Dear Community Member,

This week, a Continuing Resolution (CR) for our federal budget was passed out of the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, this is a partisan bill that does not invest in our communities and continues cutting essential services relied on by working families.

A few weeks ago, Speaker Mike Johnson chose to stop negotiating on a reasonable short-term continuing resolution that would invest in our nation. Instead, the Speaker and the Majority passed a partisan government funding bill that cuts housing assistance for working families, food assistance for seniors, services for veterans exposed to toxic substances, and more. These types of cuts will make it harder for working families to make ends meet, especially when grocery prices are high, and the economy continues to stumble. I voted against the CR.

What’s in the Continuing Resolution?

This CR would extend current government funding levels but fails to include key investments on issues essential to our community in California’s 19th Congressional District, including:

• Housing: The CR would cut rent subsidies for working Americans by more than $700 million, risking eviction for 32,000 households including veterans, survivors of domestic violence, seniors, and families with disabilities. The CR would also cut $168 million from homeless services across the country.
  
  
• Disaster Relief Fund: The CR does not meaningfully replenish the disaster relief fund. As written, the CR would not appropriate enough funding to get this program through the remainder of the fiscal year. Additionally, the CR includes no disaster assistance for our neighbors impacted by the recent Los Angeles wildfires.
  
  
• Veteran Care: The CR omits $22.8 billion in advance funding for the Toxic Exposures Fund leaving veterans, who were exposed to burn pits during service, without certainty of care.
  
  
• Infrastructure: The CR would cut $1.4 billion (44 percent) from Army Corps Construction activities and all project funding levels will be at the discretion of the administration, risking critical waterway, flood risk, and ecological projects.
  
  
• Cancer Research: The CR would cut $280 million from the National Institutes of Health, affecting research on cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases.
  
  
• IRS Services: The CR would freeze $20 billion meant to improve IRS customer service during tax season, potentially delaying constituents’ tax refunds.
  
  
• Broadband: The CR would cut support for the rural broadband Community Connect program by $30 million, undercutting key investments in Rural America.
  
  
• Community Projects: The CR would mean every district, including ours, loses out on funding for essential local projects. I fought for $15 million for projects across California’s 19th Congressional District, but House Republicans stripped all community-directed funding at the last minute.
  
  

Rep. Panetta hosts another town hall in California's 19th Congressional District.

Why I Voted No

I voted against this bill because I refuse to grant more power to President Trump and Elon Musk to slash services for hard working families. This CR continues their efforts to dismantle government agencies, leaving critical services for our veterans, health care, housing, public lands, and local communities underfunded and at risk. I refuse to give Donald Trump and Elon Musk a free pass to gut the essential services that keep our country running.

I am committed to standing up for the working families of California’s 19th District and fighting for the federal support and services that they have earned. This CR appears to be about dismantling the very institutions that provide the earned services to Americans, and not about negotiating for responsible governance.

What Happens Next?

The bill narrowly passed the House (217-213) and now moves to the Senate, where it needs 60 votes to pass by Friday, March 14, at midnight to avoid a shutdown

Republicans need to come back to the table and work in good faith to keep the government open. Democrats have offered a four-week extension to government funding to allow for negotiations toward a responsible agreement on our federal budget. We need to ensure government works for the people, and I stand ready negotiate and vote on a way forward.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Panetta
United States Representative
19th Congressional District, California