In The News
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs to Spend Thanksgiving with Servicemembers and Veterans in South Korea
San Diego, CA. - This Thanksgiving week, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) is visiting servicemembers in Asia as part of an official congressional delegation trip to Japan and South Korea organized by House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano. Earlier this week, Congresswoman Jacobs met with servicemembers and veterans in Okinawa, and with government officials in South Korea. Photos posted on Twitter here. On Thanksgiving Day, Congresswoman Jacobs will have Thanksgiving … Continue Reading
October 21, 2021
Jacobs at Care Can’t Wait Rally: We Can’t Afford Not to Pass Build Back Better Act
Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3), other members of Congress, along with parents, caregivers, and caregiving advocates today for a Care Can’t Wait Rally in support of care economy investments in the Build Back Better Act. The event was organized by Moms Rising and the Care Can’t Wait Coalition. Congresswoman Jacobs spoke on the economic benefits of building the care economy … Continue Reading
September 29, 2021
Jacobs Questions Military Leaders on Drone Strikes and Safeguards to Avoid Civilian Deaths
Washington, D.C. - During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Afghanistan, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) questioned top military leadership on the August 29th drone strike that killed aid worker Zemari Ahmadi and nine of his family members. The Department of Defense has publicly apologized for the strike, saying it was a “tragic mistake,” and a review is currently underway by the Department of Defense Inspector General. (Hearing information and full video here.) The hearing … Continue Reading
August 18, 2021
Democrats ramp up oversight over Biden's Afghan withdrawal
Congressional Democrats are preparing a series of hearings on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan amid rising anger about the Biden administration's handling of the end of the war, with the Taliban rapidly taking control and the US chaotically scrambling to evacuate Americans and vulnerable Afghan allies. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said there would be a hearing in the Foreign Affairs Committee early next week, and the panel's chairman Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York, said Tuesday … Continue Reading
August 17, 2021
Lawmakers request more information from Biden on plan to evacuate Americans and others from Afghanistan
More than 40 House members — Democrats and Republicans — have asked the Biden administration to provide more details about how congressional offices can work with federal agencies to help evacuate individuals still in Afghanistan as the country is increasingly being taken over by Taliban forces. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) wrote to Biden requesting that the administration — and especially the State and Defense departments — do as much as possible to ensure that Americans and those … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
Reps. Issa, Jacobs, Peters React to Afghanistan Withdrawal
Reps. Darrell Issa, Sara Jacobs and Scott Peters all agree that, right now, America's focus on Afghanistan should be on evacuating Americans and their allies from the country as quickly as possible. "We've been watching the Taliban make this progress toward Kabul, so although it's horrifying, it isn't surprising that this lack of preparedness, lack of response, has now led to chaos and death," said Issa, who represents the 50th District. Jacobs, of the 53rd District, said her office has been … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
Meals on Wheels Hosts a Special Guest
A few Spring Valley Meals on Wheels clients got a special delivery from Congresswoman Sara Jacobs. Jacobs helped deliver meals after touring the organization’s local headquarters on Tuesday. She and Meals on Wheels San Diego County President and CEO Brent Wakefield visited 98-year-old Margaret B. and 90-year-old veteran Lawrence “Larry” S. and his wife Margaret, also 90. Meals on Wheels San Diego County is also seeking volunteers to help keep up with the growing need for its services—demand … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
San Diego members of Congress react to Afghanistan withdrawal
Congressional leaders from San Diego were speaking out Monday about President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. As the Taliban took over Kabul Sunday, the images from Afghanistan have left many people stunned by the chaos and by how quickly the capital was captured. “If anything, what we’re seeing right now makes it clear that another five or 10 or 20 years of military presence, was not going to stop the eventual outcome of the Taliban retaking the country,” said … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
‘Tragic…Mission Completed…Fiasco’ — San Diego House Delegation Reacts to Fall of Kabul
The San Diego Congressional delegation reacted to the fall of Kabul with a mix of criticism and resignation, but all stressed that former American allies must be evacuated. “Nearly 20 years ago, we began our mission in Afghanistan with the goal of defeating the terrorists who were responsible for the attacks of Sept. 11 and reducing the potential for additional terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. We completed that mission,” said Rep. Mike Levin on Monday. He said Americans “owe the … Continue Reading
August 13, 2021
In desperation, U.S. scours for countries willing to house Afghan refugees
President Joe Biden's administration has been holding secret talks with more countries than previously known in a desperate attempt to secure deals to temporarily house at-risk Afghans who worked for the U.S. government, four U.S. officials told Reuters. The previously unreported discussions with such countries as Kosovo and Albania underscore the administration's desire to protect U.S.-affiliated Afghans from Taliban reprisals while safely completing the process of approving their U.S. … Continue Reading
August 04, 2021
Democratic Lawmakers Push to Extend Eviction Moratorium
Almost 11 months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) imposed a moratorium to help people from losing their homes due to the pandemic, the federal ban on evictions expired Saturday. In June, the CDC extended the ban for one month. It immediately faced legal setbacks, with the Supreme Court ruling that it could remain in place until July, but that any additional extensions would require congressional authorization. "The part that baffles me is that we are the US … Continue Reading
August 03, 2021
Rep. Jacobs Cheers Decision to Resettle Thousands of Afghan Allies and Families
Rep. Sara Jacobs, a leading advocate of resettling threatened Afghan allies and their families, on Tuesday applauded the State Department’s expansion of the program. Late Monday the resettlement program was expanded to include thousands of “priority two” allies, covering Afghans who worked for U.S.-funded projects and for U.S.-based non-government bodies and media outlets. “We have an obligation to support those who supported us in Afghanistan. Withdrawing our troops from Afghanistan is the … Continue Reading
July 31, 2021
Evictions Are Coming. Democrats “Failed to Meet This Moment,” Say Democrats.
The federal eviction moratorium ends today, and housing rights advocates and tenants around the country worry that anywhere between hundreds of thousands and millions of people will be thrown onto the streets in the coming days and weeks. Congressional Democrats on Friday night attempted to pass an extension of the moratorium. Not only couldn’t they get any Republicans to sign on, but they couldn’t even persuade enough of their own members to hammer out a deal done before adjourning for a … Continue Reading
July 25, 2021
What’s in the federal infrastructure plans for San Diego?
San Diego’s border, roads and beaches could benefit from the massive infrastructure proposals working their way through Congress, local lawmakers said as they recently described their priorities for the federal spending plans. The legislation could help renovate key parts of the region’s aging infrastructure, they said, everything from designing a new border crossing at Otay Mesa, to shoring up crumbling coastal cliffs and strengthening wildfire defenses. Democrats also are pushing to boost … Continue Reading
July 06, 2021
Top Democrat leads bipartisan trip to Middle East
The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is leading a bipartisan delegation to the Middle East, where the group of 10 lawmakers will meet with the new Israeli government in an attempt to ease its relations with the Palestinian Authority. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), in his first overseas trip since becoming chairman this year, said in a statement Monday that the goal of the trip is to bolster “diplomatic relationships with the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, as … Continue Reading
July 02, 2021
Global Transitions: UNITED NATIONS — NEW PUSH FOR U.S. TO PAY ITS PEACEKEEPING DUES
U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Cali) has filed legislation supported by a group of other Democrats to remove a cap installed by Congress in 1994, limiting how much the U.S. can contribute to U.N. peacekeeping missions. The cap ensures that the U.S. never pays more than 25 percent of U.N. peacekeeping costs, regardless of the situation on the ground or whether the U.S. government deems it in the American interest to fill a funding gap left by other nations. Since 2017 the U.S. has fallen around $1 … Continue Reading
July 01, 2021
Morning Defense: United Nations -- First in Morning D
Rep. Sara Jacobs has filed legislation to ensure Washington pays its share for United Nations peacekeeping missions in an attempt to overturn a 25 percent cap of the total U.N. bill Congress slapped on American contributions in 1994. The United States Commitment to Peacekeeping Act will be introduced today by Reps. Karen Bass and Rep. Joaquin Castro, who are co-sponsoring the bill. The effort is backed by a variety of groups, including the Better World Campaign, the Friends Committee on … Continue Reading
June 28, 2021
New Middle East airstrikes inflame Democratic war powers debate
President Joe Biden’s weekend airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria are rankling Democrats frustrated by his decision to sidestep Congress — a dynamic that promises to fuel the party’s long-running push to rein in presidential war powers. Democratic lawmakers are in familiar territory over Biden's latest retaliatory airstrikes after criticizing him for striking the same Iranian proxies in the region earlier this year without first seeking congressional approval. In both … Continue Reading
June 25, 2021
Congressional Democrats urge Biden to reverse Trump moves on Israel
A letter from 73 Democrats in the US House of Representatives, including a number in leadership positions, urges President Joe Biden to make a number of moves to reverse what they call the Trump administration’s “abandonment of longstanding, bipartisan United States policy” on Israeli-Palestinian relations. Among other things, the letter sent Wednesday calls for Biden to firmly consider Israeli settlements illegal and the West Bank occupied, two things the Trump administration stated that it … Continue Reading
June 23, 2021
Asian Americans lobby to name U.S. Navy ship for courageous Filipino sailor
Asian Americans, veterans and civilians in the U.S. and the Philippines are campaigning to name a U.S. Navy warship for a Filipino sailor who bravely rescued two crew members when their ship caught fire more than a century ago, earning him a prestigious and rare Medal of Honor. Supporters say naming a ship for Telesforo Trinidad would honor not only the sole Asian American in the U.S. Navy granted the nation’s highest award for valor, but also the tens of thousands of Filipinos and Americans … Continue Reading