Water is the lifeblood of the Central Valley. Ensuring our rural communities have access to safe, clean, and reliable water is my top priority as your representative in Washington. That is why this week, I was proud to join my colleague Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) to introduce the Headwaters Protection Act.

This bipartisan legislation will help Valley communities, who are often forced to rely on surface and groundwater, benefit from increased investments to improve our watersheds and prevent pollution.

You can read more about our bill here. 

This week, the House Appropriations Committee held our first full committee markup of the FY24 appropriations bills. I worked to secure language in the Agriculture bill that recognizes the effects of recent storms on California's agricultural sector and directs the use of all available disaster response measures quickly and effectively. Ensuring the Valley has the resources we need is my top priority. 

I spoke about the importance of our ongoing recovery efforts in the Valley during our committee hearing. You can watch my remarks here or below. 

This week, the House Natural Resources Committee voted to advance my bill, the Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act out of committee. This bill will ensure our firefighters have the most up-to-date technology to combat the deadly wildfires that have devastated our communities, businesses, and ecosystems here in California.  

You can read more about my bill here. 

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.

Sadly, too many Americans suffer with mental health and substance use disorders. Congress must address this growing crisis, but we can’t take action to fix an issue if we don’t have a full and accurate picture of how big the issue is.

That’s why this week, I introduced the Combatting Substance Use Disorder Act – a bipartisan bill that will help to inform Congress, public health experts, and Medicaid providers about how to best meet the needs of individuals struggling with substance abuse.

You can read more about my bill here. 

This week, I had the opportunity to play in the annual Congressional Soccer Game, hosted by the U.S. Soccer Foundation. This event brings Republicans and Democrats together for some friendly competition to help raise money for youth soccer programs across the country. It was a great game for a great cause!

Earlier this year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced a new rule that would mandate changes to mortgage pricing and implement a new and unfair penalty for borrowers with higher credit scores.

This week I co-sponsored H.R. 3564, the Middle-Class Borrower Protection Act. This legislation will reverse the FHFA’s new rule and protect families looking to buy a home from being punished for achieving a higher credit score.

Are you planning a trip to Washington D.C. and looking to tour the White House? Tours of the White House are some of the most sought-after tours in the nation’s capital, and the White House Visitor Center only allows a limited number of guests to visit each day. While my team will do all it can to help arrange White House tours, we are unable to guarantee a tour for you and your group at this time. 

To give you the best chance at having a White House tour confirmed, please plan on submitting all White House tour requests at least 90 days in advance of your trip to Washington D.C. You can submit your requests by visiting my website here or by calling (202) 225-4695.

Finally, please know that all White House tours are administered at the sole discretion of the White House Visitor Center, and may be rescheduled, delayed, or canceled with or without cause and/or with or without notice. 

While we cannot guarantee tours of the White House, my office is always happy to help schedule a tour of the U.S. Capitol for those visiting Washington D.C. You can request a tour of the Capitol building here. 

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.

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.