2020's Congressional Art Competition is here

Each year, one outstanding high school artist from the 22nd Congressional District has the opportunity to display his or her artwork for a year at a national exhibition in the U.S. Capitol. Members of Congress choose a winner of the contest, known as the Congressional Art Competition, from their district whose art will be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol. The tunnel is the most highly traveled access point to the Capitol, with Members of Congress and thousands of tourists viewing the artwork daily.

If you are interested in competing for a place in the national exhibition, please review the guidelines. In addition, all participants will need to complete the student release form, which should be included with all art entries. Finally, all art must be delivered by April 17, 2020, to my Visalia office at 113 North Church Street, Suite 208. For more information please call (559) 733-3861 or stop by my Visalia office.

2019's winner: "My Dog Coco" by Andrea Rivera, Buchanan High School

Tide Turns in California's Water Wars

While campaigning in 2016, then-candidate Trump promised that the Central Valley’s water supply would no longer be held captive by radical environmentalists. This week, both President Trump and Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt visited the Valley to make official the Trump administration’s plans to return water to the Valley.

On Wednesday, President Trump signed a second presidential memorandum to formally adopt policies that will deliver more water to the Valley. In addition to implementing new biological opinions that govern how much water flows through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, President Trump directed the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce to develop more water storage infrastructure so that Valley farmers, families, and communities can have a more bountiful and reliable water supply. Since before my election to Congress, I have fought to reclaim the water that California’s radical environmentalists have flushed out to the Pacific Ocean. With this week’s actions, President Trump has turned the tide in California’s decades-long water wars.

Along with other Republican congressmen, I joined President Trump for the signing ceremony. To watch video of the signing, click on the image below.

World Ag Expo, exchange students come to the Valley

Tuesday marked the start of the Central Valley’s 53rd annual World Ag Expo. Hosted by the International Agri-Center in Tulare, the World Ag Expo displays the latest in farm equipment from more than 1,450 exhibitors, drawing over 100,000 visitors. With Congress in session this week, I unfortunately had to miss this year’s World Ag Expo. However, my staff attended and enjoyed celebrating the Valley’s farming expertise.

Back in DC, I was honored to meet with students from the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program on Wednesday. Administered by the State Department, the FLEX program awards scholarships to a select number of high school students from Europe and Asia to spend an academic year in the United States, living with a family and attending an American high school.

These students – from Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine – are enjoying their time at Mt. Whitney High School, Redwood High School, and University Preparatory High School in Visalia. I hope they will develop a lifelong connection to the Central Valley and their host families!

Looking ahead after a successful State of the Union

On Tuesday, President Trump delivered his State of the Union address. As President Trump demonstrated, the United States is thriving. The economy is booming for working Americans of all backgrounds, our nation has been made safer by eliminating terrorists like Qassem Soleimani, and we achieved bipartisan successes on criminal justice reform and the USMCA.

While Tuesday night provided an opportunity to reflect on our nation’s successful last three years, we must continue to pursue reforms that improve Americans’ lives. To that point, I am introducing legislation to increase transparency in our healthcare costs. Titled the Fair and Honest Advanced Cost Estimate for Patients Act, this bill requires healthcare providers and facilities to work with insurers to provide a cost estimate for scheduled services directly to individuals. Thus, both privately insured and uninsured individuals will no longer be blindsided by the cost of their healthcare services. I am hopeful this bill will be another bipartisan triumph for the American people.