By U.S. Rep. Susan Davis
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The 116th Congress will be historic in many respects thanks to its freshman class. The incoming group of freshmen will be the most diverse ever elected to the House and Senate. In January, 42 women will be sworn in as new members, bringing the total number of women in the 116th Congress to 126. I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues, who bring much needed diverse perspectives to Congress.
As the 116th Congress commences, I will continue to serve as a strong leader on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. I will also be voting to support Nancy Pelosi as the next Speaker of the House on the first day of the new Congress. I am confident that Leader Pelosi has the leadership skills to unify the Democratic Caucus and pass legislation. We’ll have no time to waste!
A preview of our legislative priorities include a government and elections reform bill, an infrastructure package, a bill to fund gun violence research, and proposals to curb the rising cost of drug prices, among others.
House Freshman Orientation Presentation — I was honored to have been chosen to share my experience with constituent services during the House Freshman Orientation. This new class of Representative-Elects was up early and asking questions that showed they are ready to get to work! As the only woman on the panel, I was moved by the new energy that the incredible group of freshman women brought to the room.
Speaking at NATO Parliamentary Assembly–As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, I joined the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Halifax, Canada to present my report on Russian meddling in elections. During the presentation, I told the group that Russian cyber interference comes largely in the form of disinformation specifically aiming to spread false information to undermine democratic institutions. I also urged NATO member governments and parliaments to adopt measures such as regular risk assessments of election infrastructure and to consider mandating post-election security audits, among other initiatives.
Urging VA to Ensure Full Education Benefits for Veterans–Due to its failure to fully implement the Forever GI bill amid technological issues, the Department of Veterans Affairs is underfunding and delaying education benefits to veterans. I recently joined my colleagues in calling on the VA to remedy the problem and make sure veterans are fully reimbursed for lost benefits. Our veterans should not be shortchanged on their education benefits because of a computer glitch. These benefits are a promise we made to servicemembers and this promise must be kept. The VA needs to make whole the benefits these veterans have earned.
2018 Constituent Mail Issue of the Year: Immigration –Of all the most pressing issues this year, constituents contacted me most about immigration issues. Since January, I have received over 750 letters on topics ranging from funding for the border wall to asylum seekers and refugees. Despite varying opinions, constituents of the of the 53rd district overwhelmingly opposed many of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. For example, I received 468 constituent letters denouncing the administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy of separating families at the border.
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Davis, a Democrat and member of the Jewish community, represents a San Diego district in the U.S. Congress
Dr. Lurie, I’m so disappointed to read your comment. I know you are a passionate defender of Israel, but by what right do you or anyone have to read someone out of the Jewish community on any grounds, much less a past vote with which you disagreed? Susan Davis has been and always will be a good friend of Israel, having lived on a kibbutz as a young woman and up to this very day attending and participating fully in synagogue and other Jewish community affairs in San Diego. You think she was wrong to support former President Obama’s nuclear control pact with Iran–a pact which has since been cancelled by President Trump. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you are right, and she was wrong. Instead of trying to excommunicate her, try instead to persuade her, using your logic, not your anger. And don’t dismiss out of hand her point of view. As someone who has served San Diego as leader of the Price Fellowship program, in the League of Voters, on the San Diego School Board, in the State Assembly, and in Congress, Susan Davis has had long and thorough exposure to issues, and she is far more often right than wrong. So remember the way AIPAC has divided Congress: There are friends and there are potential friends, and, don’t intentionally alienate anyone. Our community–yours, mine, and Susan Davis’s–is far too small to be fragmented further. — Donald H. Harrison, editor
Haven’t forgotten your vote in favor of Obama’s Iran nuclear deal
That threatens Israel and the world….Netanyahu said “no deal is better than a bad deal”.
What does Susan Davis is a “member of the Jewish community “ mean …? In the larger sense? Regarding allowing Iran to have nukes to carry out it’s avowed goal to destroy the Jewish state…