What's Happening in Congress? The President's Budget, Protecting Public Lands, And More

February 28, 2020

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Hello Friend,

After an eventful February in Washington, D.C. – with major developments in national infrastructure, protecting our public lands, and continuing our work for the people – I closed out the month with a series of important meetings and public events back home on the North Coast.

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The month started off with the President’s State of the Union address. Although sadly Donald Trump turned it into a display of partisan pageantry filled with mistruths, I was still honored to have my constituent, Ernie Bergman, by my side. A Marin native, he served in Vietnam and has lived through the pain and consequences of war and turned that into a lifetime of advocating to end further violence. I sat down with Ernie for a special State of the Union edition of my podcast to discuss the consequences of war.

President Trump’s 2021 Budget

This month, President Trump released his disastrous budget for Fiscal Year 2021. Despite the promises he made to the American people, this budget cuts billions from Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, slashes almost $700 million from the CDC in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, leaves our nation unprepared for the climate crisis, forsakes the middle class, and dismantles the social safety net. We cannot let this President’s misguided budget priorities jeopardize our health care, public health, and the economy. 

Great Strides for Managing Public Lands

Our district is home to some of the most beautiful public lands this country has to offer. I’m happy to share that the House just approved my bill, the Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forest Act, to protect wilderness and rivers, create significant new recreation and tourism opportunities, proactively manage forests for fire resilience and watershed health, and remediate harmful trespass marijuana grow sites that have threatened our forests. We took a comprehensive approach when developing this bill to ensure everyone in Northwest California who has a stake in the future of our public lands has a voice in how they are managed.  Senator Harris has introduced the same bill in the Senate, so we will keep working to get this across the finish line.

Infrastructure

This month, we  introduced the Moving Forward Framework: a five-year, $760 billion investment to help communities around the country undertake transformational projects that are smarter, safer, and made to last. This plan invests in key California North Coast priorities, including:

  • Prioritizing safe, clean, affordable wastewater treatment;
  • Increasing funding for transportation systems on tribal lands as well as National Parks, Forests, and other public lands found across northwestern California;
  • Building a carbon-neutral transportation sector with transformative systems like SMART;
  • Modernizing 9-1-1 public safety systems;
  • Maintaining waterways and harbors with long-overdue dredging, like the Petaluma River and San Rafael Canal;
  • Expanding broadband internet access for underserved rural, suburban, and urban communities like those across the North Coast.


Fighting to Break Our Dependency on Fossil Fuels

There are some places too wild and special to allow fossil fuel exploitation. That is why I recently wrote to five of the largest U.S. banks urging them not to provide financing for oil drilling and development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, building on my bipartisan Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act that passed the House in September. Less than a week after we sent our letter, JPMorgan Chase – the largest U.S. bank and biggest funder of fossil fuels in the world – announced they would rule out all new funding of gas and oil drilling. A huge win for the Arctic Refuge, indiginous peoples, and the climate! 

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Wins for Our Waterways 

I have been pushing the Army Corps of Engineers to address the long overdue river maintenance of our economically vital waterways in the North Bay like the Petaluma River and San Rafael Canal. I am thrilled that after years of our community-wide efforts, over $11 million in long-awaited federal funding has been allocated for river maintenance in the Fiscal Year 2020 Army Corps of Engineers work plan for the North Bay. Roughly $9.7 million will go to dredging the Petaluma River and $1.3 million will be allocated towards preparation work for the San Rafael Canal.

Making Your Voices Heard

This month I had the opportunity to speak directly with you at community events across the district, as well as stakeholders across the nation on my marine fisheries Listening Tour. At my Town Hall in Eureka we discussed disaster relief for local fisheries, protecting Northern California’s water rights, and future legislative plans for 2020. I am constantly impressed by our district’s incredible engagement and passion for finding solutions to the challenges we face as a community and nation.

President Trump is proposing to slash half a trillion dollars from Medicare, take $900 billion from Medicaid, and cut Social Security Disability Insurance by at least $24 billion. I sat down with senior community members at the Redwood Retirement Community in Mill Valley to hear their concerns and perspectives on President Trump’s budget cutting retirement security and health care of seniors with long-term care needs.

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As we approach March and April, you’ll begin to hear more and more about the 2020 Census. The census will determine how billions of dollars are allocated for water treatment, fire stations, health services, and countless other essential programs that impact our daily lives.

It’s important to list everyone residing in your home, including your kids. And I want to make clear that there will be NO citizenship question. Your information will be confidential and cannot be used against you by government agencies like ICE. Census Bureau employees are sworn to protect your privacy, and it is illegal for them to disclose your private information. For more information, visit 2020Census.gov.

Remember, if you ever need help with a federal agency, please contact my San Rafael office at (415) 258-9657. If you would like to keep up with what I am doing as your representative, please subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I also invite you to subscribe to my podcast, “Off the Cuff with Rep. Huffman,” so that you can engage with our in-depth conversations about what's happening in California and in Washington, D.C.

With Best Regards,

Jared Huffman
Member of Congress