How will you work to facilitate higher education to high school graduates, particularly those in financial need?
A college degree is an incredible tool of upward mobility, but we need to make sure it doesn’t saddle students with a lifetime of debt. I strongly support President Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan, and I’m appalled that Republican politicians are suing to stop it from going into effect. An important part of the plan is what it does for future borrowers, which includes lowering monthly payments, making it easier for teachers and other public servants to get their loans forgiven, and forgiving most loan balances under $12,000 after ten years.
Over the last two years, I’ve introduced a number of bills to address college affordability, including:
- The Transparency for Transfer Students Act, which would help students transfer more credits from community college and finish their bachelor’s degree faster.
- The Head Start for Our Future Act, which would help education students earn while they learn by making jobs in early childhood education eligible for federal Work-Study.
- The Advanced Coursework Equity Act, which would help more Latino, Black, and other minority students enroll in advanced high school courses (including AP and International Baccalaureate classes), which often lead to college credit.
I will also keep pushing Congress to double the current Pell Grant maximum, which would help many low-income students complete a college degree with little or no debt.
What will you do to improve employment opportunities for college graduates?
Texas has the fastest job growth in the nation, and I want to make sure those jobs come to San Antonio. Over the past 12 months, I’ve voted for major infrastructure and inflation reduction laws that will bring hundreds, if not thousands of good-paying jobs to San Antonio over the next decade. I’m also working closely with the City of San Antonio to expand our airport, which will bring more international business and jobs to our city.
Since my first years in public service, my focus has been on expanding what I call America’s “Infrastructure of Opportunity” — the great public schools and universities, sound health care system, and good-paying jobs that enable folks to pursue their American dreams. As we recover from the pandemic, protecting the Infrastructure of Opportunity in San Antonio starts with building a strong economy. In the coming session of Congress, I will be working to expand access to opportunity so that hard-working people can compete for good jobs without leaving San Antonio.
If elected, what new initiatives will you bring to the district?
One of my big priorities for next year is passing the Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment (HERE) Act, a bill I wrote to fund partnerships between Hispanic-serving Institutions like Texas A&M University-San Antonio and school districts with large Hispanic enrollments. The HERE Act would support high school students through the college application process and into their college years. The goal of the bill is to help more students enroll in college, succeed in their classes and complete their degrees.
Right now, I’m also fighting to get more than $15 million in federal funding to support community initiatives in San Antonio, including:
- AMABLE, a mobile unit housed at Texas A&M University-San Antonio that supports K-12 students with autism;
- Family support and child abuse prevention programs through Guardian House and the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio Center for Miracles;
- Small business programs run by UTSA and LiftFund, and;
- Arts and education programs at the Guadalupe Latino Bookstore and Centro Cultural Aztlan.
Ideally, this funding will be signed into law and on its way to San Antonio within the next six months.
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Lawyer. Served five terms as state representative for district 125. He is currently serving his fifth term as the representative of Texas Congressional District 20 of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Campaign Website https://castroforcongress.com/
Incumbent Website https://castro.house.gov/
