California’s newest congressman, James Gallagher, described his first few days in Washington as “overwhelming” and filled with emotions as he steps into his new role representing California’s U.S. House District 1.
Gallagher decisively won a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the sudden death of his mentor, Rep. Doug LaMalfa. The seat has been vacant since his passing in January.
“Certainly thinking of Doug as I’m stepping into this new role, and also excited for the work and thinking about my constituents,” Gallagher said in an interview on California Politics 360. “It is really great that we finally have representation again, and that’s something that is really powerful.”
Gallagher has not yet been assigned to any committees but said he’s interested in serving on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, citing its importance for water storage, roads, and agriculture in his rural district.
He also mentioned the Natural Resources Committee as another area of interest, given the district’s focus on water resource issues, wildfire prevention, and agriculture. “No matter what, we’re going to get to work for the issues that matter most to my constituents in the 1st District,” Gallagher said.
On broader federal issues, Gallagher highlighted his first vote on legislation addressing waste, fraud, and abuse, particularly in Medicaid programs, which in California, is known as Medi-Cal.
“We just saw this rampant fraud with the hospice crisis where people were billing Medi-Cal millions and millions of dollars fraudulently. We had one doctor who billed $287 million. That’s money we don’t have for our most vulnerable communities because of that,” Gallagher said. He emphasized the importance of oversight and legislation to curb such abuses.
Gallagher also weighed in on the president’s approach to Iran, calling recent actions “necessary.”
“Iran is a big sponsor of terror. They have been behind Hezbollah and Hamas, they have attacked our soldiers for 40 years. There’s been a reign of terror over the people of Iran. I think the president saw a unique opportunity to do something about this problem,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher noted the importance of congressional oversight while supporting what he said are the president’s decisive actions to push for peace and address Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“What I do see from this president is he took decisive action. He’s already accomplished several of the objectives. And right now he’s trying to get to a real peace, where Iran gives up on its nuclear ambitions. That’s a very key part of this and that they reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” Gallagher said.
In his resignation letter to the California Assembly, Gallagher wrote state’s legislative branch is the most important part of republican but is the weakest right now. Gallagher, a Republican, spent more than a decade as part of the super minority in a Democratic-ran legislature. He urged state lawmakers to stand up for the institution.
Will he do the same in Congress, which is controlled by Republicans?
“I absolutely will,” he said.
“Congress has not exerted that strong check on the executive branch for many, many years. I do think the Legislature, across states and certainly in Congress, needs to utilize and exercise its powers,” he said.
Gallagher also discussed his resolution advocating rural parts of California to potentially break away and form their own state.
“The Constitution does allow for statehood, and especially in the aftermath of Prop 50, I think this is a conversation that is very warranted,” he said. Gallagher noted that six counties have already expressed support for the resolution and emphasized the need for a groundswell of local support before moving forward with federal legislation.
“Many people in Northern California do feel like we want something better than what we’ve been given. And I think other people in the state as well, as I’ve said, the Central Valley and the Inland Empire, for example, feel very overlooked and underrepresented by the state of California,” Gallagher said.
When asked if he misses anything about Sacramento yet, Gallagher responded, “I miss my colleagues, especially my Republican caucus. We had a great team, and many of them have texted me and given me encouragement. That means a lot.”
He added, “it’s very humid out here, and I’m going to really miss California weather.”
KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.
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