Rep. Panetta says Trump speech still divisive, but agrees with one point

Washington -- Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, issued his assessment of President Donald Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday and said Trump continues to deliver "the same divisive and dangerous message he used throughout his campaign."

But the congressman said, "I do agree with one thing he mentioned last night, and that is that it is long past time for Democrats and Republicans to work together to construct policy," said Panetta. "I will fight to ensure that those policies include our shared values we hold dear on the Central Coast."

And Panetta said he has found two neighboring representatives who hold similar views on the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Atwater, and Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, have acknowledged the need and worked toward immigration reform.

Denham is one of the original co-sponsors of the House version of the Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy Act.

The act is bipartisan legislation reintroduced in January to protect undocumented young people brought to the U.S. as children should the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program be discontinued under the Trump administration.

In February, Valadao issued a letter to Trump urging the president work with him and other key members of Congress to fix the nation's immigration system. He said he seeks to secure the nation's borders while also creating a pathway to legal status for many of the estimated 11 million undocumented people in the U.S. who have otherwise followed the law.

Panetta said that though Trump's first speech before the joint session was delivered in a measured tone, "the president continued to rely on his narrative about immigrants posing a threat rather than being a benefit to our communities."

During his speech, the president called attention to crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.

"I have ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American victims," Trump said. "We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media and silenced by special interests."

As mandated by Trump's executive order signed last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced an implementation guidance issued last week that it would create the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement office, according to published reports.

In establishing the office, Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly ordered the reallocation of any department resources currently going to advocating for undocumented immigrants that can be rerouted to fund the office.

"On the Central Coast of California, we appreciate that our community is stronger because of the contributions made by people willing to come to this country and contribute to our society," said Panetta. "That is exactly why, despite the president's rhetoric, I will continue to advocate for bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform."

Panetta said the president continues to make grand promises on health care, defense and infrastructure similar to his campaign. However, "the nation awaits to hear how he is going to do it and pay for it."

Trump will propose increasing defense spending by $54 billion in his first budget plan, offset by an equivalent cut from the rest of the government's discretionary budget, according to administration officials.

For institutions on the Central Coast like the Defense Language Institute or the Naval Postgraudate School, the lack of specifics of where the $54 billion increase for defense spending would come from or where it would go to keeps the effect of Base Realignment and Closure in question.

Base Realignment and Closure is the congressionally authorized process the Department of Defense has used to reorganize its base structure to more efficiently and effectively support our forces, increase operational readiness and facilitate new ways of doing business.

Fort Ord was closed in 1994 under order of the Base Realignment and Closure process.

Without specifics there is no way of telling what impact it will have on Base Realignment and Closure, said Sarah Davey, a spokeswoman for Panetta's office.

Panetta will continue to advocate for the Monterey facilities that provide training for our troops with professional education, Davey said.

"(Trump) must realize that executive actions alone will not solve our problems," said Panetta. "Long-lasting legislation that effects our nation takes hard work, compromise and humility. I have yet to see that from him."