Calvert and Duarte Choose Corporate Interests and Mike Johnson Over Constituents

CALIFORNIA - Today, Representatives John Duarte (CA-13) and Ken Calvert (CA-41) voted to make Congressman Mike Johnson (LA-04) Speaker of the House of Representatives – a vote that leaves California families behind and puts corporate special interests first.

Johnson's track record of prioritizing corporate interests and the wealthy, over hard working Americans is bad for hard working Californians:

• Voted to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits and supported the 2017 Trump tax scam, which  favored the wealthy and raised the national deficit. 

• Sought to make these tax cuts permanent and further benefit billionaires, leaving working families behind once again. 

• Voted against measures to lower healthcare costs and is part of a group attempting to strip Medicare's power to negotiate lower drug prices. 

• Voted for a bill that would raise costs for housing, heating, food, and healthcare and further burden working families.

Valley Families Unite coalition member and Courage California Executive Director Irene Kao issued the following statement: 

“Representatives Duarte and Calvert's choice to back Mike Johnson over the interests of their constituents is disappointing, though not surprising given their own voting records against economic relief for Californians. With only a few weeks left until the next government funding deadline, our Republican members of Congress have made it clear that they are prioritizing politics over the need for more investments in programs and services that are important for keeping working families afloat. Valley Families Unite is calling on Representatives Duarte and Calvert to take a stand for the residents of CA-13 and CA-41 and prevent a shutdown and protect the benefits that help us take care of our families and communities. If they won’t, we will make sure they hear from their constituents.” 

For media inquiries, please contact Mario Vasquez Zuniga at 661-483-4927 or mario@valleyfamiliesunite.org. 

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Valley Families Unite represents a shared vision of economic prosperity for working families and accountable leadership in California. With the collective strength of Courage California, Inland Empire United, Communities for a New California Action Fund and Lower Costs California, we are eager to hold our elected officials accountable for fighting for the economic well-being of California families.