Sylvester Turner

What training, experience, and characteristics qualify you for this position?

I served as Mayor of Houston for two terms. I have 26 years of legislative experience in the Texas House of Representatives, where I served as Speaker Pro Tempore for six years. I have worked closely with the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. Presidents, Cabinet secretaries, and federal departments at the highest levels to bring federal resources into the 18th Congressional District. Congressional District 18 has been my home for my entire life.

What actions do you support to address cost of living concerns?

I have worked my entire adult life to improve the circumstances of people and communities who have been overlooked. In Congress, I will work to expand the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program, which will help increase the supply of affordable housing and lower the cost of rent, and pass legislation to provide down payment assistance to first-generation homebuyers. I will work to restore and expand our safety net programs, bring family-sustaining jobs to our district, raise the federal minimum wage, pass paid family and medical leave, make the child tax credit and earned income credit permanent, expand access to affordable health care, and support workers with equal pay laws and laws that protect the rights of workers to organize.

What are your priorities regarding immigration policy? What specific actions would you take to address these priorities?

I support comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship. Our best path to reform is to elect Kamala Harris as President and restore Democratic control to the House. While the Senate filibuster remains a challenge, bipartisan reforms are possible. We can increase funding to reduce the shortage of immigration judges, which will decrease the average time in custody for immigrants, and increase resources to provide for safe and sanitary conditions for migrants arriving in the U.S.

What is the role of the federal government in establishing laws and regulations related to reproductive healthcare services including family planning, pregnancy care and post- partum services? Please explain your position.

Health care is a human right, and in my view, reproductive healthcare services are a constitutional right. We must pass – and I will fight for – a federal law to codify Roe v. Wade. Only federal legislation can invalidate Texas’ abortion ban. I support the Supreme Court reforms recently proposed by President Biden and Vice President Harris, to restore balance and integrity to the Court, which have been lost during the terms of the anti-choice and anti-democracy Trump-appointed justices.

What measures do you support to address environmental issues and natural disasters, such as air quality, extreme weather events, drought, and flooding?

I will be CD18’s strongest advocate for full and fast federal relief during and after natural disasters. I will continue my work championing environmental equity and justice, such as continuing the federal investigation of the Union Pacific contamination in Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens and bringing federal resources to the district for relocation and mitigation, and championing more projects like the Sunnyside Solar Farm, which replaced the Sunnyside Dump.