Juan Vargas

Rep. Juan Vargas, 65, a Democratic congressman, is running for re-election to his seat representing southeastern San Diego, the South Bay and areas inland in California’s 52nd Congressional District.

Vargas, a National City native who now lives in San Diego, is seeking his eighth term in Congress.

The San Diego Union-Tribune emailed a series of questions to Vargas and other candidates to help inform voters about their positions, priorities and plans if elected.

Vargas said he did not use any AI tools in responding to the Union-Tribune’s questions.

1) Why are you running, and what makes you the best candidate?

I grew up one of 10 children on a chicken farm in National City and went on to earn a scholarship to college, study to be a Jesuit priest and graduate from Harvard Law School. I am running to make sure that families in our community have access to the kind of opportunities that made my story possible.

In Congress, I have fought to make housing more affordable, lower prescription drug costs and protect Social Security and Medicare. Alongside my colleagues in the San Diego delegation, I have secured more than half a billion dollars in federal funding to address cross-border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley. I have voted to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies to prevent premium increases and make health coverage more affordable. I also strongly support workers’ rights and have backed legislation like the PRO Act to protect the right to organize.

2) What are the top 3 issues facing this district?

One of the top issues facing our district is Tijuana River Valley pollution. Our communities deserve nothing less than clean air, water and land. While we’ve secured over half a billion dollars in federal funding to address pollution, there’s more work to do. We need to continue to advance infrastructure projects on both sides of the border and bring home funding, and we need a state of emergency.

We need an end to Trump’s out-of-control immigration crackdown. We’ve seen families torn apart, innocent people detained and fear spread as this administration continues its mass deportation agenda. Our communities have suffered because of their cruelty and disregard for humanity and justice. It must stop.

Finally, we need to make life more affordable for our communities. In the richest country on earth, no one should struggle to afford health care, housing, child care, groceries and more. Lowering costs is a top priority.

3) What are the first 3 things you would do in your first/next term in Congress?

I’d continue to push for funding to combat pollution in the Tijuana River Valley and for a state of emergency to be declared. The impacts of this pollution have been devastating. We need more funds, fast-tracked infrastructure improvements and a state of emergency.

I’d push for urgent oversight of ICE and DHS. This administration has unleashed a disgusting anti-immigrant agenda. Deaths of migrants in ICE custody have hit record highs, families have been separated, and innocent people have been detained and deported. It must end, and we need accountability from the perpetrators of these abuses.

I’d work to lower costs, including by pushing for extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Under Trump, prices have soared. My priority is building an economy that works for working families, and that means passing legislation to make health care more affordable, ensure people can buy a home and afford child care and more.

4) If your party wins control of Congress, what should be its first priority? If your party loses control of Congress, what should be its first priority?

We have never had a more corrupt White House, and we have never seen so much power handed over to billionaires while the rest of us pay the price. If Democrats take control of one or both chambers of Congress, our priority should be conducting oversight of abuses by the Trump administration and centering working families, not the ultra-wealthy. We also need accountability for the cruelty that has been unleashed through ICE’s immigration crackdown. No matter who controls Congress, we need comprehensive immigration reform and a deal done on DACA.

5) President Trump has made cracking down on immigration a cornerstone of his administration, ordering widespread arrests and detentions of immigrants nationwide and directing military resources to a new military zone along the U.S.-Mexico border. What impact have these had on this district? What are your goals on immigrants, immigration and the border, and how would you pursue them if elected? What is your message to constituents who are immigrants?

Trump is terrorizing our immigrant communities. His ICE agents have detained, deported, brutalized and even murdered innocent people. And at every step of the way, Trump and his Department of Homeland Security have tried to escape oversight and accountability. I saw this earlier this year when — for the first time ever — I was turned away from conducting oversight at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in my district while responding to terrible reports of conditions there. This administration thinks that they can block oversight because they are above the law. That’s why it’s critical that we continue to put the pressure on them.

As a first-generation American and the son of immigrants, I know that immigrants are a key part of our communities and our American story. We should not be demonizing them. We should be working to make sure they, and all Americans, have a chance at achieving the American Dream.

6) It’s been nearly two months since the United States began a war with Iran. Do you believe Americans are better or worse off for it? What should Congress’s role be? Would you vote to let the president continue the war beyond the 60 days after which congressional authorization is required?

For too long, the Iranian regime has targeted the United States, threatened our allies and menaced its neighbors. They have brutally repressed their own citizens and murdered tens of thousands of innocent people, including women and children.

Weakening Iran’s nuclear program and missile and done program were the stated goals at the start of this military operation, and both are severely diminished. Because of that, I believe it’s time for the Trump administration to wind down the operation. That’s why I voted for the most recent war powers resolution.

7) Recent jumps in the cost of fuel, food and other goods — combined with federal cuts to safety-net programs, new limits on certain federal loans and more — are squeezing residents already struggling with San Diego County’s high costs of living. What relief would you seek to offer, and how?

Life is more expensive than ever thanks to Trump and Republicans. Families across the country are struggling to make ends meet, while billionaires get tax breaks. In short, Trump’s economic policies have been a disaster. His tariffs alone have cost families more than $1,700. Too many people are skipping or postponing needed care or going without their medication because of costs — and Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill has made it so much worse.

I have been fighting to make housing more affordable, lower prescription drug costs and protect Social Security and Medicare. I voted to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies to prevent premium increases and make health coverage more affordable. Lowering costs and making sure families aren’t struggling to make ends meet is a top priority.

8) Like much of California, this district has been affected by the effects of climate change. How should Congress mitigate those impacts, and what would you do to pursue such efforts?

It’s undeniable: Our climate is changing before our very eyes. In Congress, I’m working to make sure we safeguard clean air and water, create good-paying clean energy jobs and protect our future for future generations.

I was proud to help pass the largest investment in clean energy and climate action ever into law. I was also proud to help pass the first infrastructure law in U.S. history to acknowledge and address the climate crisis. Extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change are only increasing. We need to be addressing climate change head on, not rolling back protections.

9) Polling underscores that one chief concern of California voters in the 2026 midterm elections is the issue of threats to democracy. What do you believe are the greatest threats to American democracy? How would you, and how should Congress, protect against these?

Trump has launched an assault on our democracy. From targeting free speech to undermining due process to carry out his mass deportation agenda and threatening access to the polls, we’re in a perilous place.

In the face of this, Trump is counting on people feeling overwhelmed and tuning out. But when we stay engaged, we can make a difference. In Congress, I’m continuing to push back using every tool available. I’ve also supported court cases across the country and will continue to do that as we have seen success. We need to continue to speak out. I won’t let up.

10) Do you support a ban or restriction on congressional lawmakers and their families buying or selling individual stocks? Why or why not? And what would you propose to ensure lawmakers aren’t using their positions to engage in insider trading?

Yes, I support a ban. Members of Congress should be focused on serving their constituents, not getting rich. No one should be profiting off of public office. I am proud to support legislation to prevent members of Congress, the president, the vice president and other federal officials from using their positions for personal gain.

I also support amending the Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in Citizens United. We need to make political spending more transparent so that our democracy remains accountable to people, not corporations.

11) By design Congress is supposed to serve as a check on the executive branch through budgetary, legislative and oversight powers. Do you believe that Congress has fulfilled that obligation in recent years? Why or why not? Should Congress do more to hold the president accountable? Explain.

As Democrats continue to work to rein in Trump, one of our biggest challenges is that Republicans have abandoned the responsibility of legislating and holding the executive branch accountable. Their inaction is unacceptable.

My Democratic colleagues and I have been working to make sure this lawless administration can’t just sidestep Congress. We’ve been standing up to Trump’s agenda and making it clear that we will not be complicit in gutting programs and services that people rely on. We’ve introduced bills to rein in this administration, held hearings, conducted oversight and pushed back in the courts. I’m focused on doing everything in my power to hold this president accountable no matter what.

12) A recent San Diego Union-Tribune poll found voters overwhelmingly disapprove of the job Congress is doing, by higher margins than they disapprove of the job Trump is doing. Why do you think this is? How can Congress win back voters’ hope and trust, and what would you personally do to achieve this?

Right now, Republicans in Congress are acting like a rubber stamp for Trump’s worst impulses and abuses. They are more focused on bowing down to Trump and cutting taxes for billionaires than actually working to solve the issues facing families across the country. Congress doesn’t have its priorities straight, and that’s reflected in approval ratings.

Since Republicans have controlled the House and Senate, they have largely abandoned the responsibility to hold the executive branch accountable. By doing so, they have ceded more and more power to Trump. If Democrats take back power, we need to fight to make sure Congress acts like the co-equal branch of government that it is and a real check on Trump.