| Congressman Adam Gray recently sat down for a wide-ranging conversation about his work in Congress and his commitment to finding common ground on the issues that matter most to the Valley — from health care, food prices, and farming contracts to economic stability.
“Progress is the hard work of sitting down with somebody you don’t agree with and figuring out what you can agree on to move forward,” Gray said.
Read more from the interview:
Westside Connect: Congressman Gray talks Trump, tariffs and immigration
Gray on Bipartisanship:
- I’ve spent my entire career saying that Republicans and Democrats working together is a good thing…We do it in business every day, our kids do it at school every day, and we do it in our homes every day. So, Washington has a lot to learn.
- I represent a lot of Democrats, and a lot of Republicans, and a lot of independents…are most people in our communities good people trying to do the right thing? Of course, they are. And maybe we should see that in our politics…the ideas that work best should be the ones that we implement together.
Gray on Tariffs:
- As a result of the president’s tariffs…We’ve had growers here in the Valley who don’t know how to make crop decisions going into next year…I’m familiar with one grower here in the Valley who lost a massive contract with a Canadian company…the stock market goes back up after it goes down, but you don’t get back a sales contract that you’ve lost.
Gray on Immigration Enforcement:
- I’m a strong supporter of law enforcement and always have been…But I don’t believe in a government that can turn on its own people. Period. Full stop.
- …People are not going to work…to their doctor’s appointments, children are not going to school…people are feeling too scared to go to the grocery store. That’s absurd, and that doesn’t benefit anybody.
- I’ve introduced the Farmworker Modernization Act…that would provide some legal protections for people who are here following the law, working hard to support not just our ag economy, but many of our small businesses throughout the Valley.
- …I’ve introduced the Dignity Act, which…provides increased border security, as well as legal protections for people who are here, following the law.
- So there are two bills, both bipartisan, that we could send to the president’s desk tomorrow, but we can’t even get a hearing scheduled because the Republicans don’t want to…I think that’s a real disservice to this community here in California, and I think it’s a disservice to the country.
Gray on National Deficit:
- I’m a Blue Dog Democrat, and I am a big believer in a balanced budget. I don’t disagree with Republicans who want to reign in spending…I’d like to see us get back to really putting our fiscal house in order.
- The Republicans, instead, decimated food programs for children and the elderly…They’ve slashed our health care, and we’re going to see premiums rise and services cut here in the Valley…
- …For people who want to sit down and actually work on our real problems together, they’ll find in this conservative Democrat a great partner.
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