Like all departing House members, Vela will be subject to a one-year ban on lobbying the legislative branch, though he may still provide some level of strategic guidance.
Vela also did not respond to a request for comment.Īkin Gump was the second biggest federal lobbying practice in 2021, according to public Lobbying Disclosure Act filings, disclosing $53.4 million from such clients as Amazon, Gila River Indian Community, Oneida Indian Nation, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and the U.S. "We do not have any comment on Congressman Filemon Vela or his plans after retirement while he is still serving in Congress," said Akin Gump spokeswoman Sarah Richmond in an email. But he would have carried it by 16 points under the new congressional map, according to Inside Elections. Biden carried the district by 4 points, according to a data analysis by Daily Kos Elections. He won his 2020 election by 13 points, down from a 20-point victory in 2018. Vela, 58, is a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee whose wife, Rose Vela, was named by President Joe Biden to serve as director of the Commission on White House Fellowships.įilemon Vela, who is in his fifth term, had been floated as a potential nominee for Biden’s Cabinet. Vela informed the House Ethics Committee in January that he would recuse himself from any matter involving Akin Gump “as a result of my negotiation or agreement regarding future employment or compensation,” according to a document filed with the committee and reported by Forbes. Gonzales rates the 34th District race Solid Democratic. Vicente Gonzalez, who represents the 15th District, is running for the seat.
Vela, who represents Texas’ 34th District along the Mexican border, announced last year that he would not seek reelection. He confirmed the report with the Texas Tribune, according to reporter Abby Livingston. Vela’s plans were first reported in a Tweet Thursday morning by Punchbowl News editor Heather Caygle. Filemon Vela of Texas reportedly plans to resign from Congress in the coming weeks to take a post at the Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld lobbying firm. This is no doubt partially attributable to Trump's poor showing among Hispanic voters - he won anywhere from 18 percent to 29 percent of the Hispanic vote - to his racist claim that the Mexican government sends rapists and criminals to the United States.Democratic Rep. Vela's comment about Trump's lack of Hispanic representation refers to the fact that, with his decision to appoint former governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia as his agriculture secretary, he will be the first president to not have a Hispanic individual in his cabinet since 1988.
This is an ominous sign for the future of the American Presidency and the United States of America. Trump himself has stirred the seeds of bigotry. Trump has turned a blind eye to overt racism. One would think that an American President in the 21st Century would be dedicated to eradicating racism once and for all. The hope that his actions as President would not match his political rhetoric is becoming more and more of a distant dream. Trump’s repeated acts of disrespect for the 33 million Americans of Hispanic descent are historic in modern times. Then, made his final cabinet selection, leading to no Hispanic representation in the cabinet for the 1st time in 36 yrs. While in DC, 40 migrant students from TX34 were subjected to comments of “beaners," “burritos," and "wetbacks” from Inauguration attendees but yesterday, two days before the Inauguration, two things occurred that leave me no choice but to boycott the event. I had hoped that this Friday’s Inauguration would be a moment of healing and outreach.
Filemon Vela, D-Texas, is going to boycott President-elect Donald Trump's impending inauguration because of the man's racism against Hispanics - and he is not afraid to call him out on it.
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