The DeSaulnier Digest: Town Hall Recap
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with constituents and give a congressional update at our town hall at Big Break Regional Park in Oakley. We are grateful to the naturalists at East Bay Regional Park District for leading a group nature walk and providing information on the local plants and wildlife native to the Park.
Thank you to everyone who came out! We look forward to hosting more town halls and other events in the community soon.
Sincerely,
Mark DeSaulnier
Member of Congress
IN THE NEWS
Congressman DeSaulnier Speaks to NBC Bay Area on Recently Passed Aviation Safety Legislation
Following House passage of his bill to improve aviation safety, the Congressman spoke to NBC Bay Area about why this legislation is crucial to avoid aircraft near-miss incidents like the one we saw in 2017 at San Francisco International Airport. This bill would help to improve communications between pilots and air traffic controllers in order to increase safety. Tune in by clicking here or on the image below.
Mark Speaks with ABC7's Kristen Sze about Debt Limit Vote
Mark joined Kristen Sze of ABC7 Bay Area to discuss Democrats' efforts to avert Republicans' threat of debt default, and why he voted against Republicans holding the American and global economies hostage for political purposes. To learn more, click here or on the image below.
IN THE DISTRICT
DeSaulnier visited Stanford's campus in Palo Alto to meet with their Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. The Congressman learned more about Stanford's Media & Mental Health Initiative as well as their efforts to reduce poverty in our community. Increasing access to mental health services and reducing inequality are among Mark's top priorities in Congress.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
DeSaulnier Opposes Republican Economic Gamesmanship
The Treasury Department recently estimated that if the debt limit weren't raised imminently, the Federal Government would soon have no money left to pay its obligations, resulting in a debt default that would be catastrophic for the national and global economies. A default on the national debt would cause a recession; spike interest rates for credit cards, student loans, mortgages, and car loans; cost millions of jobs; and risk the government's ability to meet its obligations on Social Security checks, military pay, Medicare benefits, and many other important programs. Rather than perform their constitutional duty and simply vote to raise the debt ceiling, the Republican Party held the American economy hostage in an attempt to achieve broad and cruel spending cuts in line with their extreme agenda.
After negotiations between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy, the House and Senate passed legislation (H.R. 3746) to suspend the federal debt limit through January 1, 2025. While defaulting on the national debt is not an option, Congressman DeSaulnier voted against this bill because House Republicans insisted on cuts to benefits working Americans rely on, rollbacks of environmental protections, and making it easier for the ultrawealthy to skirt tax laws. H.R. 3746 passed the House by a vote of 314-to-117 and was signed into law by President Biden on June 3, 2023.
POST OF THE WEEK
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