From gun control and immigration to reproductive health, members of Congress made sure to put faces to top issues. Legislators from Texas strategically picked guests for the State of the Union address.
Lancaster resident Carla Gates joined Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett nine months following the death of her husband, postal worker Eugene Gates.
“Something could be done and thank God that I am being an advocate for my husband. I am not going to stop until something is done. And coming to Washington was the perfect opportunity,” said Gates.
Gates died in June after collapsing on the job on a day when the heat index reached upward of 110 degrees. He was one of Crockett's constituents.
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“As a sitting member of Congress, I think that it is incumbent upon me to make sure that I keep his story alive and I continue to put pressure on an agency that I technically oversee,” Crockett said. “It is wild to be in 2024 talking about trucks with air conditioning.”
For its part, the US Postal Service responded to Crockett's demand for revisions, saying a fleet of air-conditioned trucks is headed to Texas.
Republican Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, also from Texas, brought guest Tom Homan, known for his calls for more aggressive immigration policies and Texas border security.
“110,000 deaths that we've seen as a result of fentanyl that's coming in illegally over our borders, we have to address that. Communities across the country are feeling what's happening,” said Van Duyne.
U.S. Senate hopeful and fourth-generation Texan Colin Allred was joined by Austin Dennard. The Dallas-based OBGYN traveled out of state for an abortion after learning her fetus had a fatal birth defect. She talked about what she wanted to hear from the president.
“I hope that he comes out and talks about what an important issue it is and really what's at stake,” Dennard said.
Texas teen Darryl George was also invited after becoming the center of controversy over his dreadlocks, following Abbott's signing of the Crown Act.
Texas was well represented in Washington as voters anticipate political discourse to heat up over the next several months.
