WASHINGTON — Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus called for federal action to protect the Latino community from the effects of climate change and other environmental issues during a round-table on Capitol Hill.

What You Need To Know

  • Congressional Hispanic Caucus members, activists, and Biden Administration officials met at the Capitol for a round-table to discuss the impacts of environmental issues on the Latino community

  •  Florida is home to a large Latino population, and one of the states most susceptible to intense storms

  •  Members of the Caucus have concerns about House Republicans seeking to cut federal spending to raise the debt ceiling

"We just passed the Inflation Reduction Act last year. It will help combat climate change reducing our emissions by 40% by 2030," said Democratic Congressman Darren Soto. "There are a whole range of things from electric cars to solar panels to renewable energy, and every aspect of our lives. And so today we're talking about promoting it in the Hispanic community and also about environmental justice."  

Florida is home to a large Latino population and is also one of the states most susceptible to intense storms and water quality problems. 

"A lot of us live on the lakes, or on the coasts, and a lot of us are farmworkers, or we work in tourism," Soto said. "So whether it is unbearable heat, whether it is flooding like we saw in east Orlando and in Osceola County, or whether it is pollution, we get affected substantially by these things. So that's why this discussion is so important."

As Congress works toward passing a new federal budget Soto is seeking money for several community projects to prevent floods and improve wastewater infrastructure. 

Soto and other members of the caucus say they are concerned about House Republicans seeking cuts in federal spending to raise the debt ceiling. 

"We saw them pass their 'Default on America Act' yesterday that would have been the biggest cut to government spending in history — decimated funding for veterans, for children and health care, for helping out our seniors and trying to repeal the IRA and take us backwards."

Republicans have said the cuts are necessary to reduce the national deficit.