Filemón Vela | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's34th district | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – March 31, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Mayra Flores |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Filemón Bartolomé Vela Jr. (1963-02-13)February 13, 1963 (age 63) Harlingen, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Blanca Vela (mother) Filemon Vela Sr. (father) |
| Education | Georgetown University (BA) University of Texas, Austin (JD) |
Filemón Bartolomé Vela Jr. (/ˈfɪləˌmɒnˈvɛlə/FILL-ə-monnVELL-ə; born February 13, 1963)[1] is an American lobbyist, lawyer and politician who served as theU.S. representative forTexas's 34th congressional district from 2013 until his resignation in 2022. He is a member of theDemocratic Party. Vela was also vice chair of theDemocratic National Committee from January 21, 2021 to March 31, 2022, having been nominated by PresidentJoe Biden.[2] In March 2022, Vela resigned in the middle of his term to work atAkin Gump.[3][4]
Vela was born inHarlingen, Texas, and raised in nearbyBrownsville. His father,Filemon Vela Sr., was a long-serving United States federal judge. The Reynaldo G. Garza–Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse in Brownsville is named in Judge Vela's honor. His mother,Blanca Sanchez Vela, served as Brownsville's first female mayor from 1999 to 2003.[5][6][7]
Filemon attendedSaint Joseph Academy in Brownsville, and earned hisBachelor of Arts fromGeorgetown University in 1985. During his time at Georgetown, he served as an intern at theFederal Judicial Center, the research and education agency of the federal judicial system. He also served as an intern inSolomon P. Ortiz's office in Washington, D.C. Vela earned hisJuris Doctor from theUniversity of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1987.[5]
InEdinburg School District v. Landmark, Vela representedEdinburg to fight for more funding. InPharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District v. Landmark, he represented the district in fighting contractors accused of building a poorly constructed school facility.[8][better source needed]
Vela ran in the newly created34th congressional district as a Democrat. In the May 29 primary, he ranked first in an eight-candidate field with 40% of the vote.[9] In the July 31 runoff, Vela defeated Denise Saenz Blanchard, 67% to 33%.[10][11]
In the general election, Vela defeated Republican Jessica Bradshaw, 62% to 36%.[12]
In July 2013, Vela quit theCongressional Hispanic Caucus because of his opposition to theHoeven-Corker Amendment that tied border security to apathway to citizenship. He said "erecting more border fence drives a wedge between border communities which are culturally united".[13][14]
On March 22, 2021, Vela announced that he would not seek reelection in the2022 United States House of Representatives elections.[15]
In August 2021, Vela joined a group of conservative Democrats, dubbed "The Unbreakable Nine", who threatened to derail theBiden administration's $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package meant to tackle the nation's infrastructure.[16][17]
On March 24, 2022, Vela confirmed that he would resign early from Congress to take a job atAkin Gump, a lobbying and law firm.[3] His resignation officially went into effect before midnight on March 31.[4]
Source:[18]
Vela's wife, Rose, was aRepublican justice on Texas's 13thCourt of Appeals from 2007 to 2012.[24]
Vela isRoman Catholic.[25]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 34th congressional district 2013–2022 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| People | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
