Vince Fong
RA recent ruling just struck down California’s fracking ban as an illegal overreach. Up to 1 billion barrels of oil sit untapped in Kern County as Gavin Newsom has declared war on California energy producers. The result is Californians paying $2 more per gallon than the national average. When we produce energy here at home, costs come down across the board. We must continue looking for ways to bolster our energy supply instead of shutting it down.
Happy 251st Birthday to the @USNavy! 🇺🇸⚓ Our community is proud to be home to two of the Navy’s most critical installations — NAWS China Lake and NAS Lemoore. The sailors, aviators, engineers, researchers, and the families who serve there represent the best of America. Here’s to the next 251 years of defending freedom! Thank you for your service.
The Central Valley knows firsthand how devastating mold and fungal diseases like Valley Fever can be. Proud to join @SecKennedy and @CDCgov Director Schwartz to push for better treatments, earlier detection, and improved care for patients. This is exactly the kind of action that saves lives and I’m thrilled to have the partnership of @HHSGov. https://t.co/LYPriYTYcu
Today, my team had the honor of welcoming Central Valley Honor Flight #36 to the U.S. Capitol. These American heroes are a powerful reminder that our freedoms are not free. Their sacrifices and courage made everything possible, and our community and nation is eternally grateful. We owe them a debt that can never be fully repaid — only honored. To every member of Central Valley Honor Flight #36, thank you for your service. 🇺🇸
Happy National Farmers Day! 🚜 The Central Valley feeds America: nearly three-quarters of the nation's fresh fruits and nuts and half its vegetables are grown right here in CA-20. Today and every day, we say thank you to the men and women who feed our nation! https://t.co/kGk9oAtYcd
New veterans center coming to southwest Bakersfield, secretary of Veteran Affairs says “Today is a significant step forward for the veterans of Kern County and the Central Valley, and it has been a long time coming,” said Congressman Vince Fong. https://t.co/9blxw8DgKg
Thank you for coming to Bakersfield and for your commitment to our local veterans, @SecVetAffairs! 🇺🇸
After 17 years, the new modernized Bakersfield VA Clinic is finally moving forward. This is a facility worthy of their service and I am beyond proud to have helped deliver this with @SecVetAffairs. Our veterans have waited long enough. This is the care they have earned and deserve. 🇺🇸
Welcome home to strike fighter squadrons VFA-14, VFA-41, and VFA-151 on their return to NAS Lemoore after a 10-month deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. 28,000+ flight hours, 10 months away from their families. CA-20 is proud of you all and we are a grateful community. Thank you for your service and thank you to the military families for your commitment and sacrifice. 🇺🇸
After years of delays, a new modernized Bakersfield VA Clinic is moving forward! @RepDavidValadao and I have fought for this for years, and thanks to the leadership of @SecVetAffairs and the Trump Administration, we are delivering. Proud to welcome Secretary Collins to Bakersfield today. Our veterans have waited long enough, and this is the care they deserve. New building, modern equipment, expanded services. 🇺🇸
I am saddened to learn of the passing of Tulare Vice Mayor Stephen Harrell. From his service in the U.S. Air Force and 25 years of law enforcement to his leadership in the City of Tulare, Stephen dedicated his life to serving others. His commitment to his community leaves a lasting legacy. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Barbara, their family, and the entire Tulare community during this difficult time. https://t.co/TG5M0L6e6Z
BAKERSFIELD, CA – Today, Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) and Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) hosted Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins in Bakersfield to announce the new, modernized Bakersfield VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. This new clinic will replace the existing inadequate, decades-old clinic in Bakersfield which is unable to meet increased patient demand and support existing services. “Today is a significant step forward for the veterans of Kern County and it has been a long time coming,” said Congressman Fong. “After years of frivolous legal delays, the VA has accepted this new modernized clinic, with a target to welcome its first patients this December. Our veterans will finally be receiving care in a modern space worthy of their service, but we are not done. Today allows us to build and construct the permanent facility our veterans were promised, and I will not stop until that job is finished. Thank you to Secretary Doug Collins and the entire Trump Administration for making this a priority and delivering for the veterans of the Central Valley.” “For too long, Bakersfield Veterans had to make do with a clinic that suffered from HVAC and plumbing problems, and didn’t have enough space to meet Veterans’ growing needs,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “Under President Trump’s leadership, and thanks to the advocacy of Reps. Valadao and Fong, Veterans will get the modern facility they deserve. The new clinic also enables VA to exit a horrible lease agreement that was costing us millions of additional dollars per year for a sub-standard facility – that means we can direct more resources to Veteran care.” “Our veterans have sacrificed so much to protect our nation and preserve our freedoms, and when they come home, they deserve access to high-quality VA healthcare in their communities,” said Congressman Valadao. “For over thirty years, the existing Bakersfield clinic has served thousands of veterans across our region, but that facility is aging, patient demand has only grown, and it doesn’t have the space or resources needed to meet our veterans’ needs. The new, modernized Bakersfield VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic will better meet demand and expand access to essential services, including primary care, mental health, dental, rehabilitation, and other specialty services. This is an important investment in the health and well-being of our Central Valley veterans, and I want to thank Secretary Collins, the administration, and Congressman Fong for their continued partnership in making this project a reality. I look forward to seeing our Valley veterans benefit from this new facility soon!” Background: The new, modernized Bakersfield VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic will replace the existing decades-old facility, which has struggled to keep pace with growing patient demand and provide the space needed to expand services. In 2009, 17 years ago, Congress authorized this project to provide much-needed improved healthcare services to local veterans. However, repeated legal challenges stalled construction, leaving veterans without access to modernized care for over a decade. Thanks to the advocacy and leadership of Congressman Fong, Congressman Valadao, Secretary Collins and President Trump, the project is moving forward following a July 2025 court ruling in favor of the City of Bakersfield. The approximately 30,000-square-foot facility will offer a full slate of expanded care options, including primary care, audiology and speech pathology, mental health, homeless services, dental, eye care, enrollment and eligibility, laboratory services, nutrition and food services, physical medicine and rehabilitation, telehealth, and women’s health. Veterans will continue receiving care from their existing providers, with the new facility providing additional space to meet their needs. The new clinic will also allow the VA to redirect funding previously spent on the outdated facility’s rent toward serving veterans.
Got to take a few of my @westerncaucus congressional colleagues on an insightful visit and tour of San Joaquin Refinery to see their operations up close. For over 55 years in Bakersfield, they’ve produced the lubricants, asphalt, and adhesives that keep our economy running. Essential ingredients and infrastructure we use in our everyday lives. This is American manufacturing at its best, and Sacramento should be making it easier for businesses like this to grow, invest and expand not harder.
Three years ago, Hamas slaughtered over 1,200 innocent people and took hundreds hostage in the deadliest attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. Since then, we have seen a deeply troubling rise in antisemitism at home and across the globe. We must never forget. https://t.co/g6wJvBtJDN
Last week we broke ground on the Friant-Kern Canal Pump Station Replacement Project — a critical investment in a canal serving the San Joaquin Valley. I fought to secure $540M for California water, including $200M for Friant-Kern. A reliable water supply supports our local economy and keeps communities growing. We’re building the infrastructure our region needs today to secure our water future for generations to come.
A great way to start the morning hanging out with our local veterans at their weekly breakfast at Zingo’s. Catching up with some long time friends. We are a grateful community and thankful for their service. https://t.co/fDmSOusNt3
This is huge! A $1,000 investment from day one for every American kid, regardless of ZIP code. That money grows and compounds, giving every American a path to a brighter future. I opened an account for my one-year-old and all parents should take advantage of this incredible opportunity. This is America investing in the next generation and I was proud to help begin this effort. 🇺🇸
"Action to produce more American energy, lower costs, and strengthen California's energy security. The Bureau of Land Management just announced a December oil and gas lease sale covering 35,000 acres across Kern, Kings, Fresno, and San Luis Obispo counties. This is the kind of decisive federal action I've been pushing for that produces more energy right here at home, reduces our dependence on foreign oil, strengthens our energy supply, and helps lower energy costs for California families and businesses.” https://t.co/80Cb3nAWdo
Gavin Newsom's High-Speed Rail was supposed to be done 6 years ago for $33 billion dollars. Fast forward to today. We have 0 trains, 0 tracks, and the price tag has ballooned to $230 billion. Taxpayers are getting fleeced while the Authority wastes precious taxpayer dollars. It’s past time to end this project.
Right now, Indiana is paying $3.72 for gas. Meanwhile, California is paying $6.38. Nearly double. That’s no mistake. It’s thanks to Gavin Newsom. He’s created a self-imposed energy crisis, and working families pay the price. Thankfully, the Trump Admin, @Interior, and @BLMca are taking action to increase our energy supply and lower costs for hardworking Californians. https://t.co/ougRNHmIRT
As someone who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, I know - just as the President does - that American cities like LA and San Diego would be under incredible threat if Iran had a nuclear weapon. As California prepares to host the 2028 Olympics, our focus should be on protecting our nation, from securing the border to investing in Golden Dome missile defense to strengthening our cybersecurity - not misleading headlines or quotes taken out of context. The safety of our communities is not a political game.
California borrowed more $20 billion from the federal government to provide unemployment insurance to Californians. Gavin Newsom lost billions to fraud, including sending $1 billion to prisoners. Now, he refuses to pay back what he owes. Our businesses are footing the bill with automatic payroll tax hikes as a result. I'm fighting to stop it because our businesses shouldn't pay the price for Newsom's incompetence.
Last week, we broke ground on a major investment in our water infrastructure. $200 million from the Working Families Tax Cuts Act is heading to the Friant-Kern Canal, serving hundreds of thousands of residents across Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and Kern Counties. It’s a generational investment and I was proud to deliver it for our community. https://t.co/R9nt9SQ84b
Great to visit TechGrid in Ridgecrest. They are a hub where industry, academia, small businesses, and the military come together to solve some of our toughest national security challenges. Building the local workforce pipeline between our community and our military installations is exactly how we strengthen our defense and our economy. Our community is leading the way to protect our nation.
Water is personal for us in the Central Valley. It’s the water that keeps family farms in business, sustains our homes, and supports local jobs. This week we broke ground on the Friant-Kern Canal Pump Station Replacement Project — strengthening water delivery infrastructure and enhancing a critical artery of California’s water system. Alongside David Valadao, we fought to secure $540 million for California water, including $200M for the Friant-Kern Canal. We are building and modernizing the infrastructure our families depend on today and securing our water future for generations to come. Let’s keep up the momentum!