McCarthy at PPIC Discusses Critical Issues Facing California

Press Release

On Thursday, Congressman Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) joined the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) for a wide-ranging discussion about how to overcome the challenges facing the state and the nation:

Innovation is changing every part of our lives. When Uber started out… they empowered the individual. Think if we applied that to government. Think if we applied that to the VA system. The VA was created in the 1930's… At that time in the '30's the VA processed by paper their disability claims. Today, the VA still processes their disability claims by paper. Government is the last place where innovation has happened. But if we did bring innovation to government it would empower. It would make it more effective, more efficient, it would cost less, and it would be smaller."

"Now she [Senator Feinstein] has introduced another bill. Unfortunately, in a hearing recently they asked would there be anymore water provided if her bill was enacted--and there wouldn't be anymore…Yes, we have more snowpack and we have more water this year, but less water is being pumped than during the drought years… So, eighty-five percent of what we have is going out to the ocean. Part of the bill I negotiated with Senator Feinstein included desalinization… which is very expensive to do from an energy basis. I said I'm more than willing to do this, but first can we stop making fresh water into salt water? That would save us money."

"The world is safer when America is strong. When America has strength and resolve, there is more peace and security around the world. Right now, we are not in that place. There is more chaos, more disruption -- our friends don't trust us and our enemies don't fear us. That is a weak place to be in."

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