Looking Forward to Next Year, and Reflecting On the Last

As we look forward to the New Year, in what has become a tradition for me, I wanted to share some progress we made during 2016, as well some thoughts moving forward.

As the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, I worked to pass bipartisan legislation to provide the resources and tools necessary for our intelligence professionals to keep us safe. I have also worked hard to oversee the agencies to ensure that they are providing good, solid and objective intelligence to policy-makers and doing so in a way that protects the privacy and civil liberties of all Americans. Given Russia’s attack on our democratic institutions and meddling in our elections, I am also championing efforts to fully investigate the matter in a bipartisan and bicameral fashion to better inform the American people about what took place and to deter further Russian meddling. It will also be more important than ever to further develop our cyber defenses and to sanction Russia for their interference in our elections.

On the environmental front, and in a culmination of more than 10 years work, I introduced the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, which would preserve and protect more than 193,000 acres from the Simi Hills and Santa Susannas, the Verdugos and on to the San Gabriel Mountains by adding them to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA). This bill would effectuate the results of a multi-year study by the National Park Service and thousands of comments by the public, and more than double the size of the existing recreation area.

And, as a result of pressure from state legislators like Assemblymember Richard Bloom, thousands of activists around the country and in our district, and federal legislation I introduced to phase out the captivity of orcas, SeaWorld announced they would end the orca breeding program at their parks, and will open an orca-free park. This is indeed good news for all lovers of marine mammals.

With respect to criminal justice, I have called on the Dept. of Justice and FBI to address the severe underreporting of hate crime data by law enforcement agencies across the country. A complete picture of bias-motivated crime across the nation is crucial to understanding, and preventing, victimization, and that’s why I urged the Department to work to improve collection of data and ensure that every community is better protected against hate violence. This is all the more crucial today, with hate crimes on the rise, including a 67% increase in hate crimes against Muslims.

I wanted to share some great news regarding the Pentagon’s misguided efforts to go after members of the California National Guard. Along with Senators Feinstein and Boxer, I introduced legislation to require the Pentagon to suspend all collection efforts and establish a streamlined process to provide financial relief for affected service members. Typically, Congress moves slowly. Less than a month after the issue was brought to our attention by the Los Angeles Times, however, we were able to pass a bipartisan measure to protect any service member who accepted these bonuses in good faith and halt the clawbacks. This will hopefully give service members some peace of mind right before the holidays.

Finally, I want to add a word or two about the Presidential election. Two months ago, the entire political world was shocked when Donald Trump won the presidency. Neither Democrats nor Republicans saw it coming, and millions of Americans are deeply concerned about what this will mean. Our nation remains bitterly divided, and we must do all we can to heal the divisions and bring the country together again. I am not “Pollyannaish” about how difficult this will be, but what better time to start than now, with a New Year beginning.