It’s critical we ensure those in need in the Central Valley have access to fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables - such as the produce we grow right in our own backyard. That’s why this week, I joined Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to introduce the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act of 2023.

This bill not only helps our neighbors in need, but it also helps our domestic agriculture sector by ensuring the produce they grow is being put to good use. I’m proud to join my colleagues to introduce this bipartisan bill that will strengthen our agriculture economy and make fresh produce more widely available to those in need.

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Mexican Independence Day celebrations at the Consulate of Mexico in Fresno. While I was there, I presented a Congressional Record to thank the consulate for their important work assisting Mexican immigrants in the Central Valley. Thank you to the consulate for putting on such a great event! 

Welcoming Central Valley families to the United States Capitol is one of the greatest parts of my job. Are you planning a trip to Washington, D.C. and interested in touring the Capitol? My office is here to help! Submit your tour request here or call (202) 225-4695 to schedule your tour.

September 21^st was Opioid Awareness Day – a chance for us to reflect on the enormous harm both prescription and illicit opioids have brought to our communities.

This year, the House voted to make fentanyl a Schedule 1 drug. I’m also proud to cosponsor H.R. 4795, the Fentanyl Kills Act. This bill would toughen penalties against those who traffic and deal fentanyl in our communities. I am committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to combat the spread of deadly poisons like fentanyl in the Valley and across the country.

Our question this week comes from Charles in Wasco. He asks:

“I want to know if the government is going to shutdown or not?”

Thank you for your question, Charles. Government funding is set to run out on September 30^th, the end of the fiscal year. So we have only about a week before we hit this important deadline.

Unfortunately, Congress has not passed all 12 appropriations bills on time through regular order since 1997. Like years past, we need to either pass all 12 government funding bills before this deadline or pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to give us more time to find agreement between the House and the Senate on various funding levels. Currently, we’re at a frustrating impasse on being able to move the 10 appropriations bills we’ve already marked up in the House Appropriations Committee or a CR.

Finding a path forward on these disagreements is going to be challenging. Like everything in a divided government, this will require compromise. I will continue working with my colleagues to find a path forward on passing fiscally responsible funding bills and avoiding an unproductive government shutdown that hurts our military and the American people.

Do you have a question about my position on an issue? How the Congress operates? My thoughts on the news of the day?

Send your first name, town, and question to AskDavid@mail.house.gov and I might answer yours right here in one of my weekly newsletters. Make sure to subscribe to my weekly email updates to see if your question was answered!

If you want to share your opinion with me on issues of importance, you can always contact me on my website.

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