In March, 38 members of Inland Action participated in advocacy meetings in Washington, D.C. The group met with Senator Schiff, Senator Padilla’s staff, Congress Members Aguilar, Calvert, Chu, Corea, Obernolte, Peters, Ruiz, Takano, Torres, and Congressman Huffman’s Chief of Staff as well as Congressman Carbajal’s Legislative Director in addition to other key staff members.
Priority issues for the 2025 D.C. visit included:
- Support the Federal Funding of Education. Centralized education at the federal level promotes student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. To fulfill these goals in our region requires sustained support of Pell Grants, Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) programs. Consistent education for all is vital for ensuring all students have access to a quality education. Education through post-secondary is essential to workforce readiness, and workforce readiness is necessary to an economically healthier Inland Empire.
- Support for Federal Legislative and Funding Efforts to Mitigate and Prevent Wildfires via several bipartisan bills including Fix Our Forests Act of 2024 H.R. 8790 (Westerman/Peters), Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Act H.R. 9760 (Obernolte/Huffman), and a future package of Senate Bills including Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act (Daines/Padilla), the Fire Suppression and Response Funding Assurance Act (Sullivan/Padilla), and Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act (Daines/Padilla).
- Oppose Cuts to Medicaid. The potential cuts to Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California, pose a significant threat to the health and well-being of the Inland Empire region, a diverse area that encompasses Riverside and San Bernardino counties with over 40% of the population relying on Medicaid for health care. Beyond the Inland Empire, 21% of the entire country relies on Medicaid with significant impacts in rural areas.
- Construct a New Courthouse for the Eastern Division of the Central District of California to Accommodate the Increased Number of Judges Needed to Serve This Community. Throughout the history of the Eastern Division, more cases have been filed here than there are judges seated here to hear, and therefore a substantial number of cases are assigned to judges in another Division (usually in Los Angeles).
- Support Transportation Reauthorization Bill. Inland Southern California is the 12th largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States and continues to be one of the nation’s fastest-growing – larger than Detroit, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Denver, Baltimore, and many others yet constantly connected to all. Accordingly, the need to prioritize the safety, efficiency, and throughput of both people and goods in and on our transportation infrastructure has never been greater. For decades, the area’s advance entitlement and project delivery timeframes year-over-year exceed industry standards. The Inland Empire transportation sectors and providers are ready to move with a multi-year bill.
Inland Action’s entire issue papers are located at: https://www.inlandaction.com/federal-legislative-issues-2025/