David Valadao on Principles & Values

1st on list of "10 Poorest Members of Congress"

These public officials have significant assets and might actually be considered wealthy by some, but they have the smallest minimum net worths because they all hold massive debts and liabilities of at least $500,000, including obligations such as mortgages on multiple homes, overdue taxes and legal fees.

1st Poorest: David Valadao: -$4.10 million

Valadao, a California Republican who bears the dubious distinction of being poorest this year, actually lists more than $1 million in assets. The dairy farmer reports only three assets: his two family farms with a combined worth of at least $1.25 million and a bank account worth more than $1,000. His $5.35 million in liabilities are all farm-related, including a $1 million mortgage and multimillion-dollar lines of credit on the farm, its operating herd and animal feed.

Member of the House Republican Young Guns.

The new generation of pro-market, small government leaders filled such a need that in October 2007, Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard profiled Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan, and Kevin McCarthy and christened them the "young guns."

Kevin approached Eric & Paul about the idea of traveling together, as "Young Guns", to visit Republican candidates interested in a new approach for the party.

What began as an informal way to support like-minded candidates became a more formal structure. Once the three Representatives had studied the candidate and given their support to become a Young Gun, they committed to providing financial support through their campaign committees.

Existing House Republicans were approached with a simple pitch: Are we willing to help ourselves by being proactive and going on the offense to change this House? Dozens of our House Republican colleagues joined the Young Gun effort as one of the many signs that the Republican Party had shifted.

Opposed creating Commission to investigate Jan. 6 events.

Bill summary:The select committee must (1) conduct an investigation of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the attack on the Capitol; (2) identify, review, and evaluate the causes of and the lessons learned from this attack; and (3) submit a report containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations to prevent future acts of violence, domestic terrorism, and domestic violent extremism, and to improve the security of the U.S. Capitol Complex and other American democratic institutions.

CBS News summary, by Grace Segers on June 30, 2021:H.R. 3233 would have created a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the root causes of the breach of the U.S. Capitol, modeled after the 9/11 Commission.

On May 28, the House passed the bill by a vote of 222 to 190, including 35 Republican votes. It then failed in the Senate, where it received an insufficient number of Republican votes to advance.

In response, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on June 24 that the House would establish a select committee [appointed by House Democrats, instead of a bipartisan independent commission] to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection and general security issues related to the incident. Pelosi said its leadership and members would be announced later. The House passed the resolution to form the committee on June 29, 2021, by a vote of 222-190.

OnTheIssues note: The Senate voting record refers to the earlier rejected bill H.R. 3233, and the House voting record refers to the later bill H.Res.503. The later bill had no Senate vote (but the two House votes were almost identical).

Member of the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus.

Beginning in 2017, the Problem Solvers Caucus became an independent member-driven group in Congress, comprised of representatives from across the country--equally divided between Democrats and Republicans--committed to finding common ground on many of the key issues facing the nation. The Caucus' aim is to create a durable bloc that champions ideas that appeal to a broad spectrum of the American people. It is a group united in the idea that there are commonsense solutions to many of the country's toughest challenges. Only when we work together as Americans can we successfully break through the gridlock of today's politics.

In the 115th and 116th Congress, Problem Solvers Caucus members agreed to find bipartisan solutions on issues including:
• Coronavirus Recovery and Contingency Planning: a COVID-19 emergency relief framework that would help American students, families, small businesses, workers, and health care providers during this crisis.
• The Problem Solvers' report "Rebuilding America's Infrastructure," is a comprehensive bipartisan proposal that includes recommendations on building a 21st-century infrastructure for a 21st-century economy.
• Health Care: The Caucus identified and promoted several commonsense proposals to help stabilize the individual health insurance marketplace and reduce health care costs, especially the price of prescription drugs.
• Immigration: In June 2019, the Caucus voted as a bloc to deliver aid to children and families at the border that might have otherwise been delayed due to partisan divides in the House and Senate.
• Criminal Justice Reform: the Caucus helped Congress pass much-needed criminal justice reform to provide relief for those who earn and deserve a second chance.
• "Break the Gridlock": commonsense congressional rule changes promote increased openness, bipartisanship, and transparency, by instituting a new "Consensus Calendar" for any bill with more than 290 cosponsors.