Congressman Garamendi: Delivering for the 3rd District
Despite being in the minority party for most of his tenure in Congress, John Garamendi has delivered a remarkable amount of tangible results for the 3rd District and for Americans across the country. Here are some highlights:
- Passing Legislation: 66 bills he has cosponsored have been signed into law.
- Veterans: Thanks to the advocacy of Congressman Garamendi and his staff, more than $9.1 million in benefits earned by 3rd District veterans have been returned to them. Local veteran service providers know to call the Congressman’s office if they encounter a veteran facing unacceptable bureaucratic delays.
- National Defense: Congressman Garamendi serves on the Conference Committee responsible for authoring the National Defense Authorization Act. In this role, he has helped protect the missions at Travis and Beale Air Force bases and has been an advocate for servicemembers. He even stopped the early deactivation of the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron and Global Hawk mission at Beale Air Force Base. He has secured new health care resources for veterans, protected military families from unhealthy living conditions in privatized military housing, and empowered the military to address the effects of climate change.
- Make It In In America: Congressman Garamendi is a leader in the Make It In America movement to revitalize American manufacturing and to create more American jobs in manufacturing, research, construction, and equipment maintenance. After a multi-year effort, he succeeded in increasing America’s Buy America requirement from 60% to 70% for all rail cars and buses purchased with federal taxpayer dollars. He also succeeded in passing a five-year extension of the wind and solar tax credits necessary to grow America’s clean energy manufacturing sector.
- Farm Bill: On the Conference Committee responsible for finalizing the Farm Bill, Garamendi was a forceful advocate for Northern California farmers.
- The Farm-to-Fork Movement: Garamendi led the effort to stop a local school district from purchasing canned peaches in China, when plenty of local farmers provide local options with stronger food safety standards.
- Flood Safety: Serving on the Conference Committee for the Water Resources and Reform Development Act, Garamendi provided direct financial support to essential flood protection projects, like the Marysville Ring Levee and levees along the Feather River. He was also a major advocate for the Hamilton City J Levee.
- Oil-by-Rail Safety: Garamendi's leadership ensured that the Administration is pursuing a national volatility standard to reduce the explosive nature of Bakken crude oil transported by rail. He has persistently lent his voice to efforts to stop oil-by-rail trains from traveling through the 3rd District, which is especially important in our region given how many population centers and schools are directly adjacent to the impacted rail lines.
- Save the Delta, Stop the Twin Tunnels: Garamendi is recognized as one of the leaders in the thus far successful fight to stop construction of the twin tunnels, which represent an existential threat to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. He has introduced a comprehensive alternative water strategy that would protect the Delta and increase water availability throughout the state. This plan is widely circulated among water policymakers and offers our state a way forward.
- A More Reliable Water Supply: Working with his Republican colleague Rep. Doug LaMalfa, Congressman Garamendi continues to help Sites Reservoir in Colusa County clear all federal hurdles. Thanks to the work of Congressmen Garamendi and LaMalfa, the Bureau of Land Management is expected to release its analysis of the project next year.
- GPS Backup: Americans don’t realize how dependent their everyday lives are on GPS, and it’s a system vulnerable to hackers and terrorists. Garamendi authored legislation that passed the House to establish a GPS backup system known as eLoran.
- Protecting Religious Freedom: With Garamendi’s help, a Sikh man from Marysville was allowed to maintain his religious attire while serving in the U.S. Army.
- Hate Crimes Tracking: After Garamendi lobbied the Department of Justice for a change in policy, the FBI began tracking hate crimes targeting Sikhs, Hindus, and Arab Americans. This data will help us better understand and respond to hate-based violence.