July 2022

August 1, 2022

Good afternoon. I would like to provide you with a few updates about recent developments in Congress and share some important information.

Revitalizing American Science and Technology

I, alongside my colleagues in the House and Senate, recently voted to pass the CHIPS and Science Act into law. This bill is a transformative science and technology bill that will revitalize American manufacturing, create jobs, and lower prices. In doing so, we ensure that our country will remain a leader in the 21^st century and competitive with adversaries like China.

Earlier this congress, I introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Endless Frontier Act with Majority Leader Schumer, Senator Young and Representative Gallagher. This legislation was included in the final package including funding to establish ten tech hubs across the country and expand the National Science Foundation to fund advance research in the key technology areas of the future.

This bill will help bring about a new, economic patriotism that can help bring Americans together and stitch this country back together. I'm proud to have played a role in its passage and look forward to seeing it swiftly signed into law.

Crafting Meaningful Legislation To Combat Inflation and Fight Climate Change

I was recently incredibly heartened to find out that two of my colleagues on the Senate side, Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer, were able to arrive at a deal with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. I have been saying for months that Democrats need to engage with Manchin and I'm glad that he and Senator Schumer have reached an agreement which I support.

This bill, if passed, will introduce sweeping changes to economic policy, including extending and expanding the provisions of the Affordable Care Act and increased taxes on large corporations. It will also include about $358 billion in climate and energy spending and tax breaks, including $260 billion in clean energy tax breaks, $80 billion in electric vehicle and green energy at home rebates, and a $27 billion "green bank" of funds to invest in clean energy technology and infrastructure.

These investments are critical in our ongoing fight against climate change, as we attempt to mitigate the harmful effects of global warming and save our futures, and that of future generations as well. While this will be the largest investment in a renewable future, it's not enough. The White House and progressives should build on this progress. I want to see the White House declare a climate emergency. We can't just pass one piece of legislation and call it a day. This is an existential threat and we need to use all the tools at our disposal.

Local Community Project Funding

Earlier this month, I voted to fund $29.5 million in Community Project Funding (CPF) that I secured for CA-17. Below are my 10 Community Project Funding requests which were included in the House's "minibus" appropriations package:

City of Fremont - Commercial District Wi-Fi Access Expansion ($1,500,000)
City of Newark - Thornton Ave Alternate Route Corridor Pavement Rehabilitation($2,000,000)
City of San Jose - Gap Year Funding for the SureStay Emergency Interim Housing Site ($2,500,000)
City of Santa Clara - Anna Drive Neighborhood Flood Protection Project($3,000,000)
City of Sunnyvale - Stevens Creek Trail Extension Project ($3,000,000)
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority - VTA Operations Control Center($2,000,000)
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley - Second Harvest of Silicon Valley Consolidated Operational Facility ($10,000,000)
Sunnyvale Community Services - New Roof and Solar Energy System ($1,500,000)
East Bay Community Energy - Fremont Municipal Critical Facility Resilience($1,000,000) (E&W)
City of Milpitas - Carbon Neutral Homes Incentive Program ($3,000,000) (E&W)

Four additional CPF projects have been approved by the House Appropriations Committee for passage on the House floor later this year:

Construction Trades Workforce Initiative - Establishing Union Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Pathways and Programs ($1,000,000)
County of Santa Clara - Bridge to Self-Sufficiency ($3,000,000)
De Anza College - California Youth Leadership Corps at De Anza College($351,000)
Gardner Family Health Network, Inc. - Alviso Health Center Solar Panels and Energy Storage Initiative - ($500,000)

After funding is approved on the House floor, the appropriations packages head to the Senate for consideration before the bills can be sent to the President's desk and signed into law. I will keep fighting to ensure that all of the 15 Community Project Funding requests I have submitted are advanced into law, to respond directly to some of the most pressing needs in Santa Clara and Alameda counties.
See the full list of the 15 CPF projects I submitted here.

Fighting for Supreme Court Term Limits

This month, I, alongside the team at U.S. News, wrote an op-ed about the need for Supreme Court term limits. In this, I discussed how instead of picking the best candidate for the job, presidents are stacking the court with younger and younger justices who can serve lengthy terms and help achieve political goals. We can't have a national political crisis every time there's a vacancy to fill on the Supreme Court. According to a new Gallup poll, only 25% of Americans have confidence in the Supreme Court – a record low. Term limits would help create the stability and impartiality that the Supreme Court urgently needs.

To answer this pressing need, I recently introduced The Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act. This Act would create an 18-year term limit for justices appointed after the law is enacted. After their 18-year terms, justices would then be allowed to continue their service on lower courts. Going forward, the bill would create a regular process to allow presidents to nominate a new justice to the Supreme Court every odd year – so two justices per four-year term. Justices would no longer have an incentive to strategize and plan their retirements around whichever party holds the White House. The goal of this bill is to restore judicial independence and faith in the highest court in the land.

Reforms to the federal judiciary have occurred since the 18th century. This includes changes to the location of the court, the number of justices on the bench and the creation of appellate courts in 1891 to relieve the Supreme Court's caseload. Term limits for Supreme Court justices are not a radical concept – an overwhelming number of Americans support implementing them along with a range of scholars. It's long past time we take this realistic step to rebuild trust and independence in the Supreme Court. You can read the rest of my op-ed here.

Encouraging a stronger US-India Defense Partnership

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), and Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) and I recently introduced and passed a historic bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to strengthen the U.S.-India defense partnership. The measure also urges the Biden administration to use the authority Congress has provided to it to issue a waiver to ensure that India won't be sanctioned under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), a law that imposes secondary sanctions on countries purchasing arms from Russia.

While the United States should take additional action to help India accelerate its transition from Russian arms, the application of CAATSA sanctions in the current threat environment that India faces could have a devastating impact on the U.S.-India relationship. As China escalates its aggression along the Indian-Chinese border, the oldest democracy in the world must stand with the largest democracy world to send an unequivocal signal that sovereignty and international law must be respected. You can read the full language of the amendment here.

Protecting Contraception and Same Sex Marriage

This month, I voted to pass the Right to Contraception Act and the Respect for Marriage Act. These bills help legislatively protect rights that have been called into question after the Dobbs ruling that struck down Roe v Wade. The Respect for Marriage Act, if passed, will require the U.S. government to recognize and accept same-sex marriages, as well as including provisions to protect interracial marriages. The Right to Contraception Act, if passed, will protect access to contraceptives and create a statutory right for access to birth control. These bills now go to the Senate, where I urge my colleagues to pass them, so that these fundamental rights can be protected.

Videos

Discussing the US-India Amendment

Talking about the need for a Windfall Profit Tax on Big Oil

Passing the Bipartisan Innovation Act

Protecting Consumer Data and Strengthening National Security

I am thrilled that my bill, The Quantum Computing Cyber Security Preparedness Act, recently passed the House. This bill, co-sponsored by Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), and Nancy Mace (R-SC-1), will ensure that encryption used by the federal government to keep our systems and valuable data safe are quantum proof. It's not just our personal lives that would be upended in a post-quantum future. Our U.S. national security and government agencies data could be exposed and exploited as well. I'm thrilled that the House has passed my bipartisan bill with Reps. Connolly and Mace to proactively protect consumer data and strengthen our national security. Senators Hassan and Portman introduced the Senate companion, and I'm hopeful that the Senate will swiftly take up the bill and deliver it to the president's desk. To read the full language of the bill, click here.

Calling for Bolder Action on Baby Formula Shortage

This month, I wrote a letter to Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary Lloyd James Austin III, Secretary Xavier Becerra, Commissioner Robert M. Califf, and Administrator Robin Carnahan calling on them to take bold action to address the ongoing infant formula shortage and its impact on working class families.

Operation Fly Formula, alongside the Administration's invocation of the Defense Production Act, ensured that countless American families were able to feed their children during the height of the crisis. However, the demand for formula continues to outweigh the supply, and I believe bold action must be taken to address this continuing crisis. In my letter, I call for additional steps to tackle the shortage, including purchasing surplus baby formula in large quantities from Europe and supporting more funding to expedite the production of infant formula.

While every family is undoubtedly feeling the impact of this shortage, it's hitting working families the hardest: panic-fueled buying is furthering the shortages, and families who can't afford to stockpile formula continue to face price gouging from secondary sellers and exorbitant shipping costs from online retailers. I believe we must take robust action to support families across the nation, both through this current crisis and in the long term. To read the full text of the letter, click here.

Supporting the Brave Work of our Journalists and Whistleblowers

Alongside Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky, I recently re-introduced the Espionage Act Reform Act, to rewrite the hundred-year-old law governing when reporters and whistleblowers can be prosecuted for discussing government secrets. This bill reaffirms First Amendment protections for journalists who publish classified information, and ensures whistleblowers can effectively report waste, fraud and abuse to Congress. When one journalist is prosecuted for doing his or her job, that's a threat to all journalists. This legislation, if passed, would shield journalists from being charged under the Espionage Act, which was written to protect our country against spies. Our nation's strength rests on the freedom of the press and reporters must be allowed to work without fear of persecution. To see the full text of the bill, click here.

Discussing the Dangers of Leaded Aviation Fuel

This month, I held a hearing where we examined the health harms associated with leaded aviation fuel and its impacts on American communities and the environment.

Airborne lead exposure from aviation fuel is an urgent yet little-known health crisis impacting millions of people who live near general aviation airports in the United States. Lead is highly toxic and a probable carcinogen, causing health effects such as brain damage, learning disabilities, reduced fertility, nerve damage, and death. Despite the dangers associated with it, many airplanes continue to utilize leaded fuel, putting the health and safety of Americans—especially children—at risk.

In the United States, general aviation airports are often located in low-income communities and communities of color, causing those communities to suffer disproportionately from the health impacts of leaded aviation fuel. Lead exposure from aviation fuel is an ongoing environmental justice crisis. This hearing examined the impacts of leaded aviation fuel on American communities and on the environment to better understand the urgency of permanently phasing out the dangerous substance.

Listening to our Fast Food, Airport, and Long-Term Care Workers

This month, I spoke at a public briefing hosted by SEIU and the Fight for $15 featuring low-wage fast food, airport and long-term care workers from across the country who are organizing to rewrite the rules in their industries and win a stronger voice on the job.

Working people across the country are in a crisis. Wages aren't keeping up with the rising cost of living. Frontline workers who were once heralded as essential are being forced to withstand violence, harassment and ongoing COVID-19 risks on the job. Billion-dollar corporations are stealing workers' wages and busting their unions, all while the companies bring in record profits.

Federal labor law simply hasn't kept up with the reality of workers' lives. Even as partisan gridlock stalls labor reform in Congress, there is an enormous appetite on the state level to allow workers to organize across industries and have a voice in advancing solutions to racial and economic inequality.

From coast to coast, working people are rising and demanding that corporations stop fighting against their workers and instead sit down at the table to negotiate better pay and better jobs. But even in this once-in-a-generation moment of worker unrest, too many workers still face systemic obstacles to joining together in a union and bargaining with their employer to raise workplace standards and improve conditions on the job.

District Update: Back to In-Person Town Hall Meetings!

It was exciting to recently have our first in-person town hall meeting since the start of the pandemic! The benefits of personally interacting with constituents just can't be beat. I was able to give an update about current events in DC, and folks were able to express their views and concerns about many issues, including climate change, protecting voting rights, immigration and visa logjams, foreign policy, common sense gun control, the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions, and more.

I was very pleased that a large majority of guests heeded our strong urging to wear masks, as we need to continue to be vigilant as things reopen.

Prior to COVID, I hosted 37 consecutive monthly town hall meetings in venues across the district. Fremont did a wonderful job of hosting our return event at the new Downtown Event Center. We'll now return to monthly in-person meetings, with the next one to be on Sunday August 28. Stay tuned for the location and details!

Constituent Services

Caseworkers in my Santa Clara office are available to help Silicon Valley residents navigate the bureaucracy of federal agencies and any other concerns during the COVID-19 crisis. My staff can help you solve problems with immigration, visas, Social Security payments and VA paperwork, among other areas. Please call my office at (408) 436-2720 between 9:00am and 5:00pm Monday-Friday if you need assistance. Your call will be promptly answered (remotely) by my staff. You can also contact me online at any time at Khanna.house.gov/contact. While we are unable to meet in-person, my staff is ready to help. Visit my website for more information.

Best,