At a time of devastating attacks on the Latino community, Senate Democrats and Latino leaders focus on addressing the most pressing challenges facing the community
WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) delivered remarks at the 2019 Democratic Latino summit along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chair, Senate Democratic Hispanic Task Force, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chair, Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) , and numerous other Democratic senators. The summit with Latino leaders and advocates from across the country provided the opportunity to discuss the challenges facing America’s Latino community and comes at a time of devastating attacks on the Hispanic community in New Mexico and across the country, from the tragedy in El Paso, Texas to the Trump administration’s harmful policies.
“Our nation is at a crossroads and we have two starkly different paths before us,” Udall said. “There is the president’s path: of division, racism, hatred, and targeting Hispanic communities. But we in New Mexico choose a different path. We know that our multi-culturalism does not divide us, it defines us. New Mexico is a proud majority-minority state – our Hispanic communities are fundamental to both our state’s identity and our nation’s identity. I’ll keep fighting in Congress to ensure that Hispanic families in New Mexico and across the country have the health care, economic and educational opportunity, and access to the ballot box that they deserve.”
At the summit, Udall had the honor of introducing panelists for a roundtable discussion with Latino leaders, including María Teresa Kumar, President and CEO of Voto Latino, Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, José Calderón, President of the Hispanic Federation, and Astrid Silva, Executive Director of DREAM Big Nevada.
Udall along with Senate Democrats are fighting to stop the harm the Trump administration is doing to the Hispanic community and enact legislation that improves the lives of Latinos, including making quality health care more affordable, protecting DREAMers and passing comprehensive immigration reform, expanding economic opportunity, and making it easier, not harder, for eligible voters to vote, and more.
Video from the summit can be found HERE . Udall’s remarks begin at 53 minutes.
