Congresswoman Young Kim is proud to represent California’s 39th District, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
An immigrant, small business owner, community leader, and mother, Young is proud to be one of the first Korean-American women ever to serve in Congress and help all Americans have the chance to achieve their dream just like she did.
Small businesses are a key indicator of our nation’s economic prosperity and the number one producer of jobs in our country. As a small business owner, I know too well the hardships and hurdles that small businesses must endure to succeed. Instead of making it tougher for small business to flourish by enacting burdensome regulations and higher taxes, Congress must work to enact pro-growth policies that support small businesses and pave the way to economic freedom and the opportunity to innovate and expand.
This Congress, I am proud to serve in the House Small Business Committee as the Ranking Member of the Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development Subcommittee. I also serve on the Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access Subcommittee. I am committed to pursuing policy that will uplift our small businesses and bolster our community.
Prior to the pandemic, our economy was growing rapidly, millions of people were lifted out of poverty, and good American jobs were being created. As our country recovers from the pandemic, we must ensure that the federal government is cutting red tape and not increasing taxes on our small and medium-sized businesses so we can return to pre-pandemic economic growth.
My priority in Congress is to give businesses the ability to provide economic opportunity to all and ensure that our workforce is developing the necessary skills to find good paying jobs. As a Californian, I have experienced how burdensome regulations and high taxes can cripple our local economy. In Congress, I will fight against misguided regulatory and fiscal policies in Congress and will focus on bringing back jobs and economic freedom to California’s 39th District.
As an immigrant, I fully recognize that our country must continue to be a beacon of hope and opportunity for people around the world. However, I believe that individuals who want to come into our country must do so through legal means. It is clear that our immigration system is broken and in dire need of reform.
Any path towards immigration reform should ensure that our border and America’s other points of entry are secure, and Customs and Border Patrol has the latest technology so they can effectively do their job. DACA recipients must also be treated fairly and with compassion and reforms must uphold American values and the rule of law.
Maintaining the United States’ role as a leader in the international community is essential towards securing a more peaceful and prosperous world. As an immigrant to the United States, I experienced firsthand how our foreign policy was implemented abroad and have dedicated years of my life to ensuring our country can rise to the challenges posed by its adversaries.
In Congress I continue to work for the promotion of human rights and democratic representation globally, while also seeking to prepare our nation and our allies to counter threats from countries like North Korea, Russia, Iran and China. To that end, I will always work to guarantee our warfighters and diplomats have the resources and tools they need to accomplish American policy objectives globally.
As a nation of immigrants, much of our foreign policy also starts here at home. As a Member of Congress, I will continue to represent the immigrant communities that sent me to Washington, D.C. and ensure that their voices are heard on issues concerning their countries of origin.
Americans today live under an inefficient healthcare system that saddles them and their families with overly burdensome costs. While I believe a one-size-fits-all single-payer approach to healthcare is not the solution, I am committed to working in Congress to ensure everyone has access to affordable high-quality healthcare and medical treatment.
Our nation is based on a model that gives power to individual states to enact the policies that best suit their constituents—our approach to healthcare should reflect that. States must be given additional leverage to implement Medicaid programs to best fit their circumstances while being held to a higher standard to ensure that their people can efficiently access quality medical care. At the same time, our federal government should work to ensure consumers have greater control of their healthcare and those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage.
Our health system needs modernization today. I will continue to work in Congress to ensure that patient choice is prioritized and that inefficient programs are eliminated or reformed to bring the cost of prescription drugs and medical treatment down so that everyone will have the ability to access the care they deserve.
California’s 39th District is home to over 27,000 Veterans. As the wife and sister of U.S. Army veterans, I know these brave men and women answered the call to serve their country for the sake of preserving the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. It is my priority to ensure that those we rely on for our safety can rely on us for getting the healthcare, education, housing assistance, and mental health resources they need when they return home. I believe it is critical to adequately fund the VA while holding it accountable to its mission: to serve those who served. I will continue working across the aisle to ensure that veterans receive their benefits and treatment in a timely manner.
Education is crucial to creating opportunities for all students, strengthening our economy, and ensuring our country remains globally competitive and continues to innovate. I believe our schools should foster student achievement and choice in empowering our youth to chart their future career paths. Students of all backgrounds deserve to have the opportunity to succeed and be judged based on their merit.
Congress should work to reassert our country’s leadership in technological innovation with continued investment and support for STEM education, which will also help students learn the skills needed to fill jobs in all industries. I am also working in Congress to identify solutions to make postsecondary education more affordable and effective for young Americans.
Californians in my district and across our state know all too well the devastating impacts of wildfires.
As your Representative in Congress, I am committed to ensuring that those on the front lines have every resource they need to protect the health and safety of Californians.
I recently signed on to the FIRE Act, a bipartisan bill that focuses assets within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on wildfire forecasting and detection and improves the technology used to execute this mission, allowing NOAA to quickly disseminate critical information to land managers and firefighters to improve efforts to combat wildfires before they spread to catastrophic levels. The FIRE Act builds on my efforts to address wildfires, including:
I encourage you to Get prepared for wildfires by following Ready, Set, Go!
CAL FIRE Fire Safety Education: Find information that will help you make your home and your family more fire safe all year round.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES