BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Rep. Ro Khanna (D-17) from Santa Clara says he hopes to speak to residents in Republican-led districts about the latest in Washington relating to Medicaid, Social Security and more.
- Rep. Ro Khanna is holding town halls in Bakersfield, Anaheim, and Norco to discuss budget impacts.
- The town hall in Bakersfield is notable as it falls within Republican Congressman Valadao's district.
- Valadao and Fong, the local Republican representatives, have not held town halls for their constituents.
- Valadao criticized Khanna's visit as political games while Fong highlighted his ongoing engagement with the community.
- Khanna aims to address issues like Medicaid and hopes to engage constituents on their concerns.
For your convenience, the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact-checked by our team prior to publication. Read the full story as originally reported below.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
In an effort to hear from residents across California, Congressman Ro Khanna of Santa Clara is venturing out of his district into Republican-led ones, I'm Sam Hoyle, your neighborhood reporter, saying he hopes to have a conversation with the public about the Trump administration's desire to cut 'waste' in the form of the latest budget resolution which has eyes on programs like Medicaid.
Khanna, a Democrat from California's 17th Congressional district covering the south end of the San Francisco bay, will be hosting town halls in Bakersfield, Anaheim, and Norco to discuss the most recent budget that passed throughout the house and the potential effects it could have. However, if you're following along, the bulk of Kern County is comprised of two other congressional districts, the 22nd District held by Congressman David Valadao, and the 20th district held by Congressman Vince Fong. But Valadao and Fong have not held any town halls to speak to their constituents directly. We reached out to both Fong and Valadao to find out why they've not held town hall meetings; however, representatives for both lawmakers said they were unable to do an interview on Tuesday and offered statements.
Valadao said in a statement in part:
"I've always prioritized engaging with my constituents—whether through meetings, community events, or tele-town halls that allow more constituents to participate. It's great to see Rep. Khanna suddenly take an interest in the Central Valley, and I hope he backs it up by supporting efforts to expand water storage, standing with our farmers, and lowering costs for Valley families. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on real solutions, Democrats are playing political games."
A spokesperson for Fong says in part: "
Congressman Fong is in constant contact with his constituents across our Central Valley community. We hope after getting to know the people Congressman Fong has advocated for throughout the past two decades, Congressman Khanna and his progressive partners will support our efforts to build more water storage, expand local oil production, reduce regulations and taxes on our local small businesses, and stop the mismanaged high speed rail failure.
When asked about his hopes for the town halls, Representative Khanna said this: I hope people speak their minds – My hope is to protect Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security benefits and to stand up for our veterans.
Khanna is holding all three town halls in Bakersfield, Norco, and Anaheim on Sunday.
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