A Message from Representative TJ Cox

Hello Mr. xxxxxx,

This is TJ Cox, your representative in Congress over the last two years. I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your trust, support, and inspiration. I also want to share one last story with you as I leave office.

Unfortunately, I learned, for the Temores family the Navy fell short in their mission. This treatment of a heroic family for one of our fallen soldiers was unacceptable and I swore to do something about it. And we did.

However, I learned that families of fallen servicemembers are not always treated well by our Armed Forces. When Bethany Temores, the wife of Oscar Temores, joined me as my guest at the President’s 2020 State of Union address in Washington, I learned of her story of being disrespected by the officers assigned to help her and her family. 

Among other issues, the Temores family had to fight just to get Oscar’s remains delivered close to his final resting place. I have nothing but respect for those who wear the uniform and that includes the part of our military which notifies and serves the families of fallen servicemembers - the Casualty Assistance Calls Program or CACO. Unfortunately, I learned, for the Temores family the Navy fell short in their mission. This treatment of a heroic family for one of our fallen soldiers was unacceptable and I swore to do something about it. And we did.

They say things take forever on Capitol Hill, but just yesterday, the reforms I introduced to fix the CACO process became law. Less than a year after this problem was brought to my attention, I used the power of Congress to fix it. We can’t dull the everlasting pain of losing a loved one, but we owe these moms, dads, spouses, and children every bit of respect and support we can provide. I hope the Temores family can take a bit more solace in knowing their loss and tribulations resulted in a law that will ensure no other family ever has to endure the same ordeal.

I was proud to be selected to preside over the vote for our Farm Workforce Modernization Act - the first piece of bipartisan immigration and workforce legislation to pass the House in over 30 years. This legislation would provide for an efficient, legal process to meet our farm workforce needs.

I fought to correct a 50 year injustice and to give all Vietnam Veterans the recognition and benefits they deserve. Yesterday, my Forgotten Vietnam Veterans bill that was incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act became law.

Although I served on the Agriculture and Natural Resources committees (two committees critical for our district), I did so much work on Veterans issues, that I was often asked if I was on the Veteran Affairs committee. One additional bill that was also passed into law was my Caring for Survivors Act of 2020. This legislation allows surviving spouses to remarry and maintain their benefits, consistent with other federal survivor programs.

I also got a $500,000 increase in funding for the USDA Agriculture Research Station in Parlier. Critical crop, pest and other agricultural relevant research is being performed at the USDA facility in Parlier and I was surprised to learn they hadn’t had a visit from a member of Congress in over 10 years. I also learned that their annual budget hadn’t been adjusted for inflation in years, which was impacting their ability to expand their research and benefit to industry. I promised to do something about that and delivered in this year’s appropriation bill. Keep up the good work!

It has been the honor of my life to serve you in Congress and I look forward to continuing that work any way I can. Though I’m leaving Washington, I still work for you.

Thank you.

In your service,

TJ Cox
Member of Congress
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