Welcome to Catch Up With Young Kim, my weekly e-newsletter to get you the latest on my work for you in Congress.

My team and I are here to serve you. If you ever need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. I also encourage you to receive real-time updates on my work for you in Congress by following me on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.

The Biden administration’s failed foreign policy is emboldening our adversaries and creating distrust from our allies and partners around the world.

I’ll keep pressing for strong American leadership and transparency as chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee.

Did you know that “The Spaceline for Earth” is in our community? Thank you to Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier and team for showing me and our 2023 App Challenge Top Category Winners your HQ in Tustin. Proud to say the mission of opening space to more people starts in our backyard!

Japan is a key ally of the United States and partner in countering aggression in the Indo-Pacific. This week I met with Japanese Ambassador Yamada to discuss U.S.-Japan shared priorities and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.

I appreciate the LA Area Chamber team stopping by my DC office to discuss how we can work together to support Southern California entrepreneurs. Our small business owners are job creators who keep our local economies strong.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. That means the CCP can access your data and control your algorithm. This week I voted to ensure social media platforms used in the U.S. are not beholden to foreign adversaries.

The United States’ ability to build and develop defense capabilities will determine our nation’s future security. We have to be able to keep up with our adversaries.

I asked in this week’s House Financial Services hearing how we can best strategically use the Defense Production Act.

Team Young celebrated the opening of Angela Kung Acupuncture in Mission Viejo and Mama Roscoe’s Pizzeria in Anaheim. We look forward to seeing these new small businesses thrive in our community.

Team Young commemorated the opening of a new affordable housing community with 71 homes in Lake Forest.

Thank you to the National Community Renaissance and Hope Through Housing for providing resources and opportunities for those who need them the most.

Team Young joined the Orange Chamber and our Orange community to thank the Orange City Council at the 2024 City Council Appreciation Breakfast. We’re grateful for your leadership and excited to continue to work together for our city!

Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North America Chief Supervisor Minnie Chiu came by this week to discuss issues impacting our Taiwanese American small businesses. Our friendship goes back decades and I’m so grateful for our partnership supporting entrepreneurs.

Great to see constituents in town from Trabuco Canyon and Tustin!

Visiting DC from CA-40 soon? Let my office know – we’d love to give you a tour of the U.S. Capitol.

Thank you to the Armenian American for stopping by my office to discuss the devastation from last year’s ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Artsakh. I’m proud to be a voice in Congress for our Armenian American community.

 

The Tibetan people have suffered the Chinese Communist Party’s oppression and control for 70 years and the CCP shows no signs of slowing down until it has erased Tibetan culture. I’m proud to lead the bipartisan charge with Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-02) to stand with Tibet.  

I was proud to vote on a commonsense appropriations bill to reduce our federal deficit, protect key programs like veterans’ care and our national defense, and provide resources for local priorities I fought for.

Inviting all CA-40 young artists! The 2024 Congressional Art Competition is now open through Monday, April 22, 2024.  
 

My office is seeing an increase in casework requests related to cybercrimes. As we see hackers use sophisticated tactics to take your personal information, please remain vigilant and be careful of suspicious links, calls, and messages. If something seems suspect, trust your instinct and do not click. 

My team and I are here to serve you.

In addition to our offices in Anaheim Hills and Mission Viejo, please don’t hesitate to stop by our mobile office hours: 

• Chino Hills Mobile Office Hours every Wednesday from 9AM-1PM at the City Clerk’s Office- 14000 City Center Drive, 2nd floor, Chino Hills
• Laguna Woods Mobile Office Hours the third Thursday of each month from 9AM-1PM at Laguna Woods City Hall- 24264 El Toro Road Laguna Woods, CA
• El Modena Mobile Office Hours first the Thursday of each month from 10AM-2PM at El Modena Branch Library-380 S Hewes Street Orange, CA.

To receive in-person assistance from my team on any casework you need help on. As always, you can call my office at (714) 984-2440 or (949) 268-6706 or visit my website at youngkim.house.gov.

Are you traveling planning travel for this year? Stop what you’re doing and check your passport!  

Processing times are now 6-8 weeks (routine) or 2-3 weeks (expedited, not incl. shipping). Start your renewal or application at travel.state.gov/passport.

Passport processing times are the fastest they’ve been since March 2020. Take advantage and apply or renew now so that you’re ready for international travel in the new year. 

Travel Tip -- Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after your departure. Look up your destination’s entry requirements at travel.state.gov/destination and check your passport expiration date before booking flights.

Travelers are encouraged to wait to book international travel until a valid passport is physically in hand, apply for a new or renewed passport 9 months prior to travel, and ensure that their passport doesn’t expire within 6 months of their international travel dates.

If your pending application was filed with routine service and you have upcoming travel, you may benefit from upgrading to expedited service. Please dial (877) 487-2778 to upgrade to expedited service and shipping.  

Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if we can assist you in any way at (714) 984-2440.  

The Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution as tensions around the world increase the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution. 

U.S. citizens should:

• Stay alert in locations frequented by tourists.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter and visit travel.state.gov.

If you are traveling abroad or are abroad please check the destination warning levels travel.state.gov, and be sure to register for the STEP program even if you are abroad. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office at my website or at (714) 984-2440 if you have any questions or need assistance.

If you need help with a federal agency, please reach out to my office. We’re here to serve you always.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Young Kim