Op-Eds

Last week was a bad week for women and their families. Like many of you, I was deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s shortsighted 5-4 Hobby Lobby decision allowing some employers to deny basic health care to their workers. At stake was whether the owners of a corporation have the right to impose their religious beliefs on their employees, at the cost of a woman’s health or even her life.

As a congresswoman and as the ranking member of the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on health, I am deeply troubled and disturbed by recent allegations of misconduct at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs facility and other facilities across the country.

Far too many veterans in Ventura County — and across the country — are unemployed, and I believe we have a solemn obligation to do whatever we can to retrain them for the jobs of the future.

Last week, I was pleased to announce nearly $12 million in federal funds for the dredging of the Channel Islands Harbor and $10.5 million for the Ventura Harbor dredging project. It’s a big win for Ventura County, our harbors, Hueneme Beach and Ventura County’s economy.

Because of agriculture, Ventura County has a unique beauty, heritage, community and economy — but our community depends on reliable access to fresh water. Without it, our rivers dry up and our crops cannot grow.

It has been more than 40 years since the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade. In that decision, the highest court in the land determined that the U.S. Constitution protects a woman’s privacy and her right to choose what is best for her and her family when it comes to making decisions about her own health.

Everyone remembers what happened five years ago when our economy fell into the worst recession since the Great Depression. Everyone knows someone — or knows of someone — who lost their job through no fault of their own during this severe economic downturn.

Since I was elected to Congress, I’ve been hearing from many groups and organizations who have been preparing for the launch of the Affordable Care Act for years. They have reached out to explain how the Affordable Care Act works for them, and how it doesn’t.

As Ventura County’s representative in Congress, I view everything I do through the lens of how it will create jobs and grow our economy. From our ports, to our large and small businesses, to our naval base, to our agricultural community, I strive to advance federal policy that will support our diverse job creators.