{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://rubengallego.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/gallego-touts-local-businesses-state-district-speech", "Gallego touts local businesses in State of the District speech", "2016-09-06", "2016", "2016-09", "Democrat", "House", "AZ", "Ruben Gallego", "G000574", "rubengallego.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman also calls for education reform, transportation infrastructure improvements\nU.S. Rep.\u00a0Ruben Gallego said Thursday that fostering local business is not only important to the economy but to the Arizona community, as well.\n\u201cWhat people are looking for right now is attachment, an attachment to something in their city,\u201d Gallego\u00a0said in his first State of the District speech in Phoenix. \u201cWhen we look at what that means is that people form attachments to local businesses and local organizations.\u201d`\nGallego, D-Ariz., spoke\u00a0to about 70\u00a0local business leaders at the Vintage 45 event space in downtown Phoenix's warehouse district\u00a0on how the district's\u00a0state could affect\u00a0them now and in the future. His speech was presented\u00a0in partnership with Local First Arizona.\n\u201cLocal First has always been a resource for me in terms of thinking about legislation and policy that actually enables our local businesses not only to survive, but to thrive,\u201d Gallego said.\n Education reform \nGallego, who represents Arizona's 7th Congressional District, informed leaders not just about issues affecting their businesses, but also about issues that could effect residents throughout the district and state. One such issue is education reform.\n\u201cWe must ensure that a college degree is obtainable for every American that wants one,\u201d Gallego said. \u201cThe skyrocketing price of higher education is holding our students and our country back.\u201d\nWhile in Congress Gallego has been a proponent of legislation that supports a path to a debt-free higher education. He said he believes the social and economic consequences caused by student loan debt are harmful to the nation\u2019s future.\n\u201cForty\u00a0million Americans are currently burdened by student loans, with an average balance of $29,000,\u201d Gallego said. \u201cThis debt is preventing young people from buying homes, starting families and launching new businesses.\u201d\n Public transportation \nIn addition to education, Gallego emphasized the importance of public transportation systems and the impacts they have on the city. He called it\u00a0a national problem that many Phoenix residents and businesses struggle with daily.\n\u201cBusinesses that promise on time delivery can no longer be hamstrung by congested roads and rail-systems,\u201d Gallego said. \u201cOur 21st\u00a0century economy desperately needs a 21st\u00a0transportation infrastructure.\u201d\nGallego said he continues to address this need for new infrastructure in\u00a0his work in Washington.\n\u201cI am proud to say I hope to secure more than $17 million in federal funding projects that will make Phoenix a better place to live and an easier place to get around,\u201d Gallego said.\nIn addition to advocating for federal funding, Gallego said he is aware of the specific transportation needs of his home district. One of the areas he is invested in is the light rail extension.\n\u201cI am also a very strong supporter of the Phoenix to Scottsdale light rail extension\u00a0that will link members of that community to employment centers and vital public services,\u201d Gallego said.\n Reactions \nOne of the entrepreneurs who attended the event, Ben Smith of Unexpected Art Gallery, said he\u00a0was especially pleased with the level of knowledge Gallego had on the subject of issues faced by Phoenix businesses.\n\u201cI liked knowing that he has helped a lot of local businesses and that he has grown through that whole industry,\" Smith said. \"It is very refreshing. Also for us, being Phoenix based, it helps knowing that there is someone who gets our local economy.\u201d\nThroughout Gallego\u2019s update, he honed in on what local business leaders need to know about the federal government that could affect them on a local level.\n\u201cIt is really important that the congressman demonstrated that he is aware of a variety of issues,\u201d Local First Executive Director\u00a0Kimber Lanning\u00a0said. \u201cThere was a diverse array brought up here that can affect businesses, and he was able to bring us up to speed about what is happening.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://rubengallego.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/gallego-touts-local-businesses-state-district-speech"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5564430505037308, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}