Press Releases
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. urged federal agencies to make good on their obligations to protect the environment and the public's health at the Salton Sea. In a letter sent Monday to Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman and Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith, Ruiz called on each agency to detail how they have spent federal funds on projects at the Sea and to provide a plan for how they will work with the State of California on the Salton Sea Management Program.
Washington, D.C. – This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation authored by Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. to strengthen environmental justice laws as part of the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act. H.R. 3923, the Environmental Justice Act of 2019, was introduced by Dr.
Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Raul Ruiz's bill, H.R. 2519, the Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act. Individuals who end up in the emergency department for acute mental health episodes often don't get the long-term care they need simply because emergency departments often lack the resources to identify and secure appropriate care. H.R.
Washington, D.C. -- During the House Veterans Affairs Committee on September 23 hearing entitled "Toxic Exposures: Examining Airborne Hazards in the Southwest Asia Theater of Military Operations," Congressman Ruiz questioned witnesses from the Department of Veterans Affairs about servicemembers' toxic exposure to burn pits.
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Washington, D.C. – Today, the Salton Sea got its first congressional hearing since 1997. This comes after Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) and Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51) urged a congressional hearing to address the impending public health and environmental health crisis at the Salton Sea.
Washington, D.C. – Today, veterans advocate Jon Stewart, U.S. Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36), U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, 9/11 activist John Feal, and many veterans advocates' announced landmark legislation, the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2020. 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. released a new report prepared by the staff of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties detailing the dire costs of an undercount for California's 36th Congressional District. With just 20 days left to respond to the Census, Dr. Ruiz is urging residents to complete their Census forms immediately before the impending deadline.
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) led 60 Members of Congress in calling on the Trump Administration to create a COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan now that prioritizes health equity. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Rep. Ruiz urged the Secretary to take a strategic, public health approach to vaccine distribution that prioritizes those at risk for transmission and dying of the disease, such as essential workers, seniors, individuals with pre-existing conditions, and communities of color.
Thermal, CA – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) – a physician and Southern California Congressman – donned PPE and administered COVID-19 tests to farmworkers in the eastern Coachella Valley. Farmworkers are essential workers who are at an increased risk of COVID-19 infection due to working and living conditions. Congressman Ruiz, who is the son of farmworkers himself, administered today's tests alongside the Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine – a volunteer medical group he helped found.
Washington, DC – This week, the House of Representatives passed two important bills that contain provisions written by Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. that will strengthen the federal, state, and local partnership to mitigate the impending public health crisis at the Salton Sea.