THE BUZZ: The old way of thinking for U.S. House members was simple: Try to keep a low profile and avoid hot-button partisan fights as you learn the ropes. There are, of course, exceptions — and California Rep. Robert Garcia is trying hard to be one. Since he was sworn in less than a year ago, Garcia has become a Beltway personality. He’s one of the California delegation’s most outspoken new members, frequently trading jabs with far-right colleagues. He’s also become a social media and cable news fixture. Garcia, the 45-year-old former mayor of Long Beach, sat down with Playbook at his Washington office to talk about his first year on Capitol Hill and newfound agitator status. Playbook: Let’s talk about the new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. There's been so much attention to his record opposing rights for LGBTQ people. What is the most effective way for Democrats to respond? Robert Garcia: First, he is an extremist. We've nicknamed him ‘MAGA Mike’ because that's exactly what he is. He takes his cues from Donald Trump. He doesn't believe Joe Biden won the election. Certainly, he’s the most socially conservative speaker we've had in decades. His positions on gay rights are completely out of step with the American public. So as an openly gay member — I'm the first gay immigrant — I feel a responsibility, because there's so few of us in Congress, to call that out whenever possible and to call out his lies, his bullshit, his disregard for our community. I'm going to continue to do that, like every step of the way. Playbook: Moving onto next year’s election, you are the only California delegation member who’s endorsed Rep. Katie Porter for U.S. Senate. This is such a contested race and you have two other House colleagues in there, Reps. Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee. What made you want to get out front and be the first to endorse her? Garcia: Katie has always been someone that takes on powerful interests, big banks, corporate power. She asks the really tough questions, and I've always admired that about her. Look, we have three great candidates. What Katie, in my opinion, represents is someone that is willing to take on entrenched power. She takes on and pushes and would be a true force of nature in the Senate. Playbook: You recently introduced the Ammo Act with Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Why was this personally an important cause for you, to limit the number of bullets that someone can buy? Garcia: There's been very little legislation introduced in Congress that focuses on ammunition. A lot of the focus is on guns. I'm just, at this point, just horrified and just maddened every time there's a shooting. It's nonstop, we should be ashamed of ourselves. I was mayor of a city that dealt with gun violence, that sees the impact that guns have. I understand what the impacts are on the street level. The Ammo Act is something really important, it focuses on high-capacity, bulk ammunition sales. In much of the country, you can walk into a pharmacy, or a convenience store and buy unlimited amounts of ammunition with no background check. Playbook: You’re a self-described supporter of the pro-housing YIMBY (Yes in My Back Yard) movement. Typically, housing is thought of as a local issue, that’s the way it's been historically framed. Why is it important for you to bring YIMBY issues to Congress? Garcia: I’m a proud YIMBY, first of all. When I was mayor of Long Beach, I introduced unlimited heights in downtown. We revolutionized the bike network; we implemented open-street policies; we focused on bike infrastructure and expanded the bus system. So, I'm a big believer, particularly around housing and housing's impact on climate. You can't be a climate champion and not be pro-housing, in my opinion. It's going to impact the legislation that I'm involved with here. There are not enough YIMBYs in Congress. People Over Parking (his legislation) eliminates parking minimums around transit-rich areas across the country. Playbook: As a freshman on Capitol Hill, you've been very outspoken on social media and in the press about pushing back against Republicans in the MAGA wing of the party, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and others. Why is that important for you to sort of take on that mantle? Garcia: Because I’ve earned my citizenship over time, like I didn’t become a citizen until I was in my 20s, I take citizenship and love of country very seriously. So, for me, becoming an American and being an American and being patriotic means that you're willing to defend your country in a way that is very raw for immigrants. So, when I see folks like Marjorie Taylor Greene or George Santos, or the Kushners or MAGA Mike, lie about our community or demonize immigrants or attack trans people, I take that very personally. I think that we have to push back on every single line, every single attack they make. I don't believe that we have been aggressive enough as a party, or as members of Congress, in pushing that back. Playbook: What are your personal interactions like with Marjorie Taylor Greene? Garcia: When I really knew that she was as awful as I thought she was when I was one of two Democrats that was asked to attend the Jan. 6 insurrectionist jail visit. So, I went with her as she led that visit. And to see her walk in where the prisoners were, who had literally tried to overthrow our government and attack our Capitol, and hug them and sit there and exalt them was just disgusting. Some of those prisoners came up to me and wanted to shake my hand. I wouldn’t shake their hand. You tried to overthrow the government and Marjorie Taylor Greene is hugging and kissing them. So it was that moment that I was like, ‘This person should not be in our government.’ This person is dangerous. She does not believe in our country. She’s the opposite of a patriot. She doesn’t deserve to walk around and not be challenged on what she’s trying to do. GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. | 
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