¡Saludos from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)!

I want to thank everyone who made this year's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration one to remember. It was beautiful to see our vibrant culture celebrated amongst friends, colleagues, and communities.

To close out HHM, the CHC had the honor of hosting world-renowned Mexican artist, Alejandro Fernandez, for his first-ever visit inside the Capitol.

Alejandro, the son of legendary artist Vicente Fernandez, is not only a musical icon, but he's a steadfast partner in the CHC's quest to empower Latinos and make the National Museum of the American Latino a reality.

The CHC presented him with a resolution in honor of his life, legacy, and work to promote Latino culture. We thank the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and Friends of the Museum of the American Latino for their help to ensure a beautiful event.

While HHM 2023 may have ended, the CHC will continue to uplift, empower, and work for Latinos across America.

Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44)

CHC Chair

The CHC continues its fight to champion the creation of the National Museum of the American Latino on the National Mall.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, Chair Barragán and Vice Chair of Member Engagement Rep. Tony Cárdenas joined Maria Elena Salinas for an exclusive interview with ABC News.

They discussed how important the museum is in order to share the vibrant stories of Latinos to the world!

Click video above to watch ABC News interview.

In September, the CHC went on the road to Orlando, Florida with Reps. Maxwell Frost, Darren Soto, and Department of Education Assistant Secretary Roberto Rodriguez for a student loan debt relief town hall at the University of Central Florida (UCF).

UCF has a Latino student population of 28% and is also one of America's top-ranked Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI).

The CHC was proud to visit and inform this growing HSI about the federal programs and resources available and about the CHC's work to provide relief.

We shared how the CHC helped to include $24.6 billion for federal student aid programs in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget, which included:

• A $500 increase above last years Pell Grant maximum
• $910 million for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program
• $1.2 billion for Federal Work Study

Learn more about the CHC Town Hall by reading WESH 2's article.

The CHC joined U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabel Guzman in Orlando, Florida, as part of the Biden Administration's Latino Prosperity Tour to meet with over a dozen Latino-business owners & entrepreneurs.

Administrator Guzman announced a massive historic uptick in SBA-backed loans going to Hispanic-owned businesses. This was made possible by Congress' work to provide $1.2 billion to SBA for Fiscal Year 2023 -- which is an increase of $188 million from the previous year.

Chair Barragán, Reps. Soto, and Frost shared how Congress & the Biden Administration continue to deliver results for Latino businesses.

Learn more about the roundtable by reading the West Orlando News' article.

Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led CHC members on a congressional delegation trip to New York City to assess facilities designated to support and house recently arrived asylum seekers.

The CHC will continue to advocate for more Shelter and Services Program funding so cities and localities can support asylum seekers when they need it most.

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is leading efforts to protect workers during extreme heat conditions.

She recently introduced a bill that would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish an enforceable standard to protect workers in the heat with measures like paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, and limitations on heat exposure.

Rep. Lou Correa hosted an agriculture and nutrition roundtable in Anaheim, California, alongside local elected officials and stakeholders to discuss California’s priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization.

He's working to ensure farmers and families in California and across the country have the resources needed to thrive in the 21st century.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced a study detailing the damage wrought by former President Trump’s border wall on the country’s natural and cultural resources.

The CHC thanks Rep. Raul Grijalva for requesting this study and ensuring the public is aware of its findings!

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Vice Chair of Diversity and Inclusion Rep. Gabe Vasquez hosted an informative bipartisan conversation with panelists from Amazon and Televisa.

It was a great to learn how Latino executives forged their careers!

CHC members continue to lead on diversity in the workforce. Rep. Tony Cárdenas hosted a fireside chat about Latinos in the workforce!

Panelists talked about the importance of representation, the impact of Latinos on our economy and how to persevere when there's no one who looks like you in the room.

CHC Members continue to bring home dollars to address substance abuse in communities. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández presented a $3 million dollar check to Taos County for their detox project.

She secured this funding so communities can heal from the intergenerational trauma of substance abuse.

Shoutout to CHC Member Rep. Jimmy Gomez for introducing a bill to name the Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse after civil rights trailblazers Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez. This will be the first Los Angeles federal courthouse in the country named after a Latina!

The Mendez’s advocacy led to the landmark 1946 case that ended segregation in California schools!

The CHC continues to fight to ensure servicemembers get the top-quality care they deserve.

Rep. Veronica Escobar spoke at a press conference in support of reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare alongside elected officials and community stakeholders.

Senator Ben Ray Luján joined Green Latinos to talk about his LISTOS Act, which could help fix the massive problem of unregulated Spanish disinformation online.

Tech companies must be transparent and invest in non-English languages to help curb the spread of climate misinformation!

Rep. Jim Costa welcomed brave veterans to our nation's capital for the Central Valley Honor Flight.

The Central Valley Honor Flight has led the effort to honor World War II veterans by sending them to see their memorial in Washington D.C.

The CHC always stands ready to serve America's veterans.

Rep. Salud Carbajal stopped by Finch Farms in Ojai, California, to talk about the 2023 Farm Bill and to enjoy some of the best citrus in America!

CHC Members are hard at work to deliver results for their constituents.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has already hosted 10 community town halls this year!

Her 10th town hall was held in Toledo, Washington.

Way to go, Congresswoman!

CHC's very own Rep. Maxwell Frost had the opportunity to join President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Rose Garden for a historic announcement!

Together they announced the creation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, a move that Rep. Frost and the gun violence prevention movement has championed for years. This marks the first time the federal government will have a coordinated response to this epidemic. 

Rep. Frost spent years organizing as a young person impacted by gun violence in America. He also introduced his first bill ever to create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

This is a massive victory for the CHC and for families across America!

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been a champion in calling for the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps for years. 

In 2021 and again in 2023, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Civilian Climate Corps for Jobs and Justice Act, to create a civilian climate corps to address climate change.  She also sent a letter calling on President Biden to immediately establish this initiative.

Last month, the Biden administration announced the creation of the American Climate Corps, a workforce training and service initiative that will ensure more young people have access to the skills-based training necessary for good-paying careers in the clean energy sector.  The CHC is grateful that the President heeded her call.

This victory is the culmination of years of organizing and hard work.

The CHC is extremely thankful to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez for leading the charge and pushing for this initiative.

Rep. Yadira Caraveo M.D. and Rep. Raul Ruiz M.D. introduced a resolution establishing October 1 as National Latino and Latina Physician Day.

The resolution recognizes the valuable contributions Latino and Latina physicians make to their communities and spurs action toward increasing diversity in the medical field.

Caraveo and Ruiz are the first and only Latina/Latino doctors to serve in our Congress!

In early October, Rep. Norma Torres and Senator Ben Ray Luján reintroduced the bicameral Indigenous Peoples’ Day Act to replace Columbus Day as a federal holiday and designate the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Learn more here.

Congrats to Vice Chair of Policy Darren Soto for another successful CHC roundtable - this time on immigration and border issues. 

CHC was pleased to be joined by Democratic leadership and immigration stakeholders. Stakeholders spoke about the future of DACA, TPS/DED, asylum, local/state immigration policies, and more. We also shared how CHC successfully advocated for an extension and redesignation of TPS for Venezuela.

The CHC will continue to work to deliver positive change to our nation's immigration system.

The CHC took 60+ standout interns to the White House to learn how to forge careers in the Executive Branch. Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to President Biden, spoke to the cohort about his journey and path.

The CHC will continue to work with the Biden Administration to strengthen a diverse talent pipeline!