This week, the House passed my bill to combat wildfires, the Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act. This legislation, which passed the House with unanimous support, would expand the use of Containerized Aerial Fire Fighting Systems, ensuring our firefighters have every tool available to them to combat these deadly fires and protect our communities.

I spoke on the House floor earlier this week to talk about why this bill was so important to our communities across California. You can watch my speech here or below.

Thank you to all of those who joined my telephone townhall earlier this week. During the call, we talked about important issues facing the Central Valley like expanding water storage infrastructure, crime, housing, and funding the federal government.  What did you think of our call? Let me know your thoughts here. If you missed this one, make sure to sign up for future telephone townhalls here. 

There’s no better way to start my week in Washington D.C. than welcoming veterans to the U.S. Capitol for the Central Valley Honor Flight. These brave patriots risked their lives to defend our freedoms and keep our nation safe. It was truly an honor to be able to thank them in person for their service to our country. Thank you to the volunteers who make this event possible.

Earlier this year, Governor Gavin Newsom mandated that half of all heavy vehicles, including trucks and tractors, sold in California be electric by 2035. I led my colleagues in opposing these mandates because they will make trucking shortages in California worse, amplify supply chain problems, further stress our electrical grid, and increase our reliance on China for critical minerals.

That’s why this week, I was proud to vote for H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act. This legislation would block states from mandating electric vehicles, ensuring those who want traditional combustion engines can still purchase them. While EVs should continue to be available to those who want them, mandating them is not the answer.

This week, I joined Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Congressman David Schweikert, and other members of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force to host a roundtable discussion regarding Valley Fever treatments and ongoing vaccine developments. The roundtable also included medical experts, researchers, and patient advocates to discuss the enormous impacts of Valley Fever across the Central Valley and the entire Western United States.

I look forward to continuing my work on the Task Force to help find solutions to Valley Fever and keep Central Valley families safe and healthy.

This week, the House China Select Committee issued their first round of subpoenas in their investigation into the illegal lab discovered in Reedley earlier this year. This is an important first step in getting answers on the funding of the lab, what was going on there, and what was not being reported. Valley residents and the American people deserve answers, and I'll continue to support the committee's bipartisan investigation. 

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.  

I'll be using this newsletter as a way to keep you updated on my work in Congress. Make sure to sign up for regular updates and follow my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up with my work.