Every Veterans Day, we honor those who have dedicated themselves in service to our nation. To America’s veterans: thank you for your dedication to this country. This Veterans Day, we commit to honoring our veterans by remembering their service, expressing our gratitude for their sacrifices, and delivering on the promises we’ve made to them.

But we must do more than say “thank you for your service.” We owe the men and women who bravely serve our nation in the military, and their families, the highest quality support programs when they come home — including the nearly 40,000 veterans in California’s Second District.

During the 116th Congress, it has been my honor to work on and move forward legislation to support our veterans. This session, I introduced the RURAL Veterans Act to improve the VA’s ability to provide quality health care access for veterans in rural areas. Staffing shortages lead to low quality care, longer wait times, and disrupt veterans’ overall access to necessary health care. My bill would solve the problem by creating a new and specialized VA rural recruitment office, requiring VA to develop a targeted, nationwide plan for recruiting doctors to serve veterans in rural areas, and providing annual reports on the status of rural VA health care to make sure we are meeting our goals.

I’m also working with colleagues to make good on our promise to support our veterans. In the 116th Congress, I’ve signed on to legislation that would bolster veterans’ access to suicide prevention services by distributing grants to familiar places our veterans turn to when they need help the most, including tribally designated housing entities and community-based organizations. I’ve also supported efforts to study Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, so we can learn how best to care for our loved ones suffering from PTSD.

We know that access to the outdoors is often linked with better health outcomes, so I have been an advocate for the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, which will help more veterans gain access to public lands and outdoors spaces for medical treatment and recreational therapy.

I am also supporting the Reduce Unemployment for Veterans of All Ages Act, to give veterans the tools they need to succeed in the transition back to the civilian workforce. …

This summer, California has seen more devastating wildfires than we’ve experienced in recorded history, building on a trend of record-breaking years. The science is clear: immediate, bold action is needed to protect our communities from extreme weather and climate-driven megafires.

I’m sending you this message to keep you up to date with the work I have been doing to help Californians prepare for and recover from wildfires, and my efforts to take meaningful action on climate change and land management so we can prevent future disasters. …

Legislation Holds Warren Buffett’s PacifiCorp Accountable for Impacts of Disastrous Klamath Dams

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, which included the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement Tribal Fairness amendment, led by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael). The amendment is designed to safeguard Tribal communities against further harm to the Klamath River and its ecosystem and remediate existing problems in the Klamath River basin and downstream communities caused by four aging dams owned by PacifiCorp, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. …

On Monday, Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02), Chair of the Natural Resources Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee and member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging him to use his authority to veto the flawed Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Pebble Mine on the grounds that the project would have significant negative impacts on Bristol Bay, Alaska.

“If constructed, the Pebble Mine would be the largest open pit gold and copper mine in North America. It would be sited at the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed, threatening a globally significant ecosystem and imperiling the world’s greatest wild sockeye salmon fishery, which drives a multimillion-dollar economy,” the Members wrote in their letter. “While USACE has announced the Pebble Mine cannot be permitted as currently proposed, it is important to note that USACE has not made a decision on the permit but has required the project sponsors to submit a mitigation plan in 90 days. There is no level of compensatory mitigation that would be sufficient to address the mine’s irreversible harm to the pristine environment that exists in Bristol Bay. It is thus critical that the EPA exercise its authority under the Clean Water Act and oppose the flawed Environmental Impact Statement. The Pebble Mine would put the livelihoods, cultures, and economy of Native Tribes and Bristol Bay communities at grave risk and we urge you to fulfill your mission to protect human health and the environment.” …

The Postal Service is a pillar of our communities, enshrined in the Constitution and essential for providing critical services that we all rely on, including delivering prescriptions, Social Security benefits, paychecks, tax returns, and absentee ballots to millions of Americans, including in rural communities that are often underserved. …

85 years ago today, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935 into law. With President Roosevelt’s signature, our nation made a down payment on a core promise: that after a lifetime of hard work, every American deserves to age with dignity and economic security.

1 in 5 Americans now relies solely on Social Security for income — in our district alone, 157,497 people receive earned benefits. Existing Social Security Benefits ensure that many constituents have a roof over their heads and food to eat. Families accessing benefits feel that they are already too low, that any mismanagement in budget could put them on the street. Further jeopardizing these benefits would catastrophic.

One of our constituents called our office early on in the pandemic because she is on Social Security, has multiple children, and is barely able to pay her bills each month. The pandemic meant that her bills were higher because her kids were home during the day and the family was using more food and utilities. …

Today, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) celebrated the announcement by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) Fisheries that it has reduced the outstanding principal balance on the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishing Capacity Reduction Buyback Loan by $5.9 million, with an effective date of January 14, 2020.

The loan reduction resolves an economic hardship suffered by the west coast groundfish fishing fleet due to longstanding accounting failures by the executive branch. The recalculation is a result of Congressional action led by Representative Huffman and his Pacific Northwest congressional colleagues, including recent legislative direction requiring NOAA to forgive the interest accrued on the loan that was directly attributable to NOAA’s delay in implementing a repayment system. …

Today, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) joined Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Rep. Peter King, and over 80 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expressing deep concerns about operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service that could have negative impacts on service standards and cause significant delays in mail delivery.

“It is vital that the U.S. Postal Service not reduce mail delivery times, which could harm rural communities, seniors, small businesses, and millions of Americans who rely on the mail for critical letters and packages,” wrote the Members. “Eliminating overtime and directing postal workers to leave mail on the floor of postal facilities will erode confidence in the Postal Service and drive customers away, resulting in even worse financial conditions in the future.” …