Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) will deliver the Spanish-language Republican rebuttal to President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union on Thursday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced De La Cruz’s selection on Wednesday, stating that her journey to Congress “encapsulates the very essence of what it means to live the American dream.”
“Sadly, that dream is slipping away after three years of an open border, runaway inflation, and a nation inviting aggression and projecting weakness on the world stage,” Johnson said.
In 2022, De La Cruz became the first woman, first Latina, and first Republican to represent Texas’s 15th Congressional District. She is the granddaughter of a Mexican farmworker and was raised by a single mother in Brownsville. Her “deep family roots” in the Rio Grande Valley inspired her to run for office, according to the speaker’s office.
“The American Dream has been a nightmare since 2021, with an open border, inflation that’s through the roof, fentanyl killing our sons and daughters, and a president who is out of touch,” De La Cruz said in a statement. “I am proud to represent the House Republicans tomorrow night and deliver the Spanish language response to my fellow Hispanics. I understand their struggle.”
“I was sent to Washington to be a voice for my community, to tell the President that we must secure the border, and restore our previously strong economy,” she continued.
Several first-term members of Congress have been asked to give the Spanish language rebuttal in the past. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), who flipped Arizona’s 6th District red and assured the Republican House majority, delivered the Spanish-language Republican rebuttal in 2023. In 2020, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-AZ), at the time a first-term congresswoman, delivered the rebuttal on behalf of Democrats.
Eyes will be on Biden’s State of the Union on Thursday to see what topics he discusses and how he frames them, with Republicans expected to oppose his approach to immigration, border security, and the economy. Some members have already decided to boycott the State of the Union, such as Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL).
During a press conference on Wednesday, Johnson called the state of the union in “decline,” blasting the Biden administration for his inaction at the southern border.
“American sovereignty is in decline,” Johnson said. “You’ve heard us lament the border. The southern border is a total catastrophe. There’s no other way to describe that.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Border security continues to be at the top of voters’ minds when they are listing the most important issues to them heading into the 2024 election. Republicans were quick to blast Biden’s recent trip to the southern border on the same day that former President Donald Trump visited the area. Border security is also the forefront topic in vulnerable congressional races across the country, particularly in states like Arizona and Texas.
De La Cruz defeated her primary opponent, Vangela Churchill, on Super Tuesday, 88.2% to 11.8% with 99% of votes counted. She will now go on to face Democrat Michelle Vallejo, who is back for round two after facing off against De La Cruz in 2022. New redistricting had shifted the once-Democratic stronghold into Republican hands, allowing De La Cruz to become the area’s first GOP representative.
