Dear [salutation],

This week, two of my committees - Energy and Commerce and Budget - considered the Republican tax plan, which extends temporary tax cuts from the first Trump Administration and makes significant cuts to programs, including Medicaid and food assistance. It is estimated that this bill will lead to 8.6 million Americans being kicked off Medicaid and 5 million more from insurance through the Affordable Care Act. In California’s 50th alone, there are 156,100 Medicaid recipients, constituting 20% of our residents. And it's not just Medicaid patients that will feel these cuts, it will be all of us as local hospitals rely on Medicaid funds to keep their doors open. Scripps Mercy Hospital receives 22% of its revenue from Medicaid, Sharp Coronado Hospital receives 36%, and UC San Diego Medical Center receives 19%.

When I go home, people tell me how worried they are about government spending, and they tell me that they understand that cuts may be necessary to reduce annual deficits and the national debt. But that’s not what’s happening here. Not a cent from these cuts will go toward reducing our debt and deficits. The savings are entirely dedicated to paying for the tax cuts, and the Republican budget continues annual borrowing of more than $2 trillion. In fact, their bill includes a $5 trillion increase in the debt limit, the most in history, so we can borrow even more. According to the independent Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the Republican plan will increase the federal debt by $37 trillion over the next 30 years.

So here’s a plan that devastates health care and food assistance for the needy to benefit those who don’t need the help. A new analysis found that over half the benefit of extending the tax cuts would go to the top 10% of earners. And it will add substantially to the national debt, driving up prices and interest rates. I voted no in both committees. Serious problems deserve serious bipartisan solutions. This isn’t bipartisan, serious, or a solution. We should defeat this measure if it makes its way to the House floor. 

Alfonso from Ocean Beach reached out to my office in February because he was not receiving his pension payments after retiring from the US Postal Service. My office worked with Alfonso to confirm that he completed the necessary paperwork and contacted the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to request that they review his case and begin issuing his benefits. In March, OPM issued Alfonso a retroactive payment of $3,171, and this week, my office received confirmation from Alfonso that he has begun receiving his recurring monthly benefits.

On Monday, I stood with organizations that help feed needy San Diegans to urge Congress to support U.S. Department of Agriculture programs. San Diego food banks distributed over 900,000 pounds of food purchased from local farms through USDA programs including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools (LFS). We called out the Republicans’ budget proposal, which would take food from children at schools and hurt farmers, and hungry families. I will not vote for any legislation that cuts this critical funding Americans rely on just to put food on the table. You can watch a recording of the press conference here.

This week, we recognize National Police Week and honor the brave men and women who keep our communities safe every day. I reintroduced my bipartisan Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act to expand San Diego’s first-of-its-kind local law enforcement childcare facility nationwide and help us recruit and retain a diverse police force. Increasing childcare options for law enforcement officers will make the field more accessible to working parents.