November 2021
Good afternoon. I would like to provide you with a few updates about recent developments in Congress and share some important information.
Taking Action to Lower Gas Prices
President Biden announced the largest ever release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve just one day after Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) and I sent him a letter asking to take this step as well as ban crude oil exports to help bring down high gasoline and fuel prices.
To prevent Big Oil from gauging consumers over the long term, we need to make massive investments in renewables. Electrifying our cars, investing in public transit, & supporting solar, wind, & hydro will reduce demand for gasoline, bring down the price at the pump & provide long term stability. That's why I'm fighting in Congress to enact President Biden's Build Back Better agenda. It will save families up to an average of $500 a year on energy costs, lower gas prices, improve our energy independence, & tackle climate change by working towards our Paris goals.
Building Back Better
We got much closer to enacting the President's Build Back Better agenda after House passage this month of the Build Back Better Act, which will finally address the climate crisis, create good paying jobs, and make childcare accessible to all American families. I will continue to push for the Senate to swiftly pass this transformational legislation. Here are some of the ways the Build Back Better Act will help you and your family:
- Lowers the cost of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.
- Expands Medicare to cover hearing benefits.
- Establishes free universal preschool programs for all three and four-year-olds.
- Makes a historic investment in childcare to cut down costs for families.
- Extends the expanded Child Tax Credit to ensure that 39 million households continue to receive up to $3,600 in tax cuts per child.
- Extends the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to provide financial support to millions of low-wage workers.
- Extends and expands clean energy tax credits, ensures new technology will be built in the United States, and advances environmental justice by investing in projects that benefit disadvantaged communities.
This bill will help tackle inflation, give working families a tax cut to help pay for things like groceries and gas, and make childcare and prescription drugs more affordable. Even better, everything in the bill is paid for by making the wealthiest individuals and giant corporations pay their fair share in taxes.
Op-ed: I Voted for Bipartisan Infrastructure, Now We Must Pass the Build Back Better Act
In my op-ed for Fox News, I argued for the passage of the Build Back Better Act. It includes free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds and provides families with affordable childcare, paid family leave, creates new, good-paying clean energy jobs and much more. Build Back Better will lay the foundation for America's future, strengthen the working and middle class, unleash economic growth, and ensure we can compete with China to win the 21st century.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Becomes Law
This month I attended the White House signing ceremony where I had the privilege of witnessing President Biden signing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, otherwise known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill (BIF), into law.
I was happy to vote for the BIF, which will make a long overdue investment in our roads, bridges, railroads, airports, and dramatically expands broadband access. Specifically, this historic infrastructure package makes the largest federal investment in public transit ever, the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak, the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system, the largest investment in clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in American history and expands access to reliable high-speed internet.
In the coming months, we will see the BIF deliver for California, providing internet access to the more than half a million Californians who currently lack it, providing billions to repair California's water infrastructure, improving public transit, and expanding its electric vehicle charging network.
Continuing the Push for Funding of Local Projects
Our 10 Community Project Funding requests for CA-17 that passed the House won't be passed into law this year, but they are still expected to included in an omnibus government funding package that is expected to pass Congress in the first few months of 2022. I will keep pressing the Senate for swift passage of the House-passed appropriations bills that includes funding for vital community projects in CA-17 and across the nation.
I will also keep pushing for funding of the Member Designated Projects community project funding. While the Member Designated Projects were not included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we will continue to highlight the need for funding those projects through other funding vehicles.
Keep Innovation in America Act
I partnered with Reps. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Tim Ryan (D-OH) to introduce the Keep Innovation in America Act. This legislation will fix the digital asset reporting provisions in the BIF and provide clarity to technology innovators and entrepreneurs.
Specifically, it will ensure consistent information reporting on digital asset transactions, particularly cryptocurrency. Regulations must match the technology they regulate to ensure they do not stifle entrepreneurship, innovation, or impede privacy rights.
While we must ensure people pay their fair share of taxes from crypto earnings, Congress should not crush this emerging technology nor pick winners and losers. This bill will fix some of the issues with the provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and be a good starting point for thoughtful legislation moving forward.
Foreign Agents Registration Modernization (FARM) Act
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO-4) and I partnered with Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to introduce the Foreign Agents Registration Modernization Act (FARM), which would require the Department of Justice to create an electronic database of foreign agents readily accessible and searchable by the American public.
Such records have exposed the massive Saudi lobbying campaign against my legislative efforts to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. In the 21st century, all Americans should have easy access to this info, and it shouldn't take a research team to dig through cumbersome foreign agent filings.
U.S.-Taiwan Public Health Protection Act
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and I introduced the U.S.-Taiwan Public Health Protection Act, which establishes a U.S.-Taiwan Infectious Disease Monitoring Center within the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) to partner with Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to monitor infectious diseases originating in the region, engage in people-to-people contacts with medical and health officials in the region, and provide expertise on health threats to the U.S. and Taiwanese governments.
We must learn from countries like Taiwan that grasped the dangers of this pandemic early on and had success in suppressing it. By establishing a U.S.-Taiwan Infectious Disease Monitoring Center, Congress can help prevent future pandemics and ensure important knowledge sharing can take place between the U.S. and Taiwan.
Protecting Meatpacking Workers
Just before Thanksgiving, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and I introduced the Protecting America's Meatpacking Workers Act, which would provide stronger workplace protections for meat and poultry processing workers.
The COVID-19 pandemic publicly exposed the dangerous conditions that meatpackers employed by large multinational corporations face, but this has been a problem for a long time. I'm proud to join Senator Booker to establish enhanced protections and safety standards at these mega meatpacking plants. It's time to prioritize people over profits and implement real reforms that will keep workers safe.
Updates in the District
It was an honor and a privilege to celebrate Veterans' Day in the district. I participated in the annual ceremony and parade in San Jose, and later met with a group of veterans who served in Afghanistan. I also had the opportunity to thank healthcare workers at a local COVID vaccination site and express gratitude to several groups who have helped those in need during these trying times. Connecting with constituents on a personal level are what trips home are all about, and I am optimistic that as we will be able to ramp up in-person activities once we get through the COVID era, hopefully next year. I can't wait to get back to doing town halls in CA-17!
Internships in DC and the District
We are now accepting Winter/Spring 2022 applications until tomorrow, December 1, 2021. Our District Office is also accepting applications for Winter Quarter/Spring Semester interns, but the deadline is today, November 30th.
The D.C. office has two types of internships available: an in-person internship and a remote, research-focused internship. All interns are paid $15.00 per hour for a minimum of 15 hours/week and maximum of 30 hours/week for DC internships and District Office interns work a standard 12 hours/week (spread over 3-4 days).
To apply, please go to my website and follow the instructions: internships
Facebook Live Town Halls
Thank you to all who participated in this month's Facebook Live town hall. In December, I will host a town hall on Tuesday, December 7th at 6pm Pacific. Please be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram@RepRoKhanna.
Preventing Apparel Waste
I sent a letter to Administrator Regan at the Environmental Protection Agency and Secretary Raimondo at the Department of Commerce to consider the problem of apparel waste. In the letter, I raised concerns over the environmental impact of fashion waste and highlighted opportunities to recycle or repurpose apparel. The fashion industry is responsible for ten percent of global carbon emissions and 20 percent of all wastewater. Recycling and repurposing apparel would not only help cut carbon emissions, but also provide economic opportunities to communities and create sustainable jobs.
Updating Campus Climate Surveys
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and I, along with 77 other members of Congress, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona asking him to update guidance regarding Campus Climate surveys. Campus Climate surveys are a tool used to assess campus culture on a variety of issues including sexual violence. To change the culture on college campuses, we need to have accurate, standardized data that encompasses the full scope of sexual violence.
Videos
Addressing Inflation and Rising Gas Prices
Yes on Infrastructure and Build Back Better
Subpoenaing Big Oil on Climate Disinformation
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.