Rep. Jimmy Panetta

Great to speak with local students from CA-19 about what it takes to serve. The young people of the 19th Congressional District give me hope for our future!

My bipartisan and bicameral Supporting Early-Childhood Educators Deductions (SEED) Act overwhelmingly passed out of the House of Representatives! This commonsense legislation would provide early childhood educators the same tax benefits K-12 teachers already receive when covering the costs for classroom materials. I will keep fighting for the SEED Act to become law so our educators have the tools they need to help our children succeed.

As your U.S. Representative, it’s my job to meet my constituents’ needs and deliver results from the federal government. I was happy to do just that for a South San Jose constituent who needed her Employment Authorization Document (EAD) expedited to quickly enroll in a medical residency program. I was glad to receive the following update from her.

Since Speaker Johnson and the Majority passed their One Big Beautiful Bill which let the ACA Premium Tax Credits expire, premiums are increasing rapidly. Seniors across CA-19 have seen their monthly premiums rise by at least $1,000. We will continue our fight in Congress to ensure that our constituents have access to quality and affordable healthcare. nytimes.com/2026/05/01/bus…

Good to tour a local solar panel manufacturer right here in CA-19, and discuss the federal government's role in America's clean energy future.

Great to be at the groundbreaking of the Heart’s Delight Trail in Coyote Valley. I’m proud to have secured $800,000 in federal investment for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to kick off this project, which will make critical accessibility improvements to help ensure all my constituents can experience our beauty and bounty. Can’t wait to see people out on the trail!

As gas prices surge across the 19th Congressional District, our local transportation systems are more important than ever. Glad to see people turning to reliable public transit, but we must end this unauthorized war and address the ongoing affordability crisis impacting my constituents in CA-19 and Americans across the country. ksbw.com/article/centra…

When gathering information on taxpayers, the IRS is mandated by law to let them know prior to contacting any third parties like banks, employers, or even neighbors. However, those types of notices are often vague and can blindside working families without giving them a chance to provide any type of defense or details to the IRS. I’m proud that my bipartisan Taxpayer Notification and Privacy Act passed the House to help make sure taxpayers are better informed and have the time and privacy needed to resolve their issues.

Proud to see the Santa Cruz Wharf fully open and that the federal government could play its part to help out. I was able to secure $3.15 million in federal funding which can go towards repairing and restoring the wharf. The reopening of the wharf means job security for hundreds of workers, economic stability for local businesses, a future for one of Santa Cruz’s most vital assets, and climate resilience that protects both our heritage and our economic future. I will continue to work in Congress to ensure that the power of the purse is felt right here in California’s 19th Congressional District. santacruzsentinel.com/2026/04/29/cro…

Happy May Day CA-19! Today we recognize the efforts of workers and organizers across the country who stood up for their rights and dignity. I will always fight to protect the hard-earned rights of workers to organize.

This Administration has failed to define a strategy when it comes to American national security. The U.S. needs a succinct strategy that advances our national interests instead of weakening our relationships with our allies, and I will continue to push back against this Administration to protect our national security for my constituents and all Americans.

Today marks 60 days since the start of this Administration’s war of choice in Iran. In that time, the unauthorized conflict has cost the lives of 13 American servicemembers and jacked up prices for working families in CA-19 and across the country. Congress must act now to bring a permanent end to this prolonged war. wsj.com/politics/polic…

The Voting Rights Act was put in place to rectify the mistakes of our nation’s past and help ensure democracy for all Americans. The Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais weakens a key portion of this landmark law that was fundamental to effective representation in our country. Unfortunately, this decision creates confusion in an election year and makes it more difficult to protect certain groups who have fought tirelessly to build representation in Congress and beyond. I will continue fighting to protect our democracy and ensure everyone’s voice is heard in our 19th Congressional District, regardless of their race, roots, or reasonings.

Today, the House of Representatives finally voted to fund TSA, Coast Guard, CISA, and FEMA. Although I’m pleased that Congress passed this legislation to fund those critical agencies under DHS, I’m deeply disappointed that it took so long for Speaker Mike Johnson to bring this bill to the House floor for a vote. This bipartisan bill passed the Senate unanimously and was sent to the House over a month ago. Yet, Speaker Johnson refused to allow Congress to vote on the bill to fund those agencies and properly pay those workers as a way to get more funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) without implementing any meaningful reforms to those troubled agencies. The purely partisan One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed into law last summer injected over $75 billion into ICE and $65 billion into CBP. Since that time, and based on this Administration’s overreaching mass deportation policy driven by Stephen Miller, we’ve seen thousands of untrained ICE and CBP agents sent into communities across our country acting lawlessly, irresponsibly, and with impunity, creating chaos and even causing deaths to American citizens. I and many of my Congressional colleagues refused to provide any more funding through the annual appropriations process to either of those troubled agencies until there were meaningful and commonsensical reforms to ICE and CBP with their training, operating, and law enforcement protocols and procedures. However, instead of reaching across the aisle to work with us on a compromise for such reforms, Speaker Johnson and the Majority refused to deal with Democrats and held out for another purely partisan Republican reconciliation bill that will provide billions more in funding for ICE and CBP without any reforms being implemented. Instead of reaching across the aisle to find a solution, Speaker Johnson continues to go at it alone and give into this President’s every demand. Now that TSA, Coast Guard, CISA, and FEMA are finally funded after an inexcusably long delay, it’s well past time for the Speaker and his majority party to come to the table and get serious about reforming ICE and CBP. That way, the 119th Congress can finally stand up to this Administration and its dangerous mass deportation policies and live up to our constitutional obligations to protect the American people.

Had a meaningful conversation with a constituent regarding her thoughts about this Administration.

Great to meet with local realtors to talk about my 'More Homes on the Market Act' and other ways we can ensure that everyone in California’s 19th Congressional District can have a piece of the American Dream.

Congratulations to Le Vigne Winery for winning Winery and Wine of the Year U.S.A. award at the 2026 International London Wine Competition! It's always great to see our local vintners in CA-19 recognized internationally. pasoroblesdailynews.com/paso-robles-wi…

Very proud that my bipartisan and bicameral Supporting Early-Childhood Educators’ Deductions Act was passed unanimously in the House and is now on its way to the U.S. Senate. This bill would allow our early childhood educators to receive tax benefits for supplies purchased with their own hard-earned money, just like K-12 teachers get. It’s time for the Senate to pass my SEED Act to support our early childhood educators who shape our future generations. montereyherald.com/2026/04/28/hou…

If someone is a victim of identity theft, the last thing they need to be dealing with is financial penalties from the IRS. A constituent who was a victim of identity theft after someone fraudulently filed for her tax return contacted me for help with the IRS. I immediately intervened with the IRS and got an $11,000 penalty reversed!

Providers are often reimbursed by Medicare below their expenses, which makes it harder for our healthcare systems to provide care to our communities in California’s 19th Congressional District. That’s why I helped introduce the bipartisan Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act, which would make critical reforms including indexing reimbursements to inflation, and I will continue to fight in Congress to ensure our seniors have access to the care they need.