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This week, the House Appropriations Committee continued our work on the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bills. I’m proud that language from my bill - the WATER for California Act - was included as part of the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. 

This bill will expand water storage infrastructure throughout California, streamline water operations by removing bureaucratic red tape and bring much-needed accountability to federal water authorities. I look forward to working with my fellow appropriators to deliver much-needed relief to the tens of millions of people who rely on a stable and effective federal water system.

You can watch my full remarks on the bill here or below. 

Every year, the Congressional Art Competition gives high school students across the country an opportunity to demonstrate their artistic abilities. The winners from each district get to come to Washington for a ceremony and have their artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a whole year. 

This year's winner from the 22nd Congressional District is Laci from Ridgeview High School in Bakersfield. Laci's art is titled "The Flow" - a piece she made using oil paint and water. She says the piece reminds her of how people are all going somewhere - somewhere unpredictable. Congratulations Laci!

Don’t forget the deadline to apply for disaster assistance has been extended to July 20th. Representatives from the Small Business Administration & FEMA will be available at Mobile Disaster Resource Centers in Tulare County this month. This is a great resource if you need help with your application.

The new deadline to apply for FEMA disaster assistance is now JULY 20, 2023

If you are in Kern or Tulare County and were impacted by the storms and flooding earlier this year, you can apply for FEMA relief today at disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.

You can also find a full list of disaster resources for individuals, farmers, and small business owners by visiting my website here.

No olvide que la fecha límite para solicitar asistencia por desastre se ha extendido hasta el 20 de julio. U.S. Small Business Administration y FEMA estarán disponibles en los centros móviles de recursos para desastres en CA22 este mes. Este es un gran recurso si necesita ayuda con su solicitud.

La nueva fecha límite de FEMA para solicitar asistencia por desastre es el 20 de julio de 2023

Si se encuentra en el condado de Kern o Tulare y se vio afectado por las tormentas y las inundaciones a principios de este año, puede solicitar el alivio de FEMA hoy en disasterassistance.gov o llamar al 1-800-621-3362.

También puede encontrar una lista completa de recursos para desastres para individuos, agricultores y propietarios de pequeñas empresas visitando mi página web aquí.

The current H-2A program's limitation to seasonal employment leaves farmers without the stable workforce that is vital to our food supply chain. Expanding the program to include year-round employment would ease labor shortages & allow farmers to grow food that feeds the nation. These workers are critical to maintaining the Central Valley agricultural industry, as many farms and producers need a stable, year-round workforce. 

I spoke during this week’s Appropriations Committee markup of the Homeland Security bill about the importance of including year-round H-2A visa language to provide stability for our farmers and farmworkers.

You can watch my remarks here or below. 

This week as Co-Chair of the Congressional Portuguese Caucus, I spoke at a briefing put on by the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) about the countless contributions the Portuguese community has made to the United States. I’m proud to represent our Portuguese community in Congress.  

Our question this week comes from Arthur. They ask:

"Why did you not join in voting to hold Adam Schiff accountable?" 

Thank you for your question, Arthur.

The initial censure resolution offered by Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) included a provision that would have imposed a $16 million dollar fine on Congressman Schiff. While I believe Adam Schiff should be held accountable for his role in misleading the American people, I had concerns that fining a member of Congress with a simple majority was unconstitutional and would’ve set a dangerous precedent in the House of Representatives. Because of this, I voted to table, or take a pause, on the initial resolution.

This week, an amended censure resolution came before the House of Representatives that did not include the $16 million dollar fine. I voted in favor of this resolution because I believe Rep. Schiff used his role as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to spread information he knew to be false about the Trump-Russia probe. 

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!

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