July 19, 2024

Dear John,

Summer is in full swing and as temperatures are rising, so is the cost of living in Southern California. Excess spending in Washington and Sacramento are putting a tighter and tighter hold on budgets and making it difficult to cover the cost of necessary expenses.

Additionally, I joined my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee in Utah to learn more about the rising costs of health care, and the coming innovations to bring these expenses down.

Get the details about all of this and more below, and make sure to follow my Facebook, Instagram, and X to get these updates in real-time.

Defending Vietnamese Refugees

On Wednesday, I wrote a letter to the Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States Nguyen Quoc Dzung demanding the release of Vietnamese religious minority and human rights activist Y Quynh Bdap. Y Quynh Bdap fled Vietnam and has been residing in Thailand, but was recently arrested and is awaiting extradition to Vietnam where he will likely face unjust imprisonment and torture. Such an act would be a gross violation of human rights. For this reason, I requested that Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dzung halt Y Quynh Bdap's extradition process and the unjust treatment of all religious minorities in Vietnam. Find my full letter to the Ambassador here and my complete statement here.

Spotlighting CA-45 Olympians

Next week marks the beginning of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. This historic event has long been hailed as a hallmark of sportsmanship and global cooperation. I am so proud to celebrate the six Olympic and Paralympic athletes from California's 45th District who will be representing the United States in Paris.

Kelly Cheng comes from Fullerton and will be returning to the Olympics to claim gold in Beach Volleyball. She was a standout player for El Dorado High School before spending three years at USC, and has since won the 2023 Beach Volleyball World Championship.

Megumi Field came to Cerritos at a young age to chase her passion of Artistic Swimming. Megumi is already making her mark on the sport, placing first place in the 2022 FINA Artistic Swimming World Series. After Paris, she will continue to compete with her teammates at Stanford University.

Chris Joslin comes from Hawaiian Gardens and has quickly become a staple of the world’s top skateboarding competitions. He's claimed two world championships and numerous Street League Skateboarding contests and is eager to represent the United States on the world stage.

Kevin Nguyen is a local hero, attending Westminster High School before joining the U.S. Army. As a Staff Sergeant, Kevin valiantly served during the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan until a tragic IED explosion resulted in severe injuries to his right leg. Nonetheless his relentless drive led him to continue his Army career, finding a place with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit which competes in a variety of high-level competitions. This will be Kevin’s second Paralympic games competing in Para Shooting.

Lilia Vu comes from Fountain Valley and is ranked the second best female golfer in the world. The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Lilia played at both Fountain Valley High School and UCLA before joining the LPGA and winning eight professional titles, including the 2023 Chevron Championship and Women’s British Open.

Justine Wong-Orantes is from Cypress and she will be returning to the Olympics to claim her second gold medal with her teammates in Indoor Volleyball. She began playing volleyball at age 6 and has since claimed an NCAA championship and was named Best Libero at the 2021 Tokyo games.

Congratulations to these prestigious athletes and all those representing the United States in Paris this summer. We look forward to cheering you on here at home!

Traveling to Utah with the Ways and Means Committee

Last week, I joined my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee for a field hearing in Salt Lake City, Utah. Here we discussed how medical innovations are benefitting the American people and can create economic prosperity. By passing legislation that allows innovators to flourish, Congress can give Americans access to smarter, faster, more cost effective medical care. One example of this is the expansion of a telehealth network. I am proudly spearheading the Telehealth Expansion Act, which will allow people from all areas to access quality health care at a lower cost. You can read more about this legislation here.

Promoting Access to Quality Healthcare

In this time of high inflation, Americans continue to need access to health care at an affordable cost. Patients should not have to sacrifice the quality of their care for the sake of cost cutting, nor should they allow their health to deteriorate while providers struggle to keep up with demand. In Congress, I'm working to address this issues of cost and access with policies that promote more innovation better quality for patients. The recently introduced Equal Access to Specialty Care Everywhere (EASE) Act would break down barriers to Health Care access, reduce costs, and improve the quality of care via expanding telehealth opportunities. You can my recently published op-ed on this legislation here.

Highlighting Local Business

I am delighted to highlight local Buena Park restaurant Yoko House of Donkatsu. Yoko provides the Orange County community with amazing dishes like donkatsu and udon. I am proud to recognize this local business and congratulate them on their years of service.

What I'm Reading

Improving Health Care Access and Lowering Costs Through Innovation

"With rapidly rising costs and increased demand for services, America’s healthcare system desperately needs solutions that drive down costs while improving patient health. One such solution is the Equal Access to Specialty Care Everywhere (EASE) Act, legislation in Congress which would break down barriers to health care access, reduce costs and improve the quality of care by expanding telehealth opportunities."

"Nguyen Phu Trong, leader of Vietnam’s Communist Party, died Friday after a 13-year tenure as the most powerful leader of the one-party state, state media reported. Trong, 80, has suffered from ill health for several years. Party officials said Thursday that he was relinquishing his responsibilities to focus on his treatment. Trong’s departure leaves a power vacuum and opens a rare window of political uncertainty in Vietnam, one of the world’s few remaining communist dictatorships that typically orchestrates its transitions of power."

Read More

Thanks for taking the time to read about what I've been doing on behalf of Southern California families. Be sure to connect with my official Facebook, X, and Instagram pages, where I post the latest news and updates. It is an honor to serve you in Congress.

Sincerely,

Rep. Michelle Steel
Member of Congress

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