This week, I hosted my final Telephone Town Hall of 2023. Thank you to everyone who was able to join. During the call, we discussed crime in California, high energy and food costs, water storage for the Valley, and more.

Make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter here so you don’t miss my first town hall of 2024. 

In Congress, my most important responsibility is ensuring the safety of all Americans. This week, I voted for the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) - the legislation that authorizes our military funding. This year’s defense bill provides a robust budget to counteract the damaging impacts of inflation on our Department of Defense and military families, including a 5.2% pay raise for our troops. I’m proud to support this bipartisan effort to provide our military with the equipment, resources, and training needed to effectively defend the United States against our adversaries.

You can read more about the 2024 NDAA here. 

Inflation has continued to have a devastating impacts on middle class families throughout the Valley. While the rate of price increases has slowed, prices are still stubbornly high for many products people use every day.

I want to hear from you:

The opioid epidemic continues to have a devastating impact on communities across the country, especially here in the Central Valley. This week, I voted for the Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, which ensures critical prevention programs, life-saving treatments, and long-term recovery services are available to those working to overcome their substance use disorders. I was proud that my bill, the Combatting Substance Use Disorder Act, was included in the bill. This legislation ensures Congress, public health experts, and Medicaid providers understand how to best meet the needs of those struggling with addiction and mental health disorders.

You can read more about the Combatting Substance Use Disorder Act here. 

The situation at our southern border is a national security and humanitarian crisis. 

This week, I went to the House Floor to discuss what I saw at the Border when I visited earlier this year, how the crisis is impacting the Central Valley, and what commonsense solutions should be enacted to stop the unprecedented flow of illegal migrants.

You can watch my speech here or below:  

This week was Speaker Emeritus Kevin McCarthy's last week in Washington as a member of Congress. Over the years, Kevin and I have been able to work on many important issues facing our communities in the Central Valley and it's been an honor to serve with him in Washington. I would not be where I am today without his support, guidance, and friendship. I want to thank Speaker McCarthy for his service to our nation and wish him and his family the very best as he begins this next chapter of his life. 

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.

Did you know you can now sign up for texts from my office to stay up to date on my work in Washington D.C.? To sign up to receive updates from me directly to your phone, just text VALADAO to (559) 387-4346 and you will be automatically subscribed. You can also sign up for text alerts using this form here.  

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