Orlando Sentinel

Latinos back Democrats because they deliver

- By Darren Soto Darren Soto is a Democrat representi­ng Florida’s 9th District in the U.S. House of Representa­tives.

The majority of Florida Hispanics will continue to vote Democratic because we are the party that delivers. For proof, look no further than the latest Axios/Ipsos/Telemundo poll to show how we measure up on top issues for the Hispanic community.

Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan. Its provisions helped to put shots in arms, put money in pockets, enable a wellfunded COVID-19 response, and took steps to stop another Great Recession. This was especially critical considerin­g our need to respond to the delta and omicron variants. Yet, every Congressio­nal Republican voted “no.” And most Republican governors, like Gov. Ron DeSantis, attacked the bill but took the money and bragged about the results.

Democrats are also curbing gun violence. President Joe Biden issued executive orders stopping ghost guns and bump stocks, and the Democratic Congress funded research on gun violence. House Democrats passed universal background checks and closed the Charleston loophole. In contrast, a majority of Congressio­nal Republican­s have vehemently opposed even the most commonsens­e gun safety reforms.

Democrats are combating climate change. President Biden increased auto fuel efficiency standards, rejoined the Paris Climate Accords, and set aggressive carbon reduction standards for utilities. We passed the Bipartisan Infrastruc­ture Framework, though every Florida Republican voted “no,” to boost electric vehicles and energy efficiency. The Democratic House of Representa­tives also passed the Build Back Better Act, which invests a historic half a trillion dollars to reduce emissions, boost renewables, and electrify our transporta­tion system.

Democrats are tackling inflation. The Bipartisan Infrastruc­ture Framework should improve our supply chain. The Build Back Better Act is expected to lower health care, child care, drug, housing, and education costs. The Act is paid for by having major corporatio­ns and the wealthy pay their fair share. President Biden also released a historic 50 million barrels from the strategic petroleum reserve in an effort to reduce gas costs. President Biden also tasked the Federal Trade Commission to investigat­e food and gas price-fixing by greedy companies.

Democrats are reducing healthcare costs. The American Rescue Plan increased Obamacare subsidies. The Build Back Better Act extends these subsidies and expands the Affordable Care Act to cover nearly one million Floridians in the Medicaid gap. Florida boasts the largest federal ACA exchange in the nation with over 2.3 million Floridians enrolled. Meanwhile, Republican­s consistent­ly seek to end Obamacare, which would eliminate health insurance for millions of Floridians.

Democrats are moving on immigratio­n reform. President Biden started rulemaking to strengthen the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for Dreamers and approved my Venezuela TPS bill by executive order. The Democratic House passed the Dream and Promise Act and Farm Workforce Modernizat­ion Act, which grant citizenshi­p to millions of Dreamers, TPS recipients, and farmworker­s. The Democratic House also passed the Build Back Better Act, which includes these provisions plus paths to citizenshi­p for essential workers. All Republican­s voted against the Act and are blocking these bills in the Senate.

Their values argument is a joke. They are still led by former President Donald Trump — a twice-impeached president who has been called a chronic liar. Meanwhile, President Biden is a devout Catholic who demonstrat­es compassion through action.

Their socialism argument is also a joke. President Biden is a year into leading the largest capitalist democracy in the world, with strong growth and low unemployme­nt. Meanwhile, Republican­s are passing bills that make it harder to vote and allowing state legislatur­es to reverse their states’ popular vote for president if they disagree.

So, what’s left for radical Republican­s to run on? Anti-vaccine and anti-election conspiraci­es? All that’s left is an agenda that opposes top issues for the Hispanic community.

Meanwhile, Democrats continue to deliver.

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