Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this week, the administration released its proposed budget, and I am here to share what those budget cuts actually mean for the farmers in my home, California's Central Valley.

Imagine you are an almond farmer in the Central Valley. Maybe your farm has been a part of the family for multiple generations. Over the past 5 years, you have seen your net farm income has dropped by half, the largest drop since the Great Depression.

Then you wake up this week and hear that the administration, which promised to be in your corner, wants to cut billions of dollars from programs that help you and your family put food on tables across the country:

Programs like crop insurance so if you lose your crops from flooding or from fires your farm stays afloat. Under this budget, crop insurance is cut by $26 billion;

Programs like drought relief to make up for damaged properties during arid seasons. Well, under this budget drought relief is cut by $8 billion.

Or imagine you live in a district like mine where water management and storage are essential. Well, under this budget, 30 percent of the Army Corps of Engineers' budget is cut, putting all those structures at risk.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, my voting card did not properly register my vote, so I was counted not present. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 123.

Madam Chair, I thank Chair Lofgren for her leadership on this issue.

Madam Chair, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support my amendment to limit the influence of lobbyists on elected officials.

Here is a stat that blows me away. D.C. is home to 11,000 registered lobbyists. That is 25 lobbyists per Member of Congress.

During one of my first nights in D.C., I got invited to dinner with some of my freshman colleagues. I thought it was going to be a chance to talk about the issues that I hear from families in my community: the cost of healthcare, education, maybe jobs. But imagine my surprise when the only thing these lobbyists wanted to talk about was what would benefit their clients.

This happens in the city every day. Thousands of lobbyists here, in one city, creating an ecosystem of easy access where they can push their client's agenda in front of elected representatives.

My amendment is simple. It says that if you are a lobbyist and you reach out to a Member of Congress, you must make clear that you are a lobbyist, you must make clear who your clients are, and you better tell us who pays you. This is common sense.

Back home, I hear a common frustration that Washington doesn't listen. This problem is real and it has got to stop. My community has had enough with back-room deals. This amendment is one step in the right direction, and I urge this body to vote in favor.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan amendment to the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, which I sponsored with my colleagues from New York, Antonio Delgado and Elise Stefanik.

Our amendment guarantees that if our veterans suffer a mental health crisis, such as one caused by PTSD or depression, childcare for their kids is covered during the crisis.

Let me tell you why this is so important to me and the veterans in our community.

A few weeks ago, I visited the Stanislaus County Veterans Service Office and I spoke to multiple veterans suffering with mental health problems. A veteran in my district told me PTSD was his invisible injury.

Roughly 20 percent of our veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from depression, PTSD, or traumatic brain injury. That is triple the national average, and it affects our communities in numerous ways. For example, in my district we struggle with veteran homelessness.

So, today, we are doing something about it. This bipartisan amendment helps ease the pain of mental health emergencies for our veterans and makes sure their kids are taken care of.

By passing this amendment, we can show our veterans, whether they are from Stanislaus County, Essex County, or Ulster County, that we can actually work together in a bipartisan manner to give them the respect and honor they have earned.

Madam Speaker, I had the privilege of meeting with several of my constituents in Washington, DC. Due to that meeting, I missed a vote during the vote series. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 065.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to say I am embarrassed by the past month.

Madam Speaker, I missed these votes because of travel delay.

Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 44, and YEA on Roll Call No. 45.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise on behalf of the communities affected by the devastating wildfires in northern California.

These past few months have been a trying time for our community. Entire towns were destroyed, crops were burned, and thousands of families were left with nowhere to call home. My relatives' home was completely destroyed in the Paradise fire.

In my district, we had to wear masks because of the terrible air quality. Farmers throughout our region took a huge hit with missing livestock and crops ruined by thick ash.

Today, I am proud to lead a bipartisan amendment bringing $1.9 billion in relief to our farmers for crop and livestock losses during the fire. This is incredibly important to my district, and it is just the start in helping our communities rebuild. It is also a perfect example of how we can put party labels aside, actually work together, and do what we were sent here to do: help people.

I know a lot of people in my district are frustrated we can't even work together to keep our government open. I am frustrated, too. Let this be an example and a sign that, out of tragic loss, we can remember what actually unites us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind Members of the everyday faces being hurt by this government shutdown.

Mr. Speaker, 21 days into this crisis, the Central Valley has had enough. I spoke to a woman from Modesto who drives 30 miles to work every morning to serve our country as a TSA agent. She goes paycheck to paycheck, supports her kids, pays her rent, healthcare, groceries. She is not getting paid right now, and her daughter may have to drop out of college because her mom can't afford her tuition.

What are we doing?

And it is not just Federal employees. Farmers in my district can't apply for tariff relief because the Farm Services Agency isn't open. Because HUD is closed, I have hundreds of families who won't be able to pay their rent and are worried about being evicted.

This is an unnecessary crisis. The Central Valley--America--needs this to stop. I urge everyone on this floor to put politics aside, to work together, and to reopen our government.