Press Telegram - Another View: Fighting for a government that works for everyone

As the former Mayor of Long Beach, and now in Congress, I have always fought to protect our communities, stand up for what’s right, and make government work for people.

As the newly elected top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, I’m helping lead the fight to hold our government accountable and make sure it delivers for folks across this country and back here at home.

The Oversight and Government Reform Committee is the top investigative committee for all of Congress. It has a unique jurisdiction, to investigate any matter at any time on behalf of the American people. In the past, our committee has investigated price gouging by big corporations, high drug prices, political corruption, and waste, fraud, and abuse in government.

Americans of every political background agree on one thing: our institutions are broken. They want to know that someone is fighting for them. That will be our mission: to take on corruption, deliver for the people, and make sure government is solving problems.

Under the Trump Administration, billionaires are getting massive tax breaks, powerful people are making backroom deals that sell out the middle class, and working Americans are being left to fend for themselves. The President is more concerned with himself and his bottom line than the American people.

Billionaires and big corporations are getting richer than ever by exploiting loopholes and dealmaking behind closed doors. They are polluting our air, water, and coastline. The Administration is making the problem worse, with giveaways to corporate insiders, and more. They are driving up the costs of all kinds of goods, even ones made here in the United States, with their reckless trade policies. That hurts our economy and our ports.

We’re fighting for a government that defends your rights, puts people over profits, and helps make life more affordable for everyone. That’s why I’m committed to fixing the system that is rigged against everyday Americans. From surprise junk fees to hidden charges, we will crack down on the worst actors and protect consumers. We’ll work to bring down the costs of food, goods, housing, and healthcare, and put our communities first.

We believe in the promise of a government that works for everyone. One that is efficient, effective, and serves the American people. We have to rebuild from Elon Musk’s DOGE disaster, and find bipartisan ways to root out waste, fraud, and abuse, without destroying essential public services and programs. As Mayor of Long Beach, I worked to make our city more responsive and efficient – no matter who you were or who you voted for. Americans are sick of the dysfunction: it’s time to deliver.

Our committee has a critical role in rebuilding and reforming our government so that it works better for every single American. That means pushing for smarter, more efficient systems, modernizing services to bring our government into the 21st century, and cutting red tape to make delivering results for our communities faster and easier.

We deserve a government that’s honest, transparent, and working every day to protect our rights and livelihoods. But that’s not what we’re getting, and that means we need to fight for it.

We have a plan to deliver real improvements for families across this country. And as the top Democrat on this committee, I will work tirelessly to make that plan a reality by standing up to corruption, protecting working people and middle-class families, cracking down on the rigged system, defending our democracy, and delivering on reforms to make our government work better for everyone.