Norma Judith Torres, is an American politician. She is a member of the United States House of Representatives for California's 35th congressional district. Previously, she was a member of the California State Senate representing the 35th district. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I am in a unique position to strengthen the Department of Homeland Security and shape policies that will keep our communities safe. DHS is the third largest federal agency, with more than 240,000 employees and a budget of $64 billion. One of my top priorities as a member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency is to make sure there is transparency at DHS and that taxpayer dollars are used efficiently and responsibly. I also sit on the Border and Maritime Subcommittee, working to ensure our borders are secure and our ports can process people and goods quickly and securely.
Recognizing the significance of our nation’s ports to our local economy and how much ports increasingly rely on information technology, I wrote legislation to help protect the cybersecurity infrastructure of our nation’s 360 ports, which the House of Representatives passed unanimously. I was also proud that the House of Representatives approved legislation I co-authored to improve and permanently authorize the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the national center that trains our federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Back in the District, I have worked to strengthen the relationship between our local law enforcement, community leaders, and federal homeland security officials by hosting roundtable meetings where we can discuss local threats and build partnerships to keep communities safe and ensure an effective, efficient response to potential dangers.
Finally, as a former 9-1-1 dispatcher, I understand that in order to save lives during emergencies, our first responders must be able to communicate and locate people who need help. As our telecommunications technology becomes more sophisticated and more people rely on cell phones as their primary phone, I believe it is critical that our first responders have a 21st Century 9-1-1 infrastructure. Unfortunately, the federal government has not moved quickly enough to help states fund these critical infrastructure upgrades, so I have called on the Government Accountability Office to assess how these delays negatively impact first responders’ ability to help our communities during times of crisis. This is critical to showing Congress and state governments that we must act now to protect our communities and bring our emergency communications technology into the 21st Century.
As a mother and grandmother, I care deeply about education and creating job opportunities for younger generations of Americans. Throughout my career, I have pushed for investments in all levels of education and for expanding college affordability and access. I understand the importance of increasing financial aid options, including year round Pell grants, and support legislation that would help lower student loan debt. I am also committed to reducing young adult unemployment and providing opportunities for professional development to our local youth. This is why I established a Youth Advisory Committee which gives participants – local high school students – an opportunity to learn about the legislative process and local industries such as trade, education, law enforcement, health care, government that are crucial to the Inland Empire’s economy. For more information on how to apply for the Youth Advisory Committee, please click here.
I believe everyone should have access to quality and affordable health care and that federal health policy should strive to eliminate any disparities that exist in our health care system. As a State Senator, I worked to make Covered California more accessible and passed legislation to diversify the areas of expertise of the state’s health board members so that they could better address the health care issues facing our state. Since coming to Congress, I have consistently supported critical funding for California’s public health care system, safety net hospitals, and health care centers that serve aging, low-income, and rural communities. I am also a strong supporter of funding to ensure that coverage options meet the health care needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities. While the Affordable Care Act isn’t perfect, I oppose efforts to repeal it and take away health insurance for millions of Americans. I will continue to fight to improve this landmark legislation until we can ensure effective, affordable health care coverage and access for all.
At the start of my term in Congress, I launched a Job Creation Listening Tour to learn straight from the community what we needed to do put the Inland Empire back to work. I met with over 200 local economic leaders, education professionals, employees, and owners of businesses large and small. The findings, recommendations, and ideas that came out of the tour were published in report titled “A Roadmap to Economic Resilience in the Inland Empire” which you can find here.
On May 1, 2016 I released a one-year update to “A Roadmap to Economic Resilience in the Inland Empire” where I detailed the progress we've made on the recommendations outlined in the original report. From getting parts of my infrastructure funding bill signed into law to working with federal officials to make sure the local transfer of Ontario Airport goes smoothly, we accomplished a lot over the past year. You can read the full update here.
Investing in our region’s infrastructure was the top recommendation in my Jobs Report. Not only is my district home to Ontario International Airport, but the Inland Empire also serves as an inland port through which goods that arrive at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are processed in or moved through before being transported all over the country. Our economy relies on safe, dependable roads and highways and on investment on rail and more efficient transit. However, experts estimate we need to invest $3.6 trillion over the next five years alone to adequately fund the country’s infrastructure needs. I introduced the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Act to help pay for sorely needed improvements to our nation's roads, bridges, and water infrastructure. It will connect finance and infrastructure professionals with local and state governments to provide them with the technical expertise and pre-development capital needed to attract private investment.
If we want to keep high tech manufacturing jobs in the US, we need to make sure we’re training jobseekers in the skills employers demand. The Job Opportunities between Our Shores (JOBS) Act will connect educational institutions with manufacturers to give workers the training and skills they need to find jobs in growing industries. Right here in the Inland Empire, we’ve seen the success of the partnership between California Steel Industries and Chaffey College. This is a model we should grow and build upon as manufacturing jobs in the Inland Empire and across the country are bouncing back. Now is the time to keep the momentum moving forward by making sure American workers are able to stay ahead of the curve. If the recession has taught us anything it is that in order to build a resilient economy that can withstand future economic challenges, we need a dynamic, educated workforce and a diverse local economy. Comprehensive, demand-driven training programs like those proposed in the JOBS Act will help us do just that.
One of my top priorities since entering Congress has been facilitating the transfer of Ontario International Airport (ONT) from the city of Los Angeles to the Ontario International Airport Authority. I believe that returning the airport to local control will attract more travelers and businesses to the area and spur economic development in the Inland Empire. The Ontario International Airport is strategically located at the center of an important freight movement system that attracts and supports economic activity throughout the region. Not only is the airport an important hub for our region’s manufactured and agricultural goods, Ontario Airport provides a convenient option for local businesses to expand their operations to reach other markets. In order to move the process of returning the airport to local control forward, I worked with my Democratic and Republican colleagues in Congress to pass legislation that was needed to implement the agreement between ONT and LAX.
Whether it’s the solvency of Social Security, the availability of supportive housing, or the increasing costs of prescription drugs, our seniors face many challenges. I believe that after a lifetime of hard work, our seniors should be able to retire and live with dignity. I have supported efforts to protect and expand Social Security to ensure that our seniors who have paid into this program for years have financial security. I also supported cost of living increases for Social Security benefits under Old-Age, Survivors, or Disability Insurance that reflect the costs of goods that seniors are more likely to spend their income on in order to ensure the COLA actually matches the costs seniors face. Furthermore, I supported legislation to expand Medicare coverage to include additional exams, treatments, and medical devices for seniors so that seniors can receive the preventative and necessary care they need to live healthy lives.
As the mother of an Air Force veteran, I am grateful for the many sacrifices our servicemen and women have made. Our veterans were willing to put their lives on the line to protect the liberties that we hold dear, and it is our responsibility to ensure they return home to a nation that provides opportunities for them and their families. This includes ensuring they have an affordable place to live, educational and employment opportunities, and quality health care.
Veterans are twice as likely as other Americans to become homeless. I have been proud to promote initiatives in Congress that identify our homeless veteran population, provide transition services that help achieve residential stability, and address the availability of housing. This includes increasing the availability and use of project-based rental assistance, which is proven to reduce move-in wait-times.
The long wait-times that have plagued the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are simply unacceptable. While necessary reforms are implemented, we must also make sure the VA has the resources needed to serve the growing number of aging Vietnam era veterans and the influx of veterans who recently served in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must expand alternative avenues of accessing care, such as telehealth services and private care when necessary, to aid the 74 percent of veterans who live in rural and underserved areas.
Our veterans suffer from homelessness and disabilities at levels greater than the civilian population. In order to ensure our local veterans and their loved ones are aware of and able to quickly access the many resources available to them, I hosted a Veterans Resource Fair where Veterans had the opportunity to speak with representatives from the VA, local utilities, and other organizations to receive help. Attendees were also able to sit down and meet one-on-one with service officers from the VA to receive help on their pending claims. I plan to sponsor similar events in the future and as always, my staff and I are available to assist with issues local veterans may be experiencing with the VA and other federal agencies.
I believe that if families in the Inland Empire have to adhere to a budget and make difficult decisions, the federal government should have to as well. Budget deficits and a growing federal debt could hurt the U.S. economy and constrain future policy priorities. However, we cannot simply impose arbitrary cuts in order to reign in the federal budget, and our budget cannot be balanced on the backs of the middle class or the poor. I served in the California legislature during the recession and our state’s budget crisis, and I know what it takes to make the tough choices to reduce spending and streamline programs while preserving the services many Californians depend on. We must work together to make common sense budget reforms, including eliminating duplicative or wasteful programs, while also reforming our complicated, loop-hole ridden tax code so we can provide relief for middle-class families and incentives for businesses that are creating jobs here at home. This common sense approach will lead to government efficiency, less government debt, and broader economic prosperity for all Americans.
I have demonstrated a commitment to taking on challenges like drought and climate change that are impacting California. I’m proud to work hard to ensure that the land, air, and water are kept clean through supporting sensible legislation aimed at preventing pollution while balancing economic development and environmental conservation. My priorities include promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy sources like solar, as well as increasing investments in water infrastructure and funding development of new technologies that have the capacity to expand water recycling and desalination capabilities.
I introduced the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Act, which would attract more private sector investment to public infrastructure projects, like water systems, and cosponsored the Water in the 21st Century Act, which provides smart, cost-effective investments in proven policies such as water efficiency and recycling that are critical to fighting California’s devastating drought.
I am also a member of the Congressional Native American Caucus. California is home to more Native Americans than any other state and since my time in the California legislature I have been committed to defending the rights and ensuring the well-being of the state’s tribal communities.
It is an honor to be appointed to the House Appropriations Committee for the 116th Congress, where I will help ensure that the needs of families in the 35th district are represented and met by a federal government that is responsibly funded. With total control of federal spending, a seat on this committee means that I can support strengthening the Inland Empire and fighting the wasteful spending we have seen by the Republican Congress. I know firsthand how important a balanced budget is. During my time in the State Assembly, I led efforts to bring California out of debt and into record surpluses.
It is one of my top priorities to bolster the 35th district’s growth by bringing much needed federal resources to expand the Gold Line, improve the modernization of Ontario Airport, promote affordable housing programs, and ensure that California gets its fair share of federal dollars for road improvements. I look forward to working with the bipartisan members of the California delegation serving on the committee to bring home real results for our region.
Congresswoman Norma Torres stands with the community in calling for racial justice and police reform.