The 113th Congress includes a record number of thirty-eight Latinos elected officials. These notable numbers have both policy and political implications for the future of Latino politics in the United States. First though, some demographic facts about the 113th. Demographic Profile The House Representatives includes thirty-five Latino members, another three are members of the United […]
Record Number of Latinos Sworn in to 113th Congress
January 4, 2013 By
A record number of Latinos were sworn in yesterday to the 113th Congress, with three U.S. Senators and 28 Latino House members making up the historic number. According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), the 113th Congress is “the largest class [of Latinos] in our nation’s history.” Nine of these […]
Congress Votes and Passes Bill to Prevent Fiscal Cliff
January 2, 2013 By
The House of Representatives voted Tuesday night to approve the Senate’s bill to avoid the fiscal cliff, and just in time before the new Congress is set to be sworn in on Thursday. Once Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnel of Kentucky met early Tuesday on a deal to prevent the […]
Latino Leaders Unite To Pressure President Obama on Immigration Reform
December 13, 2012 By
Several representatives from major national Latino organizations have united to announce the start of a civic engagement campaign to pressure President Obama and Congress to pass immigration reform early next year. The Latino leaders, from organizations like the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and the National […]
Latino Democrats Divided over Decision to Approve House STEM Jobs Act
December 3, 2012 By
Last Friday, the House of Representatives approved the STEM Jobs Act, an immigration bill that would make 55,000 additional immigration visas available to foreigners. However, in order to expand these kinds of skilled foreign worker visas, the House members voted to eliminate the diversity visa program, which grants visas to immigrants from different countries through […]
Women Absent as Republican Leaders of the House in Incoming Congress
November 29, 2012 By
Following a day of closed meetings, the House Republican Steering Committee elected a committee of chairs consisting of all male lawmakers for the incoming 113th Congress. On Tuesday, House Speaker John Boehner announced the 19 House GOP committee chairs. Of the 19 members, none were women or minorities. However, Politico explains that there is the […]
Two Latinos Nominated by President Obama to Philadelphia Federal Court
November 28, 2012 By
President Obama nominated two Latino judges from Philadelphia to fill in vacant seats for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro and Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo, along with Judge Jeffrey L. Schmeh, were nominated by the President Tuesday morning and are waiting to hear a majority vote […]
Immigration and the Lame Duck Congress
November 28, 2012 By
What a difference an election makes. Take, for instance, immigration. Wasn’t it a mere handful of weeks ago that Republicans were staunchly stalwart in their opposition to any and all immigration reform? Now there’s talk of a GOP led immigration bill to be considered by the lame duck Congress. The Associated Press reports: Republican leaders made it clear after the election […]
Impending Fiscal Battle May Postpone Immigration Reform Decision
November 27, 2012 By
With a divided Congress and fiscal battles looming in, President Obama is starting to face challenges in his efforts to push for comprehensive immigration reform as one of his first tasks since re-election. One of the more pressing issues on President Obama’s plate is the looming fiscal cliff, which refers to the drastic changes scheduled […]
Guest Blogger: Marcus Atkinson “How Obama Won”
November 13, 2012 By
Tuesday, Latinos showed their political strength. The country knew the numbers, but on that day the power of numbers shown through as millions of Latinos went to the polls and expressed their right through the power of votes, and led Obama to victory, largely through the swing states. According to the Pew Hispanic Research Center, […]
Recent Comments