(El Paso, TX) - Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) released the following statement on the Texas redistricting map proposal that was released this morning:
“Republicans, at the behest of Donald Trump, have engaged in a mid-decade redistricting that will impact federal representation for urban communities in Texas, including El Paso.
"The current proposed map strips major parts of El Paso County, all of Fort Bliss, the El Paso International Airport, and the new Veterans Affairs Health Care Center (that I was able to secure $700 million in funding for) from having local representation, moving them to a district that spans from San Antonio to the Borderland, includes two other military installations (forcing Fort Bliss, our airport, and the VA Center to compete for limited and shrinking resources), and holds the conflicting interested of 27 other counties across Texas.
"This means our needs would be handed over to a representative who regularly votes against the interests of El Pasoans (who has voted to cut Medicare, Medicaid, veterans programs, nutrition programs, infrastructure funding, water and wastewater funding, and more), only briefly visits the district when time permits, and who prioritizes assets and needs of constituents who are closer to his home in San Antonio.
"The proposed map is also nearly identical to the 2021 proposed map that El Pasoans successfully pushed back against, proving definitively that this fight isn’t over. We’ve been through this redistricting battle before and El Pasoans stood up to demand our community be represented by someone who lives here, not over 500 miles away. I’d encourage El Pasoans to stay engaged and informed, and participate in the hearing scheduled for Friday and make their voices heard.”
Now that the proposed Republican map has been published, the House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting will host a public hearing this Friday in Austin where members of the public are able to provide testimony in person or submit comments virtually.
You can find the official notice for the hearing here.
El Pasoans can submit comments for the committee without testifying in person here.
If you want to testify in person, you can find more information here.
You can also watch the public testimony live here.
