Issues
Border Security and Immigration
There’s no greater proof of America’s place as the best nation on earth than in the demand for people from all across the globe to live, work, and worship here. Despite that, our southern border is subject to the Biden administration’s disastrous Open Door Policy, and now communities across the Valley and near the border face twin crises: a deadly fentanyl crisis that is killing residents daily and soaring, foreign-tied gang violence.
As Sheriff of Tulare County, I have seen first-hand the spillover effects of our failed border policies. I’ve also seen the deadly consequences of barring local law enforcement from interacting with our Federal partners – ICE and Customs and Border Patrol – to ensure they can find, process, and deport the most dangerous illegal immigrants living in our communities.
I’ll fight for stronger border protection – from a border wall to modern technological tracking to increased border patrol agents – and a common-sense overhaul of our immigration system that allows law-abiding, hard-working people to come out of the shadows while ensuring Federal immigration authorities can swiftly deport violent criminals living in our country illegally.
National Defense
There is no higher priority than defending the homeland.
Properly defending our nation from foreign-borne threats requires vigilance in maintaining secure, properly surveilled borders. It also requires a commitment that our men and women in uniform are fully-equipped, properly trained, and have the tools to be prepared and ready for battle, while only sending them into harm’s way only when absolutely necessary.
Taxes
New or higher taxes do only one thing: kill jobs and investment in our economy. Instead of fattening the budgets for far-away Washington bureaucrats, taxpayers should retain a greater share of the money they earned.
Despite hard-fought gains to reform our tax code during the Trump administration, Democrats and the Biden machine have sought to punish taxpayers. In Congress, I will fight to block the hiring of 87,000 new IRS agents designed to harass, intimidate, and audit good-faith taxpayers.
Healthcare
Obamacare has forced Valley residents into the worst of both worlds: first, costs for healthcare are higher than ever. Second, they can’t access the doctors they’ve relied upon for years. After a decade of failure, it’s time to reorient our healthcare system by repealing Obamacare.
It’s time to give patients the power to shop for the best policies – rather than limiting them to a closed market – expand Health Savings Accounts to maximize the use of pre-tax dollars, and develop a stronger assigned risk pool for those with pre-existing conditions.
Water
Over the course of the last 30 years, Washington, Sacramento, and radical environmentalist allies have repeatedly developed policies to worsen droughts afflicting the San Joaquin Valley and short-change our community during heavy storms by letting water flush out in to the ocean rather than capturing it for use by our farms and communities.
I support reducing barriers to the construction of additional dams and reservoirs, increasing investment in water capture technologies. I also support renewing the key provisions of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act of 2016 to ensure that Federal water managers are using the most cutting edge science to guide decisions of when to pump water south of the Delta to our Valley.
Energy
The United States is one of the world’s most energy abundant nations, yet seemingly unable to get out of its own way to keep it affordable for all. Burdensome regulations, red tape, frivolous lawsuits by radical environmentalists are blocking the ability for Californians – and Americans of all stripes – to stop feeling the pain at the pump and on their utility bills.
I will strongly back legislation to make energy production and development easier to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, while also investments in cutting edge energy initiatives that can diversify the sources keeping our grid humming. I also support the continued operation of Diablo Canyon Power Plant, which serves as a critical lynchpin that often can determine if California is in a state of rolling blackouts or not.
Second Amendment
As Sheriff of Tulare County, I have been an ardent advocate of the Second Amendment, proudly issuing more than 10,000 concealed-carry weapons permits to responsible, law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families.
In Congress, I will actively fight against efforts to curtail the right of responsible citizens to keep and bear arms to hunt and defend themselves.