Press Releases

Palm Desert, CA – This week, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) met with Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to chart a path forward to develop the lithium deposits underneath the Salton Sea to make Riverside and Imperial Counties global leaders in clean-energy battery technology. The Department of Energy supports American researchers who are developing the technologies to extract lithium from the geothermal brine that is currently used for power production near the Salton Sea.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) is calling for common-sense solutions to bring down the price of prescription drugs for seniors and families across the country. During a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing, Dr. Ruiz told the story of a Beaumont constituent, who pays expensive out-of-pocket costs for his necessary heart medication. You can watch Dr. Ruiz's remarks during today's Committee hearing here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA) announced the introduction of H.R. 2432, the Jennifer Kepner Healthcare for Open-air burn-Pit Exposure (HOPE) Act, legislation that would make veterans exposed to burn pits eligible for low-cost health care from the Veterans Administration. The bill is named after Cathedral City veteran Jennifer Kepner, a wife and mother who died from pancreatic cancer linked to her exposure to toxic burn pits during her military service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Anza, CA– Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) announced that Larry Thurner, an Anza resident and veteran of the Marine Corps with a medical condition that rendered him unable to work in 1975, finally received his deserved 100% Individual Unemployability. The news comes after Congressman Ruiz's office stepped in to resolve the issue that was pending since 1975.

Coachella Valley, CA – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) and the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) announced a $6 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant award that will go toward the construction of safe, affordable homes in underserved communities in Riverside County as well as neighboring Imperial County. The announcement comes after Dr. Ruiz advocated for CVHC's application to the USDA-Rural Development Section 523 Self-Help Technical Assistance Grant program in February 2020.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. announced the introduction of H.R. 2434, the Environmental Justice Act, to require federal agencies to consider and mitigate environmental justice impacts of agency actions, strengthen legal protections for those affected by environmental injustices, and consider the effects of cumulative impacts on communities during permitting decisions. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) is leading the companion bill in the U.S. Senate.

Washington, D.C. –Yesterday, veteran advocate Jon Stewart, U.S. Congressmen Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), 9/11 activist John Feal, and other veterans' advocates held a press conference announcing landmark legislation, the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act. The bill would streamline the process for obtaining VA benefits for burn pit and other toxic exposures.

Palm Desert, CA – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) announced over $1 billion in federal funding is coming to Riverside County as a result of the American Rescue Plan, which Democrats passed, and President Biden signed into law, last month. Dr. Ruiz voted to pass H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act, to help crush the COVID-19 virus and get the economy moving again.