Representative Mike Garcia (R-Santa Clarita) recently spoke with KHTS’ Michael Brown. They discussed Garcia’s legislative priorities for the 117th Congress as well as his efforts to help California’s 25th District.
Garcia started the interview off by highlighting the issues Southern California residents are facing regarding Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).
“I’ve been meeting with the President and CEO of Edison, the President of SoCal Edison, and the local operations vice presidents and basically telling them you are actually inducing a more dangerous situation by turning our power off…and you are not taking into consideration the duration. As a federal representative, I am doing this in the spirit of national security and making sure that we are taking care of our constituents because this is truly a life-threatening situation at this point,” said Garcia.
Garcia also discussed his new bill, H.R. 202, The SALT Fairness Act, which would repeal the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap.
“Right now, especially when we have a time where Californians are leaving because they can’t afford to stay here, we’re being overtaxed. Our kids can’t go back to school, they can’t play in sports, and frankly, affordability is just at an all-time low right now. This removal of the SALT cap will be a significant help. You will feel this, this will translate into anywhere from $2,000-5,000 on average, for an average family of four living in Santa Clarita, back in your pockets after you file your returns,” said Garcia.
Along with taxes, Garcia emphasized the need to address the nation’s debt, which now sits at $27 trillion. He recently co-sponsored an amendment to reform and balance the budget.
“We’ve got to look at every single cost element and make sure that we’re spending money the right way. And not in parallel dialing up our taxes in order to raise revenue,” said Garcia.
Garcia added that he was in favor of the $2,000 total stimulus check. He believes that it is a critical lifeline to the many Americans who have been significantly impacted by COVID-19 and government-mandated lockdowns. He also shared that the $600 stimulus check that he recently voted for has already started to be disseminated.
“If folks haven’t gotten that check, please reach out to the office and we can help you run that to the ground,” said Garcia.
Garcia concluded the interview by highlighting other critical issues he will be fighting for in Congress, such as, “supporting law enforcement, supporting the military, and most importantly supporting the average taxpayer and making sure that we’re not killing jobs in the interest of politics.”
Listen to the full interview here.
