John from La Jolla contacted my office to request assistance with obtaining a 2023 tax refund. John filed his return at the beginning of 2024, but the IRS website didn’t provide any updates or information since then. John was concerned by the delay and was unsure if the IRS needed any additional information. My staff worked with John to gather a copy of his return and proof of filing, which he then submitted to the Taxpayer Advocate. In April, the IRS processed the return and mailed John his refund of $50,965.65!

This week, I reintroduced my bipartisan Patent Eligibility Restoration Act. Providing a clear statutory framework to determine patent eligibility will help ensure we protect and encourage American innovation. Patent protections are critical to San Diego’s world-renowned life sciences industry, and we must guarantee that our inventions and intellectual property cannot be stolen by foreign adversaries.

One of my most important jobs representing San Diego is ensuring the safety of America's servicemembers. I have been concerned that Secretary Pete Hegseth's inexperience and immaturity would make him unfit to lead the Department of Defense since his nomination. He had never before led a large organization, was unable to answer basic questions about our military partnerships at his confirmation hearing, and is best known for being a television personality. When Secretary Hegseth shared classified and detailed strike plans on the unsecured platform, Signal, in a group chat including a journalist, I publicly expressed my concern that his carelessness could have endangered troops. I called for investigations and accountability. Unfortunately, the White House swept this incident under the rug and called the case closed. I was disappointed, but not surprised when he did it again and additional reporting revealed that he shared this same classified information on another unsecured thread with his wife and brother. This was beyond reckless. Had this classified information been seen by the wrong people, it could lead to service members being killed. Secretary Hegseth must resign for the sake of our national security and the safety of servicemembers stationed in San Diego.  

On Thursday, I spoke to the annual DC conference of The BIG I, which is an organization representing independent insurance agents and brokers. In California, we know all too well that the wildfire crisis is driving up home insurance rates and leading to cancelled policies. When our homeowners can’t get insurance, they are gambling all they own, from expensive personal belongings to priceless sentimental items that can’t be replaced. I talked to them about my Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA), which tries to tackle this problem and helps build up defenses against fires where our communities meet forests and other wildlands. In addition to advocating for FOFA, I also asked that they let lawmakers know how damaging tariffs will be. Tariffs on cars and car parts and construction materials will mean that insurance claims will be more expensive to pay out. Insurance carriers in turn will increase premiums on policy holders, and everyday life for Americans will become more expensive.