Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia

On with Kara Swisher

New York Magazine

News Commentary, News, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 July 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Rep. Robert Garcia was recently elected as the ranking member of the powerful House Oversight Committee by his fellow House Democrats. He won a top job that usually goes to a senior lawmaker who has spent many years (sometimes decades) in line, dutifully waiting for a turn. And his win might be a sign that the unofficial seniority system of congress is eroding under the weight of young Democrats itching for a bigger seat at the table. This is only his second term in Congress, but Rep. Garcia, who came to the U.S. from Peru as an undocumented immigrant when he was a child, has already shown that he’s a skilled communicator who can find an audience online. He and Kara discuss the power of the Oversight Committee, the future of the Democratic Party, the strategy behind investigating Trump family scandals, the Big Beautiful Bill’s impact on ICE, and more. Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I actually grew up reading comics.
0:04.1	That's actually how I learned English.
0:06.1	Superman is the ultimate immigrant, and that really, like, I think I identified with that.
0:10.0	They'd probably send them to El Salvador at this point.
0:12.7	They would right now.
0:29.2	Hi. Hi, everyone from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. This is on with Kara Swisher,
0:34.3	and I'm Kara Swisher. We've been talking a lot recently about the takeaways from the 2024 election and the future of the Democratic Party. Today I'm talking to California Congressman Robert
0:38.7	Garcia. Garcia was recently elected ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, one of the
0:44.0	top jobs in Congress. It was a bit of a coup. These positions usually go by seniority, and Garcia
0:49.3	has only serving his second term in Congress. But the person holding the position, Virginia Representative
0:54.9	Jerry Connolly, died in May after beating out Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. And the Democratic
1:01.8	leadership seems to have gotten the message. It's time for fresh faces on the dais.
1:06.9	Garcia is considered a rising star of the party. He's 47, which seems old, but younger than the
1:12.4	average member of Congress. He's also Latino, openly gay, and Catholic. Garcia came to the
1:18.2	U.S. with his parents from Peru when he was a child and became a naturalized citizen in his 20s.
1:23.9	Before he was elected to Congress, he was the youngest and first Latino mayor of Long Beach, California, and then a California state representative.
1:31.4	He was sworn into Congress on a picture of his parents, who he lost to COVID, his naturalization certificate, and an original copy of Superman 1 he borrowed from the Library of Congress.
1:42.9	I want to talk to Congressman Garcia about the
1:45.0	spending bill that was just passed, which will not only have an impact on health care, but also
1:49.5	give ICE more ammunition and real ammunition. I want to hear thoughts on the gerontocracy crisis
1:55.5	in Congress and how Dems are positioning themselves ahead of the midterms. And I want to hear
2:00.0	what he plans to tackle in his new role on the Oversight Committee.
	...

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