Dear neighbor,

Tuesday night, I hosted a telephone town hall with thousands of CA-36 constituents. I’m grateful to everyone who joined and participated. This was a great opportunity to not only speak to many of you, but to hear directly from you. We asked 3 questions to everyone on the call and the results were overwhelming:

1. A majority believe there should not be conditions attached to federal aid for disaster victims in Southern California.
2. A majority disagree with Donald Trump that the Department of Education should be eliminated.
3. A majority have serious concerns about the future of our nation.

I agree on all of these points. That’s why I’m working nonstop to fight back against Republican attempts to condition disaster aid. We shouldn't be using the pain and suffering of disaster victims to try to enact a partisan agenda. When Mother Nature strikes, she doesn't care about political ideologies.

When it comes to education, we shouldn’t jeopardize our children’s future to score political points. Eliminating the Department of Education would have a huge effect on special needs children, teachers, services that support local school districts, and students who get loans for higher education or may get discriminated against at school. I will always fight for our students and schools.

Lastly, I understand people’s serious concerns about the future. The Trump Administration’s extreme actions can be overwhelming and depressing. However, we’re fighting back on multiple fronts. Over 55 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump Administration’s illegal actions, resulting in many of his orders being halted by judges appointed by Reagan, Bush, and even Trump himself.

During these trying times, I often reflect on a quote by Abraham Lincoln: ‘Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.’ Our voices matter. Together, we can work to protect congressionally authorized agencies and departments like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB).

With your help and support, we’re going to fight back and protect our democracy.

Listen to my full town hall below:

ADVOCATING FOR LOWER COSTS: Congressional Republicans continue to do everything but uphold Trump’s promise to lower the cost of living. Instead of holding hearings on price gouging or how big companies are ripping people off, Republicans had a hearing on Twitter and Facebook. Watch me talk about what people actually care about.

LEGISLATION SPOTLIGHT: This has been an especially busy week as I continue to push for policies that protect and support the American people. I’m pleased to share that the House passed the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act, of which I am an original co-sponsor, to ensure HUD does not count disability benefits as income for disabled veterans trying to qualify for housing assistance. Additionally, I co-led the introduction of the Space Infrastructure Act to protect our space technology by designating it as critical infrastructure. I also helped introduce the Security Clearance Review Act, which prevents advisors to the President from accessing our nation’s sensitive intelligence without proper security reviews or congressional oversight.

SPECIAL ENROLLMENT FOR COVERED CALIFORNIA: LA and Ventura County residents are eligible for a special enrollment period of Covered California until March 8, 2025. Those signing up for 2025 coverage may be eligible for more financial help than ever before due to state and federal investments, such as lower out-of-pocket costs and deductibles in certain cost-sharing reduction plans. To get help with enrollment, please visit CoveredCA.com or speak to a service center member for help at (800) 300-1506.

RAIN READINESS: Recent burn areas are at a higher risk for debris flows and water runoff that may contain hazardous substances. Additional safety precautions should be taken, especially if you are in an area that was impacted by the recent wildfires. For more information, please visit the LA Emergency Management Department.

LA DISASTER RELIEF NAVIGATOR: An online tool is available that asks personalized questions to create individual Disaster Action Plans on LACity.gov. LA County’s Funding and Resources portal is available at www.lacounty.gov/relief.

Please note that the deadline for FEMA & SBA disaster relief applications is coming up soon. For more information on all recovery resources, please visit our website at lieu.house.gov/fireresources.

As always, my office is here to help you. Please don’t hesitate to call our LA office at (323) 651-1040. 

I look forward to updating you again soon.

Warmly,

Ted