Press Releases
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) announced a $320,000 federal grant from the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians to provide local Native American families access to quality internet access. The federal grant is part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and will help to connect 17 unserved households with qualifying broadband service. Dr.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) and U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm brought national attention to the clean energy opportunities at the Salton Sea and the need to protect the community's public health. In a Congressional hearing with the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Energy, Dr.
Washington D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) brought regional health issues to the forefront of a Congressional Hearing with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. After meeting with local health leaders earlier this month at the El Centro Regional Medical Center, Dr. Ruiz raised concerns discussed in this meeting to the Secretary, such as improving health care access in rural medically underserved communities.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) met with President Biden and senior White House officials to discuss topics of critical importance to the Hispanic community and the CHC. Members shared a slate of executive actions on immigration, education, environmental justice, and healthcare.
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) called on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify long-term solutions to the arsenic-contaminated drinking water in mobile home parks and communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley. In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, Dr. Ruiz called the current situation "simply unacceptable" and urged the agency to help expedite consolidation projects to protect communities with contaminated drinking water.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) and Pete Aguilar (CA-31) took to the House floor to honor the late Dr. Tom Rivera, the founder of the Inland Empire Future Leaders Program (IEFLP) and a pillar of the Inland Empire community. In 1985, Dr. Rivera and fellow educators founded IEFLP to address high drop-out rates of Hispanic youth in the Inland Empire. Reps. Ruiz and Aguilar, both graduates of the program, paid tribute to Dr. Rivera, who passed away last month on March 8, 2022.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) skewered Big Oil CEOs for price gouging American families at the gas pump during a time of crisis. In a hearing with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Dr. Ruiz pressured BP, Exxon, Chevron, and Shell executives about reaping record profits to benefit shareholders rather than increasing production to lower prices.
"I'm curious— on your salaries, do any of you have trouble affording the gas to get to your jobs?" Dr. Ruiz asked the executives.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) released the following statement in response to President Biden's enactment of the Defense Production Act, which will boost mining of critical minerals, like lithium found under the Salton Sea:
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) called on the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to jointly develop a near-term funding plan to restore wildlife habitat along the Salton Sea and prevent toxic dust from federal land from blowing into the surrounding communities. In a letter addressed to the DOI Secretary Deb Haaland, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, and the USACE Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Michael Connor, Dr.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) issued the following statement on President Biden's announcement of new humanitarian, development, and democracy assistance to Ukraine and the surrounding region, including welcoming up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia's aggression: