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December 12, 2024

Today, Congressman Mark Takano, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color elected to Congress, released the following statement following a CNN report on comments from President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, regarding LGBTQ+ servicemembers and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT):  “Attacking policies that allow LGBTQ+ servicemembers to serve in uniform openly is a disgrace,” said Rep. Takano. “Don’t Ask, D…  Continue Reading

December 11, 2024

Today, Congressman Mark Takano (CA-39) voted against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025.  “The NDAA should be a bipartisan bill that bolsters our national security and takes care of our servicemembers,” said Congressman Mark Takano. “This year’s NDAA is not that. Instead, MAGA Republicans are using the FY25 NDAA as a vehicle to inflict their radical, anti-LGBTQ+ views on servicemembers and their families. “There are good parts to this legislation, especially the…  Continue Reading

December 10, 2024

Today, the House of Representatives passedthe Thomas R. Carper Water Resource Development Act of 2024 (WRDA), which includes $100 million in total funding for Eastern Municipal Water District’s (EWMD) South Perris Desalination Program. This bicameral and bipartisanpackage will help support the proposed Stage II desalination program, which is expected to add up to 5.4 million gallons of potable water daily for EWMD customers. Earlier this year, Reps. Takano and Ruiz secured an additional $50 mil…  Continue Reading


July 12, 2013

Over rancorous Democratic objections, the Republican-led U.S. House passed a farm bill Thursday that does not include reauthorization of the food stamp program. The vote was 216-208. No Democrats voted for the bill. During the nearly seven hours of debate on the legislation, Democrats repeatedly called their Republican counterparts heartless, callous and cruel for their efforts to pass a farm bill with nutrition programs stripped from it. Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., was one of many Democrats …  Continue Reading

July 11, 2013

Rep. Mark Takano, a former high school teacher, took a red pen to a letter about immigration reform some of his Republican colleagues were circulating. The California Democrat "graded" the two-page unsigned letter, giving it an F and asking the writers to "see me after votes," posting a copy on his Tumblr page. He was okay with the first sentence, "Our immigration system is broken and in need of serious reform," saying it was a "strong thesis." Even when the Republicans said they wanted a secure…  Continue Reading

July 11, 2013

You can take the teacher out of the classroom — even send him to Congress — but you can't take the classroom out of the teacher. Or take away his red pencil. Before coming to Washington, freshman Democrat Mark Takano taught English for 23 years — mostly at Rialto High School. He must have been a tough grader. In the midst of the heated Congressional debate over immigration, Takano tries humor — a bit of political fun at the expense of his GOP colleagues. Republican House members were circulat…  Continue Reading


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