medicare of our grandparents.
And I have a special message for all working mothers and grandmothers who help their families…
I know it’s not easy, because I’ve done it too, but we are strong and with your support, our country can also be strong again.
America is the ultimate beacon of freedom. Here, anything is possible.
Many of our families came with nothing. But, like my grandfather, they worked under the sun to give their children a better future.
Our country can be great again if we return to our values, like opportunity and faith.
May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
Thank you.
Background:
In 2023, Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz was sworn in as the first Latina and first Republican to represent the 15th Congressional District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.
As the granddaughter of a Mexican farmworker and raised by her single mother, Norma, in Brownsville, she has deep family roots in the Rio Grande Valley which inspired her desire to run for office and represent her community. She is a champion for the American Dream, border security, and seniors’ benefits.
For over 20 years, Congresswoman De La Cruz led several successful small businesses in her community, including an insurance agency, which she ran until she was elected to Congress in 2022. She earned a business degree from University of Texas at San Antonio and studied Spanish at La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
She attends a local church and resides in Hidalgo County, Texas.
Reporters and producers are asked to download an updated official portrait of Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz at this link.
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