Sylvia Garcia — Democrat Candidate for U.S. House in Texas, 2026

Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia introduced the Restoring Community Trust Act to end federal government coercion on local police in immigration enforcement, aiming to restore constitutional balance and protect public safety. She supports the American Dream and Promise Act, which provides a legal pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS, and DED recipients. Additionally, Garcia advocates for the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, creating a legal status for agricultural workers, and calls for greater accountability and transparency in federal immigration enforcement.

““Right now, people don’t trust ICE,” said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia in Que Onda Magazine. “And without trust, communities are less safe.””

Sylvia Garcia supports accessible and affordable healthcare, championing funding for community health centers, school-based clinics, and mobile health pods to ensure access across her district. She emphasizes that healthcare must be accessible, not just available, and fought to protect federal subsidies for health insurance. She voted Nay on H.R. 6703, the "Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act."

“There’s nothing more important than making sure people have access to good quality healthcare,” she said. “It’s not just healthcare — it has to be accessible. If you can’t get there, it doesn’t matter.” (Sylvia Garcia, Que Onda Magazine)”

Sylvia Garcia voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, which support clean energy and climate action. She also secured a $1.2 billion grant for a Hydrogen Hub in Houston. Garcia advocates for combating climate change while ensuring a stable economy, rejecting the idea of choosing between the two. She voted against bills H.R.4758 and H.R.4626.

““In Texas 29, especially in East Houston and along the Ship Channel, families live with flooding, bad air, and pollution every single day,” said U.S. Representative Sylvia Garcia (D-TX). “None of this is new to the people I represent. They feel it in their homes, their health, and their wallets. What the Climate Vulnerability Index does is put numbers behind what our community has been experiencing for years. When we have clear data, we can fight harder for stronger flood protections, cleaner air, and real investments that finally make life safer and healthier for all the neighborhoods I represent.””

Sylvia Garcia supports abortion rights and reproductive healthcare access. She is an original cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2023, which aims to prohibit government restrictions on abortion services, and the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, to prevent states from interfering with out-of-state abortion access. She views the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a significant setback and advocates for the right of women to make their own healthcare decisions. Garcia is endorsed by Reproductive Freedom for All and has a 5% lifetime score from Heritage Action.

Sylvia Garcia advocates for an immigration policy focused on compassion, evidenced by her efforts to expand and renew Temporary Protected Status for individuals from Venezuela and Central America. She introduced the Restoring Community Trust Act, aimed at preventing federal coercion of local police in immigration enforcement. Additionally, she voted against the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act, reflecting a specific position on defense spending.

Sylvia Garcia supports local education initiatives, highlighting investments in schools as investments in students, families, and community futures, as seen when her team attended a Galena Park ISD school groundbreaking. She criticized HISD's 2026 plan to close 12 schools, stating that parents, students, and teachers deserve a voice in decisions and that closures without public engagement disrupt families and weaken communities.

“HISD is making life-changing decisions about neighborhood schools without giving families a real say. Parents, students, and teachers deserve a real voice in what happens to their schools, not last-minute notices and plans that are predetermined. I said from the beginning that the state takeover of HISD stripped parents and voters of their democratic voice, and this moment proves exactly why that matters. Some of the schools on this list are in the neighborhoods I represent, and families are telling me they were blindsided and pushed aside by a process that did not respect them. Closing neighborhood schools without real public engagement disrupts families and weakens entire communities. HISD should pause this plan, open the process to the public, and work with families to find solutions that truly put students first." - Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, Statement on HISD Plan to Close 12 Schools, February 13, 2026”

Sylvia Garcia supports gun safety legislation and is a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. She voted in favor of measures like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022) and the Protecting Our Kids Act (2022), seeking to enhance public safety from gun violence. Garcia has stated that handguns are not for hunting or protection and emphasized the need to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

“On Wednesday's broadcast of C-SPAN's "Washington Journal," Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) argued that handguns "are not for hunting. They're not for protection. I think handguns are, frankly, for killing people. We need to do something about making sure that bad guys don't get their hands on handguns."”