On the Issues

AFFORDABILITY & COSTS

Central Valley families know the affordability crisis firsthand, and Adam is working nonstop to lower the costs of food, housing, health care, utilities, and other everyday expenses. Adam has worked across the aisle from day one to deliver common sense solutions on rising costs and knows that this affordability crisis squeezes pocketbooks in many forms.

• Introduced the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act of 2025 to reverse all of the Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill and permanently extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits.

• Cosponsored the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act, which would limit the president’s ability to unilaterally impose tariffs without congressional approval, helping to repeal sloppy trade policy and lower prices caused by tariffs.

• Introduced the bipartisan Harnessing Energy at Thermal Sources (HEATS) Act, which would lower energy costs by reducing burdensome state and local regulations around geothermal activities.

• Introduced the Stop Raising Prices on Food Act, which would protect farmers from increased operating costs and decreased productivity related to reckless tariffs.

• Led an amendment to the federal budget that aimed to protect Medicaid from devastating cuts by preventing consideration of any legislation that would result in cuts to Medicaid on a tax-related basis.

WATER ACCESS

The number one issue that Adam hears about in the district is access to water. He has worked tirelessly to ensure farmers can receive reliable water deliveries as we build new infrastructure, fighting to weaken regulatory barriers while securing funding for new water infrastructure.

• Introduced the End the California Water Crisis Package and the Central Valley Water Solution Act, a suite of bills that would authorize an additional 21 water storage projects in California, ease permitting restrictions, and create enforceable timelines for environmental review processes, aiming to expand California’s water storage capacity.

• Introduced the WATER Act, a bill to codify provisions of EO 14181, “Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas.”

• Supported the Build Now Act, which would create interagency coordination at the federal level on permitting obstacles for water projects in California, specifically focused on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

• Introduced the Valley Water Protection Act, which allows access to the exemption process where a modification to proposed agency action may impair national security or regional economic impacts. Key provisions of this bill were included in the final package of the Endangered Species Amendment Act of 2025, which passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee.

• Secured $1,000,000 to bring new water to the Le Grand Athlone Water District and Chowchilla Water District on certain years through the building of an intertie, enhancing the safety and reliability of drinking water and irrigation.

• Secured $1,092,000 for the Dos Palos Waste Water Treatment Facility to construct a new package treatment plant, offering a reliable, easy-to-maintain, and long-term affordable solution to the wastewater treatment issues.

AGRICULTURE

Representing one of the world’s largest agricultural regions, Adam has worked to deliver results for farmers, ranchers, and dairymen across the board to ensure they have the resources, support, and certainty they need to continue feeding the country.

• Adam was one of fourteen Democrats to help pass the Farm Bill – a major multiyear bill that governs an array of agricultural and food programs that are essential to Valley growers and producers. Adam got specific, critical wins here for Valley farmers, businesses, and rural communities.

• Secured an amendment in the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 to protects the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program by prohibiting USDA from implementing dangerous cost-sharing or matching requirements. Amendment was unanimously supported.

• Secured a commitment from House Agriculture Committee Chairman on billions of dollars in economic assistance for specialty crop growers through future legislation.

• Secured an amendment in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 that would require the USDA to report to Congress how changes to or expiration of the USCMA will affect the agriculture industry.

• Secured an amendment in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 that would allow states to use their resources on locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables from the Emergency Food Assistance Program to help children of servicemembers to eat healthy and provide a bigger market for our growers.

• Led Democratic negotiations in the House Committee on Natural Resources to secure critical deadline provisions in the front and back end of the permitting process in the SPEED Act; was one of only two Democrats to move the bill out of committee.

• Cosponsored the bipartisan PRECISE Act, which incentivizes private sector financing for the purchase of precision agriculture technology.

• Cosponsored the bipartisan Livestock Indemnity Program Improvement Act of 2025, proposed legislation that would require the LIP to update the average fair market value of livestock quarterly rather than annually.

• In his time in the Assembly, Adam restored state funding for FFA chapters serving 83,500 high school students.

As a proud graduate of Merced College who now teaches at UC Merced, Adam knows that access to quality education opens opportunities for the next generation. From elementary and high school through college, Adam believes that learning, training, and job preparation provided by good schools will propel students into the world ready to tackle the issues we face.

• Secured $366,000 for Gustine Unified School District to create a facility that houses school-based mental health programs.

• Introduced the Expanding Medical Education Act, which would help build medical schools to provide more physicians in underserved areas. UCSF Fresno and UC Merced in particular are eligible to receive federal grant funding under this program.

• Cosponsored the bipartisan IDEA Full Funding Act to ensure that children with disabilities can access a free, high quality public education.

• Joined leaders in breaking ground on Merced College’s new AgTEC Innovation Center, a $21 million state-of-the-art facility focused on agricultural technology, automation technology and robotics. This was a project that Adam helped secure funding for when he served in the State Assembly.

• Celebrated $5.3 million grant funding from Health and Human Services to the Community Action Partnership of Madera County. The grant supports Head Start and Early Head Start programming through Community Action Partnership in Madera and Fresno counties.

• During his time in the State Assembly, Adam secured $2,000,000 for the Stanislaus County Office of Education to create the VOLT Institute in Modesto, providing high-skill job training and serving as a pipeline to jobs.

• In the State Assembly, Adam was proud to support a $2.7 billion plan to offer transitional kindergarten to all 4-years-olds by 2025. Serving 400,000 students, it is California’s version of universal preschool.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Adam strongly supports law enforcement at the local, state, and national levels, holding a deep respect for their bravery and delivering solutions to bolster their efforts to keep our communities safe. Whether it be cracking down on drugs, gang violence, patterns or isolated incidents of crime, Adam is committed to passing policies that will make the Valley a safer place to live.

• Introduced the bipartisan Combatting Fentanyl Poisonings Act, which expands grant funding for fentanyl awareness campaigns aimed at children, specifically by supporting training programs & equipment for law enforcement agencies tracking & apprehending fentanyl traffickers.

• Secured $1,031,000 for the Modesto Police Department’s enhanced radio system including new mobile and portable radios, along with necessary software, accessories, testing, and training.

• Secured $850,000 to rehabilitate and improve Modesto Fire Station #1 for firefighter safety and readiness, as well as faster emergency response.

• Secured $3,150,000 for the Bear Creek Infrastructure and Flood Protection Initiative, which will construct and complete critical flood resiliency infrastructure and habitat restoration features along Bear Creek – this will enhance flood protection for critical public safety infrastructure.

• During his time in the State Assembly, Adam delivered funding to create the VIPER program, resulting in the arrest of 50 gang leaders and confiscation of weapons and ammunition from the streets. This cut the county’s murder rate in half in the first year.

• Adam has opposed policies that would jeopardize public safety and connect to retail theft rings, including zero bail (Prop 25), reduced sentencing (Prop 47), and early release (Prop 57).

HEALTH CARE

Adam is working to lower costs and increase coverage when it comes to health care access. He knows that the Valley is already experiencing one of the worst physician shortages in the state, all while health care costs rise and hyper-partisan bills make it more difficult and more expensive to get care close to home.

• Introduced the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act of 2025 to reverse all of the Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill and permanently extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits.

• Introduced the bipartisan Telehealth Network and Telehealth Resource Centers Grant Program Reauthorization act, which would increase access to care for rural families and allow people to see their doctor from home. Adam was able to get this bill passed out of the House.

• Helped pass the 3-year ACA tax credit extension, the Breaking the Gridlock Act. Consistent leader on negotiations across the aisle to try to reach a bipartisan agreement on ACA extension.

• Introduced the bipartisan Midwives for MOMS Act, which aims to address the shortage of maternity care in rural communities by expanding educational opportunities for midwives and improving access to midwifery services.

• During his time in the State Assembly, Adam secured $220 million to build a medical education building at UC Merced and $18 million per year to operate the program which will enroll its first class of future doctors in 2023.

• In the State Assembly, Adam ensured coverage of continuous glucose monitors under Medi-Cal. Prior to this, Medi-Cal was the only health insurer in California that did not cover continuous glucose monitors despite serving the most vulnerable population.

VETERANS

Adam has worked across the aisle to support common sense legislation to support our veterans: rolling back red tape, expanding access to high-quality, affordable care, working to ensure they are receiving the benefits they rightfully earned in service to our country.

• Introduced the STRIVE Act of 2025, which would prevent the VA from collecting copays from veterans in instances where the collection delay is the VA’s fault. The VA later announced that they will relieve veterans of more than $272 million of medical copay debt accrued due to technical errors within their processing system, following key provisions of the STRIVE Act.

• Cosponsored the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act, which would require the VA to establish a grant program on peer-to-peer mental health programs for veterans.

• Cosponsored the Major Richard Star Act to allow full VA disability and DOD retirement payments for combat-injured military retirees.

• Cosponsored the Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act, which would require VA clinicians to sign a veteran’s death certificate within 48 hours of a death under natural circumstances. Under the current system, delays in this process hinder timely burials and the access to survivor benefits that families rely on; this bill aims to get families that support faster.

• Cosponsored the Retired Pay Restoration Act, legislation which would allow the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability.

• Cosponsored the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act, a bill to require the VA Secretary to award grants to nonprofit organizations to assist with programs to provide service dogs to eligible veterans.

• During his time at the State Assembly Adam was proud to author a bill which provided a path for veterans transitioning to civilian employment to receive credit for their military experience and education toward certifications in the water industry.

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY

Adam knows that the Central Valley cannot function without our immigrant community, and he has supported multiple immigration reform measures to ensure both security and opportunity. Adam believes that we must secure the border, enforce the law, and hold federal agencies to clear standards so agents can do their jobs safely and professionally.

• Joined a bipartisan group to reintroduce the DIGNITY Act, a historic, comprehensive immigration reform bill that addresses legal status, grants targeted protection to specific undocumented immigrants already living in the U.S., invests in border security infrastructure, mandates accountability from ICE, and overhauls our visa and asylum systems to relieve the backlog.

• Cosponsored the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025, which would provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, as well as TPS and DED recipients – largely people who have spent their lives here, getting an education, taking care of their families, going to work and contributing to our communities.

• Voted against the most recent DHS Appropriations bill – this legislation would give a blank check to CBP and ICE without long overdue accountability reforms and reflects a pattern of reckless leadership that undermines immigration enforcement and puts both federal agents and the public at risk.

• Introduced the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2025, which would provide a pathway for undocumented farm workers to earn legal status through continued employment in the agricultural sector.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Adam’s focus in international affairs is steadfastly on protecting American interests – both security and economic – at home and abroad, and on the safety of our brave service members and their families.

• Adam voted in March to stop forever wars and halt the war in Iran, supporting a War Powers Resolution – this bill would have directed the President to end recent military activity in Iran unless war has been declared, military force has been authorized, or an action is taken in self-defense.

• Adam believes that ending the war in Iran would help lower prices here in the United States and save tens of billions in taxpayer dollars to be invested at home rather than spent on forever wars abroad.

• Adam believes the Iranian regime has oppressed its own people and funded terrorist organizations that both destabilize the Middle East and threaten our allies. At the same time, Adam knows that Congress carries the solemn responsibility to declare war and the president must present a clear strategy and defined objectives before the U.S. is drawn further into another conflict in the region.

• Adam has seen too many bad foreign policy decisions by politicians that placed American service members in harm’s way without a coherent plan and well defined goals. He opposes endless, politically-motivated wars, waged at the expense of service members and taxpayers.

• Cosponsored the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act, which would limit the president’s ability to unilaterally impose tariffs without congressional approval, helping to repeal sloppy trade policy and lower prices caused by tariffs.