This weekend, the House is scheduled to vote on an emergency aid package to support our allies abroad, including Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. This national security legislation comes at a time when all three nations are actively under attack or being threatened by a hostile neighbor. I believe supporting our allies with weapons now is key to keeping American men and women out of another ground war. I want to hear what you think about sending aid to our allies.

The national security supplemental legislation replenishes U.S. defense stockpiles, requires greater oversight of aid, and ensures our allies have resources to counter terror and aggression. Click here or below for a breakdown of what’s in the bills:

It’s always a pleasure to welcome Central Valley veterans to the U.S. Capitol for the Central Valley Honor Flight. Thank you to these patriots for their service to our nation, and to the great volunteers who make this once-in-a-lifetime experience for our veterans possible.

Last weekend, Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel - firing hundreds of drones and missiles at our ally. The Biden Administration's strategy of appeasement towards Iran has failed, and it's time we send a clear message that there are consequences for attacking America's allies. That's why I was proud to vote for several bills this week to sanction Iran and designate their proxies as foreign terrorist organizations. 

To see a full list of the bills the House passed this week, click here.

This week, I held my first hearing as the Chair of the House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee. During our hearing, we heard testimony from several agencies, such as the Library of Congress and the Architect of the Capitol. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the committee to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly.

Specialty crops are a cornerstone of California agriculture, and we need to ensure these producers are supported at the federal level. That’s why I was proud to join my colleagues Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and David Rouzer (R-NC) to reestablish the Congressional Specialty Crops Caucus. 

Read more about the Specialty Crops Caucus here. 

Ensuring people have the digital skills they need to navigate the modern job market is critical to the strength of our economy. That’s why I was proud to join my colleague Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) to introduce the Digital Skills for Today’s Workforce Act. This bipartisan bill would create new grant programs to help provide foundational digital skills to workers – better preparing our workforce and strengthening our economy.

You can read more about our bill here.

My office is accepting submissions for the 2024 Congressional Art Competition! This annual competition is a great chance for Central Valley high school students to demonstrate their artistic skills and abilities. The winner of the challenge will have their artwork displayed for 1 year in the United States Capitol Building, as well as be invited to attend a winners’ reception in Washington, D.C. during the summer of 2024. 

Students must be in high school (Grades 9-12) to participate. For more information and to find a full list of rules and regulations, click here.

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 Greg in Avenal. He asks:

"Please explain why you voted to reauthorize FISA?" 

Thank you for your question, Greg. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is a critical tool used by law enforcement to keep Americans safe from terrorist attacks and other threats to our country. I understand there are concerns about FISA authorities being abused, and that’s why we made 56 critical reforms in this reauthorization that will fix abuses by the FBI and protect American’s data. It's also important to note that FISA deals with foreign intelligence, and the overwhelming majority of the data collected through FISA is on foreign actors - not American citizens. 

Specifically, this bill would limit the scope with which the FBI is allowed to use FISA data, significantly reduce the number of agents who can access this sensitive information, prohibit political appointees from accessing FISA data at all, and implement a host of new checks within the FBI and Intelligence Community to provide oversight and stop bad actors from using this information improperly. Additionally, this bill would significantly increase the criminal penalties for those who knowingly and willfully leak FISA data or who present false information to the FISA Court, with those found guilty of doing so now facing up to a $250,000 fine and up to 10 years in federal prison.

While I share concerns about previous instances of abuse, FISA is an important tool for America's national security agencies and has been instrumental in stopping many would-be terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. I believe the changes made in the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act struck the right balance to keep Americans safe, stop bad actors, and protect American’s privacy.

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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