Alan Garza For Congress

Emerging Technology & Government

Technology continues to impact and change our society, both rapidly and radically. The internet and social media grant us access to an endless amount of information, but also present issues of misinformation and concerns over censorship due to centralized control. The rise of artificial intelligence promises an opportunity to transform and grow our economy, but it also threatens to decimate industries and jobs that many Americans rely on. Big data creates products and services that improve life, but it also creates surveillance tools that can be abused by the government. Emerging technology touches upon several important issues that impact everyday life for all Americans; we need leaders who will work to harness the power that emerging technology offers to make life better for Americans, while reigning in the threats it presents.

We’ll work towards:

Developing policies that protect free speech online, while also fighting misinformation.
Ensuring that government use of artificial intelligence is restricted as to not abuse civil liberties.
Investing in artificial intelligence initiatives that creates opportunities for all Americans to take part in the transforming economy.
Updating the federal law to ensure individual privacy is protected from government intrusion with respect to personal data stored by companies.

Immigration

Legal immigration helps fuel our nation’s success and prosperity, but our current system has left us with a crisis at the border, thousands of undocumented individuals left in limbo, and an inefficient bureaucracy that leaves those following the law waiting years for a resolution. In order to continue to grow and prosper, we need an immigration system that is effective, efficient, and fair. We need a careful and thoughtful approach that addresses the immediate issues at the border, while also working towards reform that makes our immigration system one that provides opportunity to hardworking individuals who share our values and want to contribute to our nation’s success.

We support:

Implementing a two-pronged approach, with both short-term and long-term goals, to address the challenges of our immigration system.
Strengthening and securing our border to protect our nation from the dangers of illegal immigration. With America’s technological advantages, the right investments should allow us to have the most secure border in the world.
Reform immigration laws to make it simpler for individuals who have the skills the nation needs, whether in engineering, construction, or farming, and who share our values, to legally immigrate to the U.S.
Creating a clear, fair, and efficient path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have been living and working in the United States, and who contribute to their communities, our nation, and respect the law.

Economic Mobility

It seems more difficult to live out the American Dream today than it did just a couple of decades ago, as people are facing what feels like insurmountable hurdles in upward economic mobility. Buying a home is out of reach for many, and rental costs are increasing; higher education saddles people with debt and often fails to provide a good return on investment; the cost of living continues to rise and it seems there is no end in sight. Instead of helping everyday Americans move forward, the government often acts as an anchor to hold people down. We need to create new policies that will enable Americans to move up in the economy of the 21st century.

We’ll advocate for:

A tax-free savings program that helps people save for a down payment towards their first home.
Education policies that stop supporting the rising cost of higher education and programs that allow individuals to pursue career paths towards high-paying jobs without an expensive degree.
Abolishing policies and regulations that increase the cost of living.

Higher Education

We’ve failed our students by pressuring them into taking on thousands of dollars in debt to attend college, without properly educating them on how to plan for a career that will allow them to pay back that debt. Worse, we’ve neglected to inform them about all of their options, such as trade schools, and have even discouraged them from considering these alternatives. We need to pass on the lessons we’ve learned from our mistakes to the next generation and change the policies that led to the student debt crisis.

At the same time, we must also address other pressing issues in higher education. Our colleges and universities have become increasingly hostile environments for free speech, with many campuses silencing voices that don’t align with a narrow ideological agenda. The proliferation of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives, often promoted at the expense of free speech and open dialogue, is a concerning trend that undermines the fundamental principles of academic inquiry and debate. We need to ensure that our institutions of higher learning remain true to their mission of advancing knowledge and intellectual discourse, while also ensuring that they are inclusive and respectful of diverse viewpoints.

We support:

Education policies that stop supporting the rising cost of higher education and programs that allow individuals to pursue career paths towards high-paying jobs without an expensive degree.
Encouraging students to consider trade schools and other non-traditional paths to success.
Defending free speech and open dialogue on college campuses, and pushing back against policies that seek to silence or censor opposing views.
Advocating against policies and initiatives that promote division and equality of outcome under the guise of “diversity, equity, and inclusion”.

Strengthening Democracy

I was living in Washington, D.C. on January 6th when the Capitol was attacked. I witnessed the unrest at the Supreme Court after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision was released. I have personally seen the division our country is experiencing firsthand and how it is impacting our democracy. The proliferation of extremist ideologies pose real threats to our democracy if we don’t address them. On the left, the rise of postmodernism, with its emphasis on subjective truth and the rejection of an objective right and wrong, undermine the core tenets our nation is built on. On the right, blind allegiance to tradition, without scrutiny, makes our society rigid and unable to implement new ideas. We need leaders who are willing to abandon ideology, seek truth, and pursue policies that will serve to strengthen our democracy, not undermine it.

We support:

Fighting false narratives of voter suppression and stolen elections.
Policies that protect people’s right to receive information without interference from agents or corporations, both foreign and domestic.
Reforms to redistricting that include artificial intelligence to combat gerrymandering.
Maintaining the Supreme Court’s integrity and advocating against “court-packing.”