Media

Today, Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm, urging her to consider and allocate funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for microgrid expansion and local power resilience.  The IIJA authorizes $5 billion for grants to protect the electric grid from extreme weather, wildfires, and natural disasters. 

Today, Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Tom Rice (R-SC) introduced the Expanding Trade Sanctions on Russia Act.  This bipartisan legislation would embargo additional products imported from Russia, including all items with over $50 million in 2021 import value.  Moreover, the legislation does not include already embargoed goods and fertilizer inputs.  As a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Rep. Panetta previously supported the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act which was signed into law and bans fossil fuel imports from Russia.

Today, Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) joined President Joe Biden for the signing of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which Rep. Panetta championed over the past few months. This legislation puts the interests of American farmers first, cracking down on skyrocketing shipping costs and boosting exporters’ ability to get their goods to the global marketplace.

SALINAS, CA – This week, Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) voted to pass both the Protecting Our Children Act and the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act to confront a rising tide of gun violence across America. These two bills would implement commonsense nationwide gun control measures and incentivize states to get weapons out of the hands of people who are known risks to themselves and others. Additionally, Rep. Panetta voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act in the Fall of 2021.

Today, Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) announced that he secured $1,424,049 in four separate grants for students at the California State University, Monterey Bay, Monterey Peninsula College, and Hartnell College through the Upward Bound program. These U.S. Department of Education grants will support community college students from low-income families and families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree in preparing for college.

SALINAS, CA – Today, Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) wrote and sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai supporting her efforts to secure a multilateral agreement to curb harmful fishing subsidies at this month's twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12). Governments around the world are providing tens of billion in subsidies, which has led to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and forced labor on fishing vessels.

Today, Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) announced that four Santa Cruz County arts programs received federal grants totaling $100,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts.  The Arts Council of Santa Cruz County received $20,000, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music received $30,000, Kuumbwa Jazz Society received $20,000, and Museum of Art & History at the McPherson Center received $30,000.

Today, Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19) authored and sent a letter to the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) requesting that they prioritize and expedite the initial project scoping process required to start the Zebra Mussel Eradication Project at the San Justo Reservoir.