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Press Releases
July 25, 2024
Rep. Vargas Announces Nearly $20 Million Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant for San Diego
Today, U.S. Representative Juan Vargas (CA-52) announced $19,999,317 in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding for climate-resilient projects to help improve air quality, mitigate extreme heat, and expand green space in San Diego’s historic central neighborhoods including Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Stockton, Grant Hill, Mt. Hope, Sherman Heights, Southcrest, and Shelltown. “Today’s announcement is welcome news for families in San Diego and across the region. This funding demonstra… Continue Reading
July 05, 2024Rep. Vargas Reintroduces Resolution to Honor Life of Jesuit Father Stan Swamy
U.S. Representative Juan Vargas (CA-52) reintroduced a resolution to honor the life and legacy of Father Stan, an Indian Jesuit priest and prominent human rights activist who died while in police custody on July 5, 2021, and to encourage India to pursue an independent investigation into his arrest, incarceration, and death. “Father Stan dedicated his life to giving a voice to the voiceless. He was a tireless advocate for the rights of the indigenous Adivasi people, trained young community lead… Continue Reading
July 03, 2024Rep. Vargas Joins Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Double Pell Grant, Make College More Affordable
U.S. Representative Juan Vargas (CA-52) joined U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) in introducing the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2024, bicameral legislation that would nearly double the Pell Grant maximum award, index the maximum award for inflation, expand the program to include Dreamers, and make other changes to expand the awa… Continue Reading
In The News
June 25, 2024
San Diego Reps. announce $5M grants for port's Tenth Avenue Terminal
Reps. Juan Vargas and Scott Peters, both D-San Diego, announced $5 million in federal grant funding Tuesday for the ongoing Port of San Diego Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal project. The project, part of a large redevelopment and modernization program intended to bring the port more business, is continuing in phases through 2035 and is "market-driven,'' so an exact timeline is unavailable, according to officials. "The Port of San Diego and its tenants are vital to our regional economy,'' Vargas s… Continue Reading
May 29, 2024San Diego Congress members seek more answers about Border Patrol units that operated without oversight
A trio of San Diego Congress members led by Rep. Juan Vargas are calling on two federal agencies to provide more answers about how seven Border Patrol sectors along the U.S.-Mexico boundary were allowed to operate “homegrown” critical incident teams for decades without oversight. The letter to Border Patrol’s parent agencies — signed Vargas, Rep. Sara Jacobs, Rep. Scott Peters and Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro — comes in response to a report published earlier this month by the U.S. Government Accou… Continue Reading
May 11, 2024Congressional reps pushing CDC to investigate South Bay sewage health impacts
San Diego’s congressional delegation is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to launch an investigation into the public health impacts of the Tijuana River sewage crisis. The delegation joined California Sens. Laphonza Butler and Alex Padilla in a joint letter to the CDC director on Friday requesting an immediate examination of the contaminants in the “water, soil, and air” of San Diego County’s southernmost communities. “The overburdened wastewater infrastructure in Tijua… Continue Reading