Though U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D) has solely served in Congress since 2023, the consultant for California’s forty second Congressional District rapidly emerged as a rising star within the Democratic Celebration who has turn out to be generally known as an particularly outspoken critic of President Donald Trump since his return to the White Home in January.
Delivering memorable hits on cable information applications, punchy sound bites in congressional hearings, and spirited spats with political opponents on X, Garcia is amongst a handful of leaders on the left who’ve been feted for his or her outspokenness at a time when pushback in opposition to the administration by Democrats has broadly been criticized as anemic, ineffectual, inconsistent, or insufficiently aggressive.
Final week, the California congressman, who’s homosexual, sat down with the Washington Blade in his workplace for an interview that was continued by cellphone on Tuesday within the wake of Friday’s transfer by 9 Senate Democrats and their chief Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) to avert a authorities shutdown by supporting the controversial finances proposal superior by congressional Republicans.
Critics blasted Schumer and the senators who voted with him, arguing that they’d voluntarily forfeited leverage that their get together will hardly ever once more have the chance to train — no less than, not till the a hundred and twentieth Congress is seated in 2027, and solely then if Democrats are in a position to recapture management of both or each legislative chambers.
Calling the Democratic chief’s determination “out of contact” and “an enormous disservice to the American folks,” Garcia stated he was “extremely angered and past upset,” including “I believe that he’s turned his again, in my view, on the rank and file base of the get together, and positively on his personal members.”
The congressman stated he agrees with remarks made in latest days by Senate Democrats who’ve deemed this battle over the finances “the second to really stand as much as Donald Trump and Elon Musk in a method that was forceful and powerful.”
“People who voted to help this finances decision are utterly not aligned with the overwhelming majority of People and positively [not with] Democrats who wished to really struggle Elon Musk and push again a lot more durable,” Garcia stated, contrasting Schumer’s management with Jeffries who “did the appropriate factor” and was in a position to convey “the caucus collectively,” efficiently convincing “everybody, I imply, virtually unanimously, to vote in opposition to the finances.”
Greater than that, Garcia stated Friday’s vote exemplifies a broader failure amongst some elected Democrats “particularly, possibly, amongst these which were in authorities for a very long time” to reckon with the existential dangers introduced by the Trump administration and highly effective allies like Musk.
The congressman stated these political leaders “are considering that one way or the other that is simply one other 12 months or simply one other cycle, and issues will simply get higher and return to the way in which they have been” as a result of they’ve failed to acknowledge the final word ambitions of the president, his administration, Musk, and their allies, who endeavor to “basically restructure the way in which authorities works, to construct a system the place you’ve got an authoritarian on the prime with monumental quantities of energy” unchecked by the federal judiciary or the legislative department.
“It’s supreme government authority,” he stated, coupled with “disregard” for the powers ordained by the Structure to the courts and to the Congress. “That could be a very harmful formulation once you’re sitting on prime of the wealthiest nation on the earth with an infinite navy and large energy over what occurs in the remainder of the world.”
“We reside in a really harmful time and I simply don’t really feel like everybody is knowing that, together with folks in our personal get together,” Garcia added.
The congressman famous that cheap folks would possibly attain totally different conclusions about whether or not Trump’s second time period has but introduced such a grave risk to America’s political and democratic establishments and the rule of regulation that the time has come to declare a state of emergency or break the glass, to to talk, to launch the fireplace alarm.
In Garcia’s view, “you’ve got the richest man on the planet who’s getting solely richer because the election of Trump, who has an unobstructed skill to enter company after company, entry folks’s private info, primarily get rid of jobs, instantly e mail federal staff about having to report their actions to him — that may be a 5 alarm fireplace.”
“That’s unconstitutional and it’s an actual problem to the way in which we function our authorities,” he added.
Organizing grassroots resistance at dwelling
Returning to extra acquainted territory for inter-party debate the congressman criticized the GOP’s finances package deal, warning that it’d “slash different varieties of well being care, may slash Social Safety,” however as a result of it proposes trillions of {dollars} in cuts, lawmakers may have no possibility however to “take Medicare and Medicaid aside.”
Along with the “destruction of our companies” led by Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity, Garcia stated the trouble by congressional Republicans to trim the finances in methods that may imperil entry to crucial medical take care of populations that rely on it, together with “low-income of us, seniors, and dealing class folks” is supposed to release cash for “large tax cuts to Elon Musk, the billionaires, and enormous companies.”
Extra particularly, throughout an interview Friday with MSNBC’s Alex Witt, Garcia warned the funding invoice will “reduce billions and billions of {dollars}, for instance, for veterans’ well being care” whereas prohibiting Congress from pushing again “on the tariffs that Donald Trump is making an attempt to implement,” giving “a rubber stamp of approval to what Elon Musk is doing raiding our federal companies,” and gutting applications by companies just like the U.S. Division of Schooling that serve college students with disabilities and particular wants.
Garcia additional defined that “sending the cash to the states as Trump needs to do primarily provides states the flexibility to ship that cash to non-public colleges and to offer a system the place really public colleges get defunded as a result of non-public colleges received’t take these applications up.”
Talking with the Blade on Tuesday from Lengthy Seashore, town within the heart of CA-42 the place he served as mayor from 2014 to 2022, Garcia defined how he was utilizing the Home’s district work interval to prepare opposition in opposition to the Trump regime.
After the congressman’s aircraft touched down from Washington, he took the chance to document a video for social media to clarify that “We needs to be investing in our airports and passenger security, not slicing 400 FAA positions” because the administration did final month.
“We have to rent extra air site visitors controllers and be sure that flying stays the most secure technique to journey,” he stated.
We needs to be investing in our airports and passenger security, not slicing 400 FAA positions. We have to rent extra air site visitors controllers and be sure that flying stays the most secure technique to journey. pic.twitter.com/3QSL6EcIIr
— Congressman Robert Garcia (@RepRobertGarcia) March 17, 2025
After Republican management inspired its members to keep away from holding in-person conferences with constituents as a result of they’d complained and expressed anger concerning the slicing or suspension of federal companies, grants, applications, and companies, Garcia introduced he would maintain city halls in GOP districts in California, a technique that has been touted by different leaders in his get together like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic candidate for vice chairman.
“Not this weekend however the subsequent weekend I’ll be launching in a Republican member’s district in California and doing a city corridor there,” Garcia instructed the Blade. “It will likely be in a Republican swing district.”
Within the meantime, the congressman stated he has been visiting with and listening to his constituents. “I simply left a faculty right here in southeast L.A. the place I met with the principal and a bunch of academics, and talked concerning the college students that they’ve in particular applications which might be receiving funds from the federal authorities.”
“They have been exhibiting me type of a middle the place they’ve, like, toiletries and sneakers and backpacks for youths that they’ve acquired by help from the U.S. Division of Schooling,” he stated. “So there’s simply a lot want, in speaking to of us, and a lot anger from folks about what’s occurring.”
“Earlier at this time, I used to be on the Social Safety Administration heart right here in one of many cities I characterize, so I’m going round speaking to folks the place they’re getting their companies and individuals are actually annoyed,” Garcia added. “I don’t assume folks understand that almost all of those people who rely on lots of these applications are working households, that they want the help to outlive, and but they’ve the richest man on the planet slicing their companies as a result of he feels prefer it and he needs a much bigger tax reduce.”
Throughout final week’s interview, when requested what he hopes to achieve from partaking with constituents in aggressive neighboring districts that are actually represented by Republicans, the congressman stated he hopes that attendees acknowledge that “you’ve got a member of Congress too scared to really reply these questions” however his purpose is foremost to hearken to their issues and tackle their questions.
Garcia recounted a few of the studies within the media detailing scenes from city halls in GOP districts that have been held previous to the trouble by get together management to include the dangerous press. Attendees “have been pissed,” he stated. “They have been demanding solutions. Why am I dropping my job? Why are my veterans’ advantages going to be reduce? Why are you making an attempt to dismantle the federal Division of Schooling when my child has a incapacity and is determined by these applications?”
Democratic leaders convey totally different strengths, kinds
Not one of the 9 Home Republicans that the Democratic Nationwide Committee recognized as “most susceptible” characterize districts in California, and it stays to be seen what number of Home Democrats will observe Garcia’s lead and stage city halls in purple or purple areas of their respective states to make the most of the anger and frustration over Trump’s second time period.
Nonetheless, and however his criticism for the Senate Democrats who cosigned the Republican finances, or his issues that some leaders within the get together might not have come to phrases with the exigencies demanded by this tumultuous second in American politics, Garcia confused that Home Democrats profit from the totally different strengths and totally different kinds introduced by its various members.
There’s even room to accommodate variations of opinion, he stated, on questions like whether or not and during which circumstances transgender feminine athletes needs to be permitted to take part in ladies’ and ladies’s sports activities.
Breaking from the place that, no less than in recent times, has been held virtually with out exception by Democratic elected officers serving in nationwide and statewide workplace, California’s ardently pro-LGBTQ Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom argued throughout an interview earlier this month that permitting these athletes to compete in opposition to their cisgender counterparts was “deeply unfair.”
The feedback, which drew criticism from teams just like the Human Rights Marketing campaign, got here as some Democrats had begun to query whether or not their electoral defeat in 2024 might need been partly attributable to sunlight between the get together’s place and the place the broader voters lands on the difficulty, with most People tending to help restrictions concentrating on trans gamers in no less than some circumstances, in accordance with information from surveys and polls.
Garcia stated his place is and at all times has been that far an excessive amount of focus and a spotlight has been paid to the difficulty, which in the end issues such a small inhabitants that turns into smaller, nonetheless, when the aperture is narrowed additional to focus simply on athletes. Younger folks, he stated, ought to be capable to reap the advantages that include collaborating in aggressive sports activities, together with those that will encounter extra challenges or hardship as a result of they’re trans.
Nonetheless, the congressman stated he continues to help the governor, noting that few People have finished extra for LGBTQ rights than Newsom has.
In addition to, Garcia stated, reasonably than making an attempt to reconcile minor get together variations concerning the sports activities query, Democrats ought to as a substitute band collectively in opposition to excessive efforts by the anti-trans Republicans “making an attempt to police loos or making an attempt to remove their well being care.”
“Persons are gonna have totally different positions,” Garcia stated, and “our get together has numerous totally different positions on this difficulty” simply as Democrats can convey totally different approaches to speaking about coverage or kinds of messaging about politics to their work on Capitol Hill.
Whereas “a few of us have found out methods of taking up the administration that additionally get some consideration” or supply possibilities to “shine a light-weight on the insurance policies” thus exposing their harms, then again Garcia stated “There are different folks in our caucus which might be so good at what they do, and I might have a tough time doing what they do, as a result of they’re so good at it.”
Leaning in to variations
Throughout his time in Congress, the California Democrat, 47, stated he has tried to capitalize on his information of popular culture and leisure “to get consideration on a coverage difficulty.”
For example, final summer season when Republicans went after Hunter Biden’s abroad enterprise dealings throughout an Oversight Committee listening to and in response Democrats sought to redirect the main target towards Trump’s conduct involving international enterprise pursuits throughout his first time period, Garcia quoted from a monologue delivered by Heather Homosexual in the course of the finale episode of Season 4 of Bravo’s “The Actual Housewives of Salt Lake Metropolis.”
In 2023, amid a GOP-led effort to limit younger folks’s entry to tug performances, the congressman kicked off Pleasure month with a tribute on the Home ground honoring “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the favored program that has been credited with bringing the artwork type to wider consideration and appreciation, together with amongst non-LGBTQ audiences.
“The present has served as a crucial area to debate points round inclusion, trans rights, psychological well being and self value,” Garcia stated on the time. “And this message couldn’t be extra necessary because the LGBTQ-plus neighborhood continues to struggle for equality and acceptance.”
Final month, a few years after Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene famously displayed specific pictures of Hunter Biden that have been taken when the previous president’s son was fighting substance abuse, Garcia referenced the incident in the course of the first listening to of the Home Subcommittee on Delivering on Authorities Effectivity.
After saying that he had a “dick pic” to share, a big picture of Musk’s face appeared on display screen behind the congressman, who then delivered a message about how the controversial tech billionaire was “making an attempt to remove your Medicare and Social Safety and doing all these terrible issues to you.”
Garcia defined that this type of creativity may help Democrats attain audiences that is likely to be much less inclined to see or much less wanting to eat conventional sources of details about politics. “I believe that we have now to keep in mind that not everyone reads The New York Instances and watches cable information,” he stated. “You are able to do all of the cable information you need. You may get quoted in The New York Instances as a lot as you need, and put out statements, [but] there’s an enormous section of the inhabitants that’s by no means going to see that.”
“It’s necessary that we use moments that talk to totally different teams to drive a message,” the congressman added. “As a result of I’m homosexual, and since I do know rather a lot about popular culture and stuff — as a result of, you recognize, we prefer to know rather a lot about stuff like that, I believe it does assist. I’m nonetheless actively watching RuPaul. I observe issues that possibly the typical political individual isn’t following.”
This familiarity that comes with membership in marginalized communities can turn out to be particularly necessary within the context of working in a legislative physique the place their rights and protections are underneath assault.
“There’s an energetic dismantling of our rights,” Garcia stated, “and homosexual marriage could possibly be on the road [along with] homosexual adoptions, instructing historical past about leaders in our neighborhood in our colleges. All of that’s on the road, and so we’ve acquired to be very clear about that.”
Reciprocally, the congressman stated, that duty additionally applies when individuals who belong to marginalized communities are current in these areas. “I discuss to homosexual mates again dwelling, and I remind them there’s an assault occurring proper now on trans folks, on homosexual folks,” he stated, “and it’s important to get up to that and know that it’s your job to, like, get up and be loud, and also you simply can’t reside your life day by day considering every thing’s simply gonna get higher when Donald Trump’s not the president.”
Standing as much as Musk and the Trump administration will be dangerous
After all, there may be at all times a danger of attracting unfavorable consideration, notably when a member of Congress stands as much as a public determine as polarizing and highly effective as Musk or Trump and with a message that’s designed to achieve audiences that may not in any other case watch clips from a listening to or ground debate within the U.S. Home of Representatives.
In February, Garcia was focused by Ed Martin, a detailed Trump ally who shortly after his appointment by the president to function U.S. legal professional for D.C. issued a “letter of inquiry” to the congressman’s workplace over remarks he had made throughout an interview on CNN.
“When requested how Democrats can cease Elon Musk,” Martin defined, “you spoke clearly: ‘What the American public needs is for us to convey precise weapons to this bar struggle. That is an precise struggle for democracy.’”
He continued, “This sounds to some like a risk to Mr. Musk – an appointed consultant of President Donald Trump who you name a ‘dick’ – and authorities workers who work for him. Their issues have led to this inquiry.”
In response, Garcia vowed that his criticism wouldn’t be stifled by makes an attempt to intimidate him with the specter of an investigation or prices by the Justice Division for feedback that any cheap individual would interpret as a metaphor or determine of speech reasonably than a legally actionable name for violence in opposition to a public official.
The congressman instructed the Blade he believes the trouble was meant to silence not simply his criticism of Musk but additionally to create a chilling impact that will dissuade others from talking out publicly in opposition to the billionaire.
“And so we’re going to proceed to name out what Elon Musk does, the harm he’s doing, and I’m definitely not going to cease utilizing metaphors,” Garcia stated.
As of Tuesday, the congressman stated his workplace didn’t reply after their receipt of the letter from Martin, including that he had consulted with Home counsel “which is the correct strategy.”
Requested to share how he evaluates the dangers and potential rewards of talking out in opposition to highly effective pursuits who lead a regime that’s bent on retribution in opposition to critics and political enemies, Garcia stated that as a lifelong comedian guide aficionado, to some extent he sees taking up real-life villains in Congress as a needed a part of his work on behalf of the folks.
“I’ve realized my values by comedian books,” he stated, “and I view the world very a lot by way of folks which might be doing the appropriate factor in reality and justice and other people which might be, I imply, who higher exemplifies Lex Luthor than of us like Elon Musk?”
Garcia stated that incomes the ire of Musk, Trump, and Republican colleagues just like the anti-trans extremist U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (S.C.) is an indication that he’s on the appropriate path, including that these of us ought to really feel opposition from elected Democrats and different leaders together with the anger they may witness from X customers who would possibly publish on the platform to vent their frustrations with its proprietor, demonstrators who would possibly picket exterior the White Home, or offended constituents who would possibly present as much as their consultant’s city corridor conferences.
Moreover, he stated, “I’ve instructed different members of Congress this, whether or not we’re in a gathering or sharing a meal, I stated, ‘once you look again at this second, and we take into consideration who needs to be opposing Elon Musk and Donald Trump on this second, that’s us.”
Garcia additionally expressed gratitude for his “unbelievable, very supportive” household and shut mates together with buddies from faculty who’re a part of his “nice help system again dwelling.” The congressman stated that whereas he and his husband break up up and are actually divorced, the 2 have remained “very shut” and share custody of their cat.
Assist additionally comes from strangers, he stated, who more and more have been approaching him in public to specific gratitude as a result of they really feel he’s giving voice to their emotions concerning the administration. Actually, Garcia stated he feels extra embraced than ever earlier than by his neighborhood in Lengthy Seashore, together with in comparison with his tenure as mayor.
What’s subsequent for the Democratic Celebration?
Garcia is lifelike concerning the extent to which he and his Democratic colleagues can maintain the administration accountable as long as they continue to be within the minority, the place they’re unable to even entry all of the paperwork and paperwork essential to do their work on the Oversight Committee not to mention go laws with out buy-in from Republicans.
On the similar time, he cautions that Democrats should not deal with the midterms to such an extent that they don’t acknowledge or name consideration to their opponents’ effort to intestine the federal authorities, inflicting hurt on a scale that will likely be tough to quantify for financial savings that will likely be used to carve out tax breaks for the nation’s richest folks and companies.
As Democrats work to rebuild after their losses within the 2024 cycle, Garcia stated he has been influenced by proposals akin to these floated lately by Ezra Klein of The New York Instances, who has urged the get together to deal with making a politics of abundance as a substitute for the politics of shortage that empowers Republican coalitions.
The Democratic Celebration has “made it tough to construct housing, by over regulating, by not permitting there to be extra for everybody,” the congressman stated. “I’ve seen it occur in the way in which we do our environmental coverage, our housing insurance policies,” the latter being a problem that “I struggled with after I was mayor.”
“In our states and in our cities, everyone seems to be speaking about this query,” he stated. “I imply, possibly they’re not calling it ‘abundance’ in the way in which that Ezra Klein is referring to it,” however there was lots of self-reflection and dialogue amongst Democrats about how “we have now been creating communities in states the place individuals are leaving,” the place as a result of they’ll not afford to reside there, “working class individuals are leaving.”
Garcia in November helped to launch the bipartisan YIMBY caucus which works to advertise the event of latest housing throughout the nation, main the trouble with fellow founding co-chairs, U.S. Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), and Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.).
Together with substantive reforms designed to ship actual outcomes for working folks, the congressman mentioned a few of the methods he want to see Democrats refine their media technique, together with by making appearances on conservative media shops like Fox Information — with out compromising or softening their message or coverage positions.
Watching former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spar with the community’s right-wing hosts, Garcia stated, was eye-opening by way of how the segments have been mutually helpful for the Democratic cupboard secretary and members of the right-wing cable community’s viewers.
The California Democrat stated that he was in all probability the one visitor who appeared on Griff Jenkins’ 60-minute Fox Information program throughout his most up-to-date interview on March 1 with the community’s Washington primarily based nationwide correspondent to supply a take that was crucial of Musk however grounded in info.
“It’s about reaching as many individuals as doable and in as many venues as doable,”
Garcia stated. “That’s why I’m happening Fox Information. And truthfully, I encourage all Democrats to do it. I be ok with our rising opposition. However, you recognize, it’s additionally taken us some time — I imply, we went by a extremely dangerous loss, and I believe that lots of the get together equipment was unprepared for the way robust and quick Trump was going to be.”
