The DeSaulnier Digest: SOTU Preview - Democrats' Historic Results and Combatting Extreme Republican Agenda
In the last two years, President Biden and Congressional Democrats have delivered historic results to the American people, including the creation of a record-breaking 12 millions jobs, the lowering of prescription drug and health care costs, and investments in strengthening our infrastructure.
Tomorrow, the President will lay out our vision to build on this progress and our plan to combat an extreme Republican agenda that seeks to take away the freedom to make one's own health care decisions, cut Social Security and Medicare, and reward the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of everyday Americans.
As I get ready to kick off an Education Listening Tour of our district to hear directly from educators, students, administrators, and staff about education challenges and opportunities in CA-10, I will be joined at the State of the Union by Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) Interim Chancellor, Mojdeh Mehdizadeh and look forward to discussing continuing our shared efforts to provide quality, affordable education to prepare the next generation of leaders.
Sincerely,
Mark DeSaulnier
Member of Congress
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
House Passes Reckless Coronavirus Legislation Despite DeSaulnier's Opposition
After spending much of the pandemic opposing evidence-based responses to the spread of coronavirus like masking and vaccinations, House Republicans passed 4 harmful bills last week that Congressman DeSaulnier opposed, including:
- The Freedom for Health Care Workers Act (H.R. 497), which would make patients and health care workers less safe by ending the coronavirus vaccine mandate for health care workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid. This bill passed the House by a vote of 227-to-203.
- The Pandemic is Over Act (H.R. 382) and a resolution relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020 (H.J.Res. 7), which would terminate the coronavirus-related public health and national emergency declarations and have implications for access to vaccines, testing, access to telehealth, and Medicaid coverage. H.R. 382 bill passed the House by a vote of 220-to-210 and H.J.Res. 7 passed the House by a vote of 229-to-197.
- The SHOW UP Act (H.R. 139), which would unnecessarily require federal agencies to reinstate pre-pandemic telework policies, creating additional traffic and vehicle emissions. This bill passed the House by a vote of 221-to-206.
DeSaulnier Takes a Stand Against Targeted Resolution Against Rep. Omar
In modern American history, the punishment of stripping Members of Congress of their committee assignments has been reserved for only the most egregious wrongdoers. Speaker Kevin McCarthy's purely partisan move to strip Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from her committee is simply a political stunt that undermines the integrity of our democratic institutions. Congressman DeSaulnier voted against the resolution to remove Congresswoman Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, but despite his opposition the resolution passed by a vote of 218-to-211.
Congressman DeSaulnier Votes No on Anti-Progressive Resolution
Last week, House Republicans brought a resolution to the floor "denouncing the horrors of socialism and opposing the implementation of socialist policies in the United States." While self-styled socialist dictators throughout history are rightfully criticized for their brutal regimes, House Republicans have resorted to calling any policies they oppose, including critical safety net programs like Medicare and Social Security, socialist. Congressman DeSaulnier voted against this misguided resolution, but despite his opposition, it passed the House by a vote of 328-to-86.
Mark Receives House Committee Appointments
Congressman DeSaulnier has been reappointed to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce as well as the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. These appointments are in addition to his seat on the House Committee on Ethics.
The Committee on Education and the Workforce handles the issues of education from early childhood to higher education, nutrition and poverty programs for children and the elderly, as well as workforce health, safety, development, and pensions. Congressman DeSaulnier sits on two subcommittees:
- Leading Democrat on the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
- Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure considers topics regarding all modes of transportation, including aviation, waterborne transportation, highways, mass transit and railroads. The committee also oversees other aspects of national infrastructure, including clean water and waste water management, pipelines, flood damage reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and hazardous materials transportation. Congressman DeSaulnier sits on four subcommittees:
- Subcommittee on Aviation
- Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
- Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
The Committee on Ethics serves to provide advice to House members and staff on the rules of conduct, perform investigations into alleged violations of House rules or applicable laws, and reviews financial disclosure statements filed by members, candidates, and staff. Membership on the Ethics Committee affords Congressman DeSaulnier the opportunity to help restore trust in government by ensuring that members and staff are held to appropriate standards of conduct.
IN THE COMMUNITY
Our office joined the California Retired Teachers Association for the 60th anniversary of their Division 52 - Diablo Vista chapter. It was wonderful to celebrate local educators and to discuss how we can support them both in the classroom and into retirement.
POST OF THE WEEK
BY THE NUMBERS
