Happy Easter from my family to yours! For those who celebrate, I hope this day is filled with peace, happiness, and joy. He is risen!

Recently, I've received a lot of questions from constituents, so I wanted to take this opportunity to answer some of them.

As the son of immigrants, this issue is deeply personal to me and many other families across the Central Valley. I believe we need to enforce our immigration laws, but we also need to do it the right way. That means focusing on removing individuals who pose a real threat to public safety, rather than hardworking people who have been contributing to our communities for years, raising families, and stimulating our local economy. For the past year, I've had direct conversations with the administration to stress exactly that. However, I also recognize that conversations alone aren't enough to enact meaningful change.

That's why I've supported and introduced bipartisan bills aimed at reforming our nation's broken immigration system. Last year, I joined my colleagues in introducing the Dignity Act, which would allow certain undocumented immigrants to earn temporary legal status if they've been here for years and meet strict requirements. This kind of approach helps bring people out of the shadows and adds stability for families, employers, and communities. We can secure our borders and uphold the law while still recognizing the value of those who are helping keep our economy moving.

When you see how fast technology is changing, especially with AI, it's normal to wonder what kind of job market our kids are going to walk into. The truth is, this isn't the first time we've faced a shift like this. We've seen it in agriculture, manufacturing, and other industries where technology has changed how work gets done. Right now, more jobs than ever require some level of digital or technical skills, and if we don't make sure the workforce is prepared, people may get left behind. 

That's why I joined my colleagues to reintroduce the bipartisan Digital Skills for Today's Workforce Act. This bill would create new training opportunities so workers in underserved areas can learn the digital skills employers now require. We need to be investing locally, partnering with community colleges, and making sure young people don't have to leave the Valley to find a good-paying job. Technology is going to keep changing, and we need to make sure the next generation is ready.

I’ve heard this concern from a number of builders across the Central Valley, and you’re right to raise it. Earlier this year, USDA made a change to the Section 502 direct loan program that lowered the loan limit from eighty percent to sixty percent of HUD's single-family mortgage limits. That may sound like a technical adjustment, but in practice, it has real consequences in places like California where property values are higher. Even modest homes can end up costing above that new cap, which means families who would normally qualify are now being shut out of the program altogether. The Section 502 program has long been a critical tool for helping hardworking families achieve homeownership, particularly in rural and underserved communities, so solving this is a priority for me.

Since this issue was brought to my attention, I’ve been engaging directly with USDA to push for solutions. The Department is planning to roll out a two-year pilot program that will allow participants to still access 502 loans—even if the home’s value exceeds the loan limit—so long as the loan itself stays within that cap. While this should provide some short-term relief, it’s not a permanent fix because it doesn’t give families or builders the certainty needed to plan ahead. 

Housing affordability is one of the biggest challenges we’re facing, not just in California but across the country. First-time buyers, seniors, and working families are already feeling the higher home prices, and we shouldn’t be making it harder for them to access programs designed to help. I’ll continue working with USDA and my colleagues in Congress to find more long-term solutions to ensure this program works the way it was intended, allow more families to participate in the American Dream, and build up our communities.

Do you have a question about my position on an issue? How 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.