Texas Border Business
By Sylvia Morales
Michelle Vallejo’s 2024 campaign strategy seems to rely on the old adage that a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on. Unfortunately for her, this is Texas, not California, and down here, we’re quick on the draw.
In a recent column, Vallejo falsely claimed that Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz opposes the Affordable Connectivity Program designed to make high-speed internet access more affordable for families in underserved areas. That is simply not true. Not only does Congresswoman De La Cruz support the Affordable Connectivity Program, she is actually a co-sponsor of the legislation to extend it.
Further underscoring De La Cruz’s leadership on expanding internet access is her co-sponsoring the bipartisan Rural Internet Improvement Act. Her support for these initiatives is a matter of public record, easily verifiable with a simple Google search.
Despite these facts, Vallejo persists in spreading misinformation in an apparent bid to divert our attention from her own extremism on a variety of issues. For example, Vallejo has yet to denounce the Biden administration’s proposed cuts to the Medicare Advantage program, which threatens healthcare options for over 30 million seniors nationwide. Additionally, Vallejo seems ready to let the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act lapse, which would raise taxes on working and middle-class families in the Valley during a sluggish economy marked by soaring prices.
Vallejo’s extreme positions are not new. In her failed 2022 campaign, she vowed to join the far-left Congressional Progressive Caucus, which proposes, among other measures, policies that would dismantle Texas’ vital energy industry that supports thousands of jobs across our region. She has also aligned herself with extreme groups that want to defund the police. Vallejo’s campaign is built on lies because she realizes that South Texans do not share her extreme agenda.
In stark contrast, during a time of partisan division, Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz has proven herself to be a sensible leader with an impressive record of working across the aisle on issues that matter to the people of South Texas. From fighting for lower prices and border security to protecting seniors’ benefits and promoting broadband internet access, Congresswoman De La Cruz has shown herself to be an effective lawmaker who has given the Valley a voice in Washington after we were ignored for decades. That is why South Texans made history by electing her in 2022—and it is exactly why our community will once again reject Vallejo this November.
This op-ed reflects the author’s views alone and does not necessarily represent the stance of Texas Border Business.
