Rep. Barragán Briefs: “NO” on Debt Ceiling and Congressional Croatian Caucus Relaunched

Rep. Barragán Statement on Debt Ceiling Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) released the below statement following her “no” vote last night on the package to raise the debt ceiling.

“President Biden did the best he could to limit the damage from the Republican’s extreme threats to devastate our economy. However, this compromise sets a dangerous precedent for future negotiations, imposes restrictions and cuts funding for programs Americans need, and weakens environmental protections that will primarily harm communities of color and low-income communities. That is why I voted against the bill. 

The bill sets us back in achieving our environmental goals. It changes provisions in the National Environmental Policy Act that are intended to protect frontline communities across the country in their fight against polluting projects. And it approves the Mountain Valley Pipeline, despite its legal issues.  

It hurts everyday Americans and spares the wealthy. It freezes federal investments for two years, funding will not increase with inflation.  This means cuts for support services like rental assistance, mental health, childcare, and education services.  This will lead to increased costs for the people who rely on these services. Finally, let us not forget about those that will go hungry under the SNAP changes. While people will struggle to put food on the table, the bill does nothing to address tax loopholes or ask the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes.

I applaud the Biden Administration for their efforts to keep our historic climate investments in the Inflation Reduction Act intact and ensure no cuts to Medicaid or Social Security. But this compromise sets a dangerous precedent. This package was a political stunt forced by extreme Republican demands, and in the end, hurts American families and endangers communities like mine.”

Barragán, Joyce Relaunch the Congressional Croatian Caucus

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and Rep. David Joyce (OH-14) May 25 announced the relaunch of the Congressional Croatian Caucus for the 118th Congress, along with the Caucus Vice Chairs Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-24) and Rep. Dan Kildee (MI-08). 

The growth of the Los Angeles Harbor region has direct ties to the large mass of Croatian immigrants who came to San Pedro during the early 1900s to find jobs as dockworkers, fishermen, cannery workers and other careers in and around the Port of Los Angeles. (According to statisticalatlas.com, for European ancestry, Croatian is the fifth largest nationality in San Pedro). The bipartisan Congressional Croatian Caucus promotes bilateral cultural exchange between the United States and Croatia, seeking to expand the important friendship between the two nations by highlighting shared values, engaging in cross-cultural cooperation, and advancing business and trade opportunities across the Atlantic.