This week the House passed the Fiscal Year 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. I was proud to support this bill that makes significant quality-of-life improvements for our military families and fully funds the VA, veterans’ healthcare, and other critical veterans’ benefits programs.

I was also glad to see priorities in the bill I secured for the Central Valley, including language that requires the VA to begin construction of the Bakersfield VA clinic no later than September 30, 2025 unless a court order prevents them from doing so. The Bakersfield VA clinic has been delayed for over a decade because of one individual’s frivolous lawsuits that have prioritized profits over veterans’ care. I’ll continue doing everything I can at the federal level to make sure this project is completed without further delay.

Last year local officials discovered an illegal biolab with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operating out of Reedley. A Congressional investigation conducted by the House Select Committee on the CCP found gaps in existing federal law that allowed this to happen in our own backyard. I’m cosponsoring Congressman Jim Costa’s bill, the Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act, to close these gaps in federal law that allowed bad actors to take advantage of the system. 

While I was in Washington this week, members of my team were out at events throughout the district. It’s important to me that even when I have to be in D.C. for votes, my team is out in our community. Here are just a few of the events my team was able to attend this week: 

California has been the nation’s leading dairy producer since 1993, and the Central Valley is home to the top dairy producing counties in the state. This National Dairy Month, join me in thanking the dairy farmers across the Central Valley for producing the milk products we all know and love!

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 David in Tulare. He asks:

What bills are you currently supporting, endorsing or introducing to reinforce or guarantee our Constitutional 2A rights in California? Or are you a supporter of CA Gov. Gavin Newsom and CA AG Rob Bonta's attack on our 2A rights?

Thank you for your question, David. I'm a strong supporter of Americans' Second Amendment rights. Many Americans use firearms every day for peaceful purposes like hunting or recreational target practice. They also provide peace of mind for many families in rural communities who are far from law enforcement patrols and need to be able to protect themselves and their families if necessary. 

As a gun owner myself, I understand and share your frustration over Governor Newsom and AG Bonta's gun laws in our state. At the federal level, I'm a cosponsor of several pieces of legislation aimed at protecting the rights of responsible gun owners. Some of these bills include H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would allow individuals with a concealed carry permit from one state to carry in another as long as they have a valid, government-issued photo ID and follow the relevant restrictions of that state. I'll continue to support the rights of responsible gun owners. 

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.