Gina Ortiz Jones

Creating Jobs and Growing the Economy

Every family in this country deserves the opportunity to make a decent living, have a real chance to get ahead, and see their children get a first-class education that gives them more opportunities than those before them – that is the American Dream. Gina’s mother came to this country to work for that dream, and Gina, along with so many others, has defended that dream in uniform.

In Congress, Gina will make creating good paying jobs in Texas her number one priority - focusing on investing in small businesses and the economy to make sure Texas is at the forefront of job creation and innovation. Gina will protect and create the economic opportunities needed to ensure we have a strong middle class.

National Security

More than ever, we need leaders in Congress who are capable of getting ahead of challenges our country is facing – both foreign and domestic. A former military intelligence officer and Iraq War veteran with an extensive career as a national security expert, Gina has spent over 14 years serving and protecting our country. She has the knowledge and experience to be a leader on national security and foreign policy decisions that strengthen our relationships with our allies and protect the long-term interests of the United States.

Rather than the reactionary rhetoric we’ve seen from Republicans or the alarming and ill-tempered threats issued from our President, Gina will bring high-level experience and unique perspective having served in positions around the world and in our own government. She will stand up for responsible solutions that protect Americans from dangers both at home and abroad. She will be a strong voice to protect the building blocks that truly make our country secure – access to quality education and affordable health care services for all Americans. And because our safety begins at home, Gina believes strongly in commonsense measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, and other people who represent a risk to themselves and others.

Responsible Immigration Reform

As a first-generation American, Gina will never forget that our country was built by immigrants and that immigration strengthens our economy and contributes to our national security. Gina understands we need smart, responsible immigration policy reform that protects the security of Americans while also creating an inclusive and welcoming community for those who come to this country for a better life.

In Congress, Gina will advocate for justly-administered, orderly, and welcoming immigration policies. Our nation’s border security cannot be compromised, but our safety does not require us to abandon the principles on which this country was founded.

Accessible Affordable Healthcare

The importance of affordable and accessible health care services is particularly critical in Texas, which continues to have the highest rate of people without health insurance of any state in the country - about one in every six residents.

Gina watched as her mother faced a diagnosis of colon cancer and understands that her mother’s survival was possible because of the health care coverage she had as a public employee. Gina also realizes that too many families are just one medical emergency away from years of financial hardship or bankruptcy. Finally, Gina is ready to lead the fight to ensure having a child in Texas is no longer a matter of life and death for the mother. Texas can do better than leading the developed world in maternal mortality, and that starts with sending folks like Gina to Washington.

In Congress, Gina will make affordable, accessible, quality healthcare for every American - regardless of sex, age, income, or employment status - a top priority. Gina supports a single payer system and understands that with our country's health, there can only be one incentive: a healthy population.

Quality Education

Texas’ educational system continues to be ranked among the bottom in the country – 43rd in Education Week’s 2016 Quality Counts Report – yet enrollment in Texas schools continues to rise, with one in every 10 school age child in this country residing in Texas.

As the daughter of a lifelong educator, Gina understands that a quality education is the key to a better future. She knows she wouldn’t be where she is today without the educators who helped guide her and the opportunities her education provided. Unfortunately, as pivotal as quality education is to future economic security and success, Texas ranks 36th nationwide in classroom spending.

In Congress, Gina will fight to ensure every Texas student has access to a first-class education and the resources they need. Gina graduated from the kind of high school where you start off with 900 kids, yet only 500 graduate. This is too common in Texas, and we have to do better. She’s ready to fight for our kids - regardless of their background or zipcode.

Protecting our Civil Rights and Freedoms

Throughout her career, Gina has seen first-hand the dangers associated with the hollowing out of government institutions, attacks on the free press, policies deliberately aimed at weakening the voice of women and other marginalized groups, and the threats posed by leaders who use their position as an opportunity to turn a profit rather than develop a nation. She has seen those who are supposed to be leading this country threaten the freedoms and ideals she spent her lifetime protecting, and Gina once again feels called to serve her country and community and defend those who need it most.

As an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, Gina served under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and saw first-hand how discrimination affects good order and discipline, as well as military readiness.

In Congress, Gina will be a champion for equal rights for all and protections from discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, and religion.

Higher Education and Skilled Job Training

Gina was able to attend Boston University because of a four-year Air Force R.O.T.C. scholarship she earned in high school. She believes that every Texas student deserves the opportunity to pursue a higher education if they choose, not only if they can afford it. Too many talented students give up on getting a college degree because of the burden of student loan debt, while many others are struggling to get out from under it. Gina also knows that not every student’s path to success is through a college classroom, many that fought alongside her in the military gained high-level skill training that put them on the path to a successful future.

In Congress, Gina will fight to ensure every Texas student has access to quality, affordable higher education. She will also work to increase the accessibility of specialized job training and vocational programs that give students the skills they need to get good-paying jobs in today’s economy.

Protecting Our Seniors and Veterans

As an Iraq War veteran, Gina knows how egregious it is that so many of those who served before and with her, and put their lives on the line to protect all of us, are seemingly forgotten and not receiving the care they deserve.

Gina believes strongly that we owe Texas seniors – men and women who worked their whole lives to support their families – the dignity of a secure retirement. This includes the safety nets they were promised would be there for them, and to which they spent their entire lives contributing.

In Congress, Gina will stand up for our veterans and their families to ensure our country lives up to the promises we made to them in exchange for their service and their lives. She will fight to protect critical programs that many Texas seniors rely on like Social Security and Medicare.^[4]