[1] Locally, he is a staunch advocate for maintaining the current political status of Puerto Rico as that of an unincorporated territory of the United States with self-government, while at the national level he is allied with the Democratic Party.
[2] As governor, García Padilla shared his legislative powers with the 25th Senate and 29th House of Representatives, both controlled by his party.
This failure, in addition to his low popularity, ultimately led him to not seek re-election thus becoming the second governor in Puerto Rican history to not do so after their first term.
[1] He is of paternal Asturian descent with his grandfather Carlos Garcia Cadorniga born 1890 in Navia, Asturias, Spain who settled in Ponce.
[10] In January 2005, García Padilla was confirmed as Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs under the administration of Aníbal Acevedo Vilá.
As such, García Padilla formed the 2012 Incoming Committee on Government Transition composed of aides and advisors who would eventually become part of his Cabinet.
[26] As part of his economic policies, García Padilla launched an austerity program, raising taxes by 1.1% of the gross national product (GNP) and making public employees’ pension schemes less generous.
[29] In July 2015, that ruling was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, with Judge Juan R. Torruella concurring only in the judgment.
[30] The following June, in Puerto Rico v. Franklin California Tax-Free Trust (2016), that ruling was additionally affirmed by a U.S. Supreme Court in a vote of 5–2, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissenting.
[31] Facing the Puerto Rican government-debt crisis, in June 2015, Governor García Padilla announced the Commonwealth was in a "death spiral" and "the debt is not payable.
"[32] On June 30, 2016, President Barack Obama signed the PROMESA into law, which empowered him to appoint a seven-member financial oversight and management board that has ultimate control over the Commonwealth's budget.
[37] On August 4, 2013, protesters marched in Old San Juan to express their discontent with new taxes imposed by his administration and the way the government has been handling its finances.
[41] During a press conference in an agricultural area of Guanica, Garcia Padilla stated "Mi inglés no es de New England (Nueva Inglaterra).
"[42] On December 14, 2015, after weeks of speculation and due to opposition from his own party, García Padilla announced he wouldn't seek re-election.