Kamlager-Dove Discusses First Year in Congress with Spectrum News 1’s Cassie Semyon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 18, 2023

Media Contact: Maya Valentine | maya.valentine@mail.house.gov

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) sat down with Cassie Semyon from Spectrum News 1 SoCal to discuss her first year in Congress. Below are excerpts from her interview and a link the video.

Image

To watch her full interview, click here.

To read the accompanying article, click here.

ON REPUBLICAN DYSFUNCTION

“Well, watching the 15-round fight for the Speakership certainly told me that I need to come to this job with a great deal of patience […] the biggest challenge that I’ve had to face is separating the kabuki, the theater, the pomp and circumstance, the crazy, the chaos, and the chaos agents from people who actually really do want to work.”

“I love the fact I’ve heard Republicans say: ‘We haven't been able to achieve anything. We have nothing that we can campaign on.’ I’ve talked to a number of Republicans who say they are incredibly tired of these MAGA extreme Republicans holding their Conference hostage. My question to them is: ‘where's your constitution to stand up and fight for the American people rather than Donald Trump?’”

ON AID TO OUR ALLIES

“The last Administration was incredibly isolationist, and they separated us from our allies. President Biden is essentially trying to clean up a lot of that mess and re-engage with countries. We had an aid package to Israel that passed, with not much bipartisan support, because it was conditional, and we have a Ukraine aid package that is being held up because Republicans want to conflate our border security issues, which are incredibly important and warrant their own conversations separate from a supplemental package to Ukraine.”

ON BORDER SECURITY NEGOTIATION

“…Members from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, especially those that are in Los Angeles, are deeply concerned with this border security package that will continue to dehumanize and criminalize many of the folks that live in our communities right now. I do think it's important that we talk about it. I also think it's important that we separate [border policy] out from this Ukrainian aid package.”

ON DEMOCRATIC PRIORITIES FOR 2024

“Of course, we're going to be fighting to make sure that child care funding is safe and stabilized. Of course, we're going to be pushing back on a lot of these demonic posturing around public education and higher education. Of course, we're going to step in and make sure that another continuing resolution is passed, and of course, we're going to work to make sure that we win the House in 2024.”

# # #