Like many of you, I was shocked and horrified by the violent assassination attempt on former President Trump this weekend. Political violence is never acceptable and has no place in our democracy. Earlier this week I sent a message condemning the violence that took place in Pennsylvania. To read my full message click here.

I had the privilege of meeting Ronald Raper this week on Atomic Veterans Day. Mr. Raper served 20 honorable years in the US military. During his service, he was deployed to the Pacific where he was instrumental in the development of our nation’s nuclear weapons program. I presented Mr. Raper with a Congressional Record Statement honoring his military service to our country. We owe Mr. Raper and all our veterans a debt of gratitude for their selfless service to our country.  

Earlier this week I was in Tulare to attend the Chamber of Commerce Roundtable luncheon. I spoke with community leaders, small business owners and constituents about a range of issues facing our district. I was also able to share updates on my work in Washington and discussed how I can best serve our communities.

I attended the Kings County Public Safety Awards hosted by the Hanford Chamber of Commerce. This event honored 14 individuals working in the public safety sector throughout Kings County for their service and dedication to our community. Thank you to all of our public safety workers in the Central Valley who work to keep our community safe.

Trying to get an answer from a federal agency can often be a time-consuming and frustrating process. If you ever need help navigating a federal agency, you can visit my website here or call my Hanford office at (559) 460-6070. My team is ready to assist you!

Tratar de obtener una respuesta de una agencia federal a menudo puede ser un proceso frustrante y que requiere mucho tiempo. Si alguna vez necesita ayuda con una agencia federal, puede visitar mi sitio de web aquí o llamar a mi oficina de Hanford al (559) 460-6070. ¡Mi equipo está listo para ayudarte!

Our question this week comes from Donna in Hanford. She asks:

"Why is PGE able to raise rates again? Citizens are not able to pay the high rates. I am 73 years old, worked all my life, now retired on Social Security, live alone and my PG&E bill was $506. How can people pay these high bills, and be able to feed their family with the high cost of living?"

Thanks for your question, Donna. Unfortunately the cost of living crisis is impacting people across the Valley. I understand the hardship so many are facing right now with rising energy bills and am committed to bringing energy prices down in the Central Valley.

According to PG&E, they’ve raised rates in California in part due to rising wholesale natural gas and electricity prices, and to help update its infrastructure to decrease wildfire risk. These rate increases are having a devastating impact on families already struggling with rising costs. Based on your income, I would recommend you look into California’s discount programs, like CARE or FERA.

I’m working in Congress to support commonsense policies to bring down the price of energy. I voted in favor of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. This legislation would lower energy prices by cutting red tape to increase production here in the United States. The only long-term solution to bring stability to energy prices is to increase domestic production here in the United States.

While there is no single solution to the out-of-control inflation, I’ll continue supporting policies to bring costs down for Central Valley families.

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.