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September 13, 2019

The 99-year-old World War II veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor used a walker as he made his way slowly to the front of the room, amid hugs and kisses. The look on his face was one of awe, wonder and tearful happiness.

Family members, friends and fellow veterans gathered for the surprise ceremony to honor Paredes and present him with a series of medals he earned in wartime overseas but never received during in his long life back in America.

The Atwater resident served in the Unites States Army from 1941 to 1945.

Issues:Veterans
August 31, 2019

Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16), has introduced H.R. 4204, The Special Guerrilla Units (SGU) Service Recognition Expansion Act, bipartisan legislation that expands eligibility for interment in national cemeteries to all Hmong and Lao citizens who fought in support of the United States during the Vietnam War. Currently, only Hmong and Lao SGU Veterans who became naturalized citizens after the Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act of 2000 are eligible to receive burial benefits.

July 29, 2019

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Jim Costa (CA-16), Senator Kamala Harris (CA), and Congressmembers Julia Brownley (CA-26), Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-02), Mike Levin (CA-49), Jim Himes (CT-04), and John Larson (CT-01) introduced H.R. 3973, the Clean School Bus Act. This legislation would provide $1 billion to help school districts across the country replace traditional school buses with electric ones.

July 21, 2019

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- For Parvin Malek, and many of the thousands of Iranian Americans living in the Fresno area, the threat of war between the United States and Iran has become a constant worry.

"I am very scared. I am very worried about my people," Malek said. "I think that if this tension if the war starts nothing good will come of this war."

Many members of Congress, including Jim Costa (D-Fresno) are relieved the President called off a supposed military attack on Iran Thursday night.

July 12, 2019

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, Friday joined members of the House Hispanic Caucus to denounce plans by the Trump administration to conduct weekend sweeps that caucus members say will divide families and spread fear through communities.

June 6, 2019

Supporters of the American Dream and Promise Act in the visitor galleries roared "Yes We Can" as House Democrats muscled through legislation bestowing a chance for citizenship on an estimated 2 million-plus migrants.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a "No You Can't" the next day.

Combined with President Donald Trump's veto threat, it appears the "Dreamers" will have to wait for protection from deportation and a pathway toward citizenship.

April 16, 2019

Several central San Joaquin Valley leaders gathered Tuesday to proclaim their opposition to the reinstatement of the United States Social Security Administration's "no-match" letters program, which the elected officials say targets the area's many undocumented workers and will have a devastating effect on the local agricultural economy.

November 24, 2018

Image removed.

November 24, 2018 - Washington, D.C. – Valley Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16) was elected Vice Chairperson of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Economic Security Committee last week during the Assembly's 64th annual session in Halifax, Canada.

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Costa at Anti hunger Workshop   08.28.2018
September 4, 2018

Rep. Jim Costa is a talker. He will be the first to admit it.

"You ask what time it is, and I'll tell you how to make a watch," the Democrat said as he drove through his central Fresno neighborhood on Aug. 28.

Issues:Agriculture
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Rep. Jim Costa, D Fresno, right, shows U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue the San Luis Reservoir earlier this year.
June 10, 2018

In a May 10 column on Temperance Flat Reservoir, Bee columnist Marek Warszawski called out local lawmakers who supported the project and said we were in a "state of denial."

Let me be clear: I am not in denial.

California's water issues are complex and not easy to solve.

Issues:Water
February 25, 2026

Mid Valley Times

REEDLEY – A federal budget allocation has put Reedley College $2 million closer to being able to build a center where business, technology and agriculture can intersect through innovation.

February 25, 2026

FarmProgress

Tariffs are a dirty word for many people in agriculture. As the American Farm Bureau Federation has pointed out, trade disruptions have created additional hardships for farmers who entered 2025 already dealing with crippling inflation and declining farm prices.

February 25, 2026

ABC30 Action News

CENTRAL VALLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The first State of the Union address of President Trump's second term promised affordability going forward.

The president hopes to change Americans' minds about his economic agenda.

Issues:Economy
February 24, 2026

KSEE24/CBS47 

WASHINGTON, DC. (KSEE/KGPE) – In what was the longest State of the Union address in modern history, President Donald Trump began by focusing on immigration.

“When I last spoke in this chamber 12 months ago, I had just inherited a nation in crisis, with a stagnant economy, inflation at record levels, a wide-open border,” Trump said. 

Issues:Economy
February 21, 2026

KSEE24/CBS47

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs are illegal in a 6-3 vote.

“Today’s a good day for the rule of law. Today is a good day for affordability, something that Americans and Californians have been screaming for,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

Issues:Economy