I came home to listen, and here’s what I heard

Farmers and veterans. Town Halls and town squares. Hard hats…and robots.

These are just some of the sights, sounds and people I encountered as I kicked off my First 100 Days Listening Tour last weekend. I heard from hundreds of community members across our district about what they care about – whether it was at our town hall or open office hours, at the Hammon Senior Center in Patterson, the Stanislaus County Veterans Center in Modesto, or with operators of Don Pedro Dam.

All presented an opportunity to leave behind the divisiveness in Washington and focus on our needs. Here’s what I heard:

First, people are fired up – I saw it at our very last set of open office hours in Manteca, where on a Monday nearly 40 neighbors crammed into the tiny lobby of a fire station to share their stories.

I saw it at our town hall meeting, where Republicans, Democrats and independents all came not to point fingers and shout, but to have a conversation about the core issues that impact us right now – jobs, health care, water, education and economic mobility.

We saw it play out last year too, through a record-breaking level of grassroots engagement in the Central Valley. This year, that energy turns to making sure the voices of our communities are heard in Washington.

Second, I heard a lot of frustration about the government shutdown. The impacts of this shutdown are enormous, and communities like ours are even harder hit.

I met a family of five who worried about putting food on the table if SNAP benefits dry up. I heard from farmers who can’t access loans, and a college instructor concerned that potential students wouldn’t be able to get the forms needed for financial-aid applications. This is unacceptable.

I’ve voted 10 times now to re-open the government, taking up the same bills that passed with bipartisan support at the end of last year before the new class of representatives arrived and the House was controlled by Republicans.

This shutdown is hurting our families and businesses, and I’m committed to working across the aisle to put an end this political charade.

Finally, I heard a real desire for bipartisan cooperation. As a community of farmers and builders, pragmatism is in the Valley’s lifeblood. I am not the representative of the people who agree with me, I am not the representative of people who voted for me. I’m the representative of every person in this district. I am here to listen and serve you.

We can start by working on the issues that impact us on a daily basis. We agree that we need to bring prescription drug costs down; we agree we need to strengthen protections against corruption and big money in politics; we agree that we need to grow our economy and bring good jobs to the Valley.

My commitment to you is that I will work with anyone, no matter what party, to pass policies that make a real difference to our community.

I’d love to keep hearing about your priorities.