DeSaulnier Digest
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In D.C. last week, we commemorated Sunshine Week, where we shined light on the need for oversight, transparency, and accountability within the Administration. As we head into a week where I am at home in the community, we have provided you with some highlights of our work in D.C. last week.
With Democrats in the Majority, we are working to advance our top priorities. Last week, we considered a democracy reform bill that targets corruption and dark money in campaigns, held hearings on raising the minimum wage and the opioid crisis, and introduced bills to modernize our nation's infrastructure. We waited 8 long years to regain control, and we aren't going to waste any time.
Last week was one for the record books.
Wednesday was a historic day in the U.S. House of Representatives when Michael Cohen, the President's former personal attorney, testified before the House Oversight and Reform Committee in a public hearing about the President's alleged criminal activity. Sitting in the room, as a member of the Oversight Committee, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to other historic Congressional hearings, like the Watergate investigation when White House Counsel John Dean told the world about President Nixon's crimes.
After changing our schedule for the Trump shutdown and spending 7 straight weeks of voting in Washington, DC, we were finally able to spend a week at home meeting with constituents, hosting a town hall, and renaming a Richmond post office.
As we prepare for a busy week in Washington, DC where we will tackle gun violence prevention, the President's emergency declaration, and question Michael Cohen during an Oversight and Reform Committee hearing, we wanted to share highlights from our work over the past week in Contra Costa.
Last week, the House and Senate came to a rare bipartisan compromise and passed a bill to fund the government and address some border security concerns. While it was not everything we wanted (more on that below), Congress cannot continue to govern by shutdowns.
Tomorrow, I am hosting a town hall in Concord. Please join me to hear more about the deal, the President's emergency declaration, the recent shutdown, and what Democrats plan to do in the Majority.
We are less than two weeks away from another Trump Shutdown, if the President does not abandon his demands for an ineffective border wall. In the U.S. House of Representatives, my colleagues and I are working hard to keep our government open, funded, and functioning properly.
On Friday, after 35 days of holding our government hostage, inflicting financial hardship on 800,000 federal employees and their families, opening Americans up to new security and safety concerns, and hurting our economy, President Trump finally agreed to reopen the federal government.