On the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we remember the thousands of lives taken too soon and honor the heroic first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice. That horrific day exposed our nation to unimaginable evil, but it also showed the strength and resolve of the American spirit. We will never forget the lives that were lost and those who died trying to save them.

Our Central Valley tomato growers and processors work hard to provide a safe, high-quality product, and they shouldn’t have to compete with foreign imports that are mislabeled or misrepresented. In recent years, low-quality tomatoes grown in China have been found in products like tomato paste, allowing bad actors to skirt U.S. trade and forced-labor laws and making it harder for consumers to know what they’re buying. That’s why I was proud to introduce the bipartisan ROMA Act this week, which would give USDA and Customs and Border Protection a science-based tool to verify the origin of imported tomato products and better enforce the laws already on the books. This is a commonsense solution that will close a gap in our current system, protect the integrity of our agricultural supply chain, and ensure consumers know what they’re buying.

This week, Team Valadao presented a Congressional Record Statement to Kern Autism Network, recognizing their 30th anniversary. They had meetings with Valley Montessori Academy, Delano Joint Union High School District, and attended the Dirt Dog X ribbon cutting celebration. In Tulare County, they met with First 5 Tulare, Tulare-Kings Resources for Life, Tulare County Probation, Tulare-Kings Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Boys & Girls Club. My team met with International Agri-Center Staff to discuss the World Ag Expo, then met with Oakdale 4-H to learn more about their youth leadership opportunities. After, they met with the Tulare Chamber of Commerce staff, Kings County Behavioral Health Director, Lisa Rogers, and then the Kings County Sheriff, Dave Putnam.

In Shafter, my staff attended the Shafter Rotary Club Meeting, Shafter Wasco Irrigation District Board meeting, and joined Shafter Public Works for a ride along to look at their ongoing projects. They also met with Shafter High School Principal, Zach McNinch, then toured the Shafter Library & Learning Center. The team toured Kern Energy Refinery, presented a Certificate of Recognition at Bobbi’s Hallmark Shop’s 40th Anniversary celebration, visited CAPK Friendship House, and attended the Richardson Center Special Needs Collaborative meeting. They also met with CASA of Kern County’s Public Relations Manager, Heaven Velasquez, attended the San Joaquin Valley Homes ribbon cutting, then visited Pixley Unified with Save the Children to learn more about their support programs.

To wrap up the week, my staff attended events across the district recognizing the 25th anniversary of 9/11. They went to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department ceremony, the City of Hanford’s flag raising ceremony, and Tulare’s 25th Annual remembrance ceremony. They also attended the City of Bakersfield’s remembrance ceremony and the Bakersfield High School Air Force JROTC’s flag raising and wreath guarding ceremony.

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.