Press Releases
Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Indigenous Peoples’ Day Resolution
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Representatives Norma J. Torres (D-CA), Deb Haaland (D-NM), Tom Cole (R-OK), Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Betty McCollum (D-MN) today introduced a bipartisan Congressional Resolution supporting the official designation of the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples' Day to replace Columbus Day as a federal holiday. First proposed in 1977 by a delegation of Native Nations to the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Peoples in … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Torres Introduces Legislation Protecting Families of Fallen Front Line Workers
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (D-CA) this week introduced the Frontline Heroes Act, legislation that would create the COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Heroes Survivor and Disability Benefit Program. The program would provide survival benefits to the families of healthcare workers who die from COVID-19, and disability benefits to healthcare workers who are permanently disabled from COVID-19 related health complications. The push comes after Rep. Torres led 76 fellow lawmakers in … Continue Reading
September 24, 2020
Torres Releases Congressional Report on Importance of Census to Inland Empire
POMONA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today released a Congressional report prepared by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties outlining key ways a full Census count is vital for Inland Empire residents. Data collected by the Census is used to determine how much funding the district receives for critical services like education, medical care, foster care, roads, public transit, and job programs. Census … Continue Reading
September 23, 2020
Torres Retracts Statement About Law Enforcement
POMONA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) issued the following statement today, retracting a prior press release. "As the mother of a police officer and a former 9-1-1 emergency dispatcher, I have the greatest respect for the men and women of our law enforcement agencies. When two officers were brutally and senselessly ambushed and shot in Compton earlier this month, I wanted to issue a statement expressing my sorrow and fervent wish that the perpetrator of this outrage be brought to … Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
Torres Passes Landmark Legislation Protecting Native American Women
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (D-CA) was joined today by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), as well as fellow U.S. Representatives Deb Haaland (D-NM) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) to celebrate the passage of Savanna's Act, legislation the bipartisan group of lawmakers championed in the House and Senate in honor of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind. Ms. LaFontaine-Greywind was a 22-year old pregnant member of the Spirit Lake Tribe who was tragically … Continue Reading
September 19, 2020
Justice Must be Served: Torres Urges Public for Information as Gunman who Attacked LA Co. Deputies Remains at Large after a Week
POMONA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) released the following statement today urging the public for information as a week transpired since two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies were ambushed by a gunman while sitting in their squad car in Compton. While one of the Deputies has since been released from the hospital, a 31-year-old mother remains in the intensive care unit. The assailant remains at large, and investigators are seeking a key witness seen on the video tape. Rep. … Continue Reading
September 18, 2020
Torres: Trump’s Lies Cost Lives
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today responded to news reports that President Donald J. Trump ignored a top-secret warning in the Oval Office from National Security Adviser Robert C. O'Brien that novel coronavirus "will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency." As the Washington Post lays out, Trump spent the ten days following that briefing holding political rallies, golfing, throwing a Super Bowl party at his private club in Palm Beach, … Continue Reading
September 15, 2020
Rep. Torres on Ambush of L.A. Co. Deputies: Eyes of History are Now Upon Us
POMONA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today responded to news that two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies were ambushed by a gunman on Saturday while sitting in their squad car in Compton, California. Both deputies, one male and one female, remain in critical condition after undergoing multiple surgeries. The assailant remains at large, and anyone with information about his identity or whereabouts should contact the police immediately to help bring him to justice. Congresswoman … Continue Reading
September 14, 2020
Rep. Torres Announces $28 Million in Additional COVID-19 Relief for Inland Empire
POMONA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today announced an additional $28 million in Coronavirus relief funding for cities and counties in the Inland Empire through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. This funding, delivered via the Community Development Block Grant program through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will help local municipalities fund rental and utility assistance, small business grants, and other social safety net … Continue Reading
September 10, 2020
Rep. Torres: If DHS Leadership Committed Treason, We Must Hold Them Accountable
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today responded to a whistleblower complaint that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership directed staff to downplay threats posed by white supremacists and Russian interference in our elections. As detailed by the New York Times, Brian Murphy, a former head of the Homeland Security Department's intelligence division, alleges that he was directed by acting secretary of the department Chad Wolf to stop reporting Russian … Continue Reading
September 03, 2020
Rep. Torres: Unprecedented Concerns from Former Trump WH Official Show Urgent Need for Release of FBI Report Detailing White Supremacist Infiltration of Law Enforcement
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today renewed her call for the Department of Justice to release a 2006 FBI Intelligence Assessment entitled, "White Supremacist Infiltration of Law Enforcement," following unprecedented concerns raised by Elizabeth Neumann, a former assistant secretary of counterterrorism and threat prevention under the Trump Administration. Congresswoman Torres first called for the release of the FBI report in June following the murder of George Floyd … Continue Reading
September 02, 2020
Rep. Torres Responds to Change in Command Following Army Base Murders
POMONA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) released the following statement today responding to news that Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, commander of the U.S. Army's Fort Hood, is being removed from his position and will no longer assume command of a division at Fort Bliss. The move follows months of outrage as two Ft. Hood soldiers went missing and were later found murdered, a prostitution ring was shut down on the base, and a number of soldiers have recently died by suicide. Congresswoman … Continue Reading
August 14, 2020
Torres Announces Funding for Fair Housing in Inland Empire
ONTARIO - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today announced a $20,000 grant provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Ontario's Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board (IFHMB). The grant, which is part of HUD's COVID-19 Fair Housing Initiatives Program, is funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Resources and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The IFHMB provides fair housing education, outreach and enforcement activities throughout San Bernardino County. IFHMB will … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Torres: Immigration Fee Hikes an Attack on America’s Character
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres today denounced a new Trump Administration rule put forth by U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) to hike fees on numerous immigration-related forms and applications, including an 80 percent increase in naturalization fees, and a $50 charge for asylum applicants. The U.S. joins only three other nations in the world willing to charge asylum seekers for their applications. Torres is the author of the Citizenship Affordability Act, … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Reps. Torres, Lee Call Foul as Trump Nominates Political Ally for Key Foreign Aid Position
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Representatives Norma J. Torres (CA-35) and Barbara Lee (CA-13) today sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressing deep concerns and urging reconsideration of the Trump Administration's nominee to be the next president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Mauricio Claver-Carone. Mr. Claver-Carone would be the first president of the IDB - an institution intended to bolster stability in Latin America - who is not from the region. The lawmakers' … Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Rep. Torres to Mothers of Ft. Bragg Soldiers: Demand Your Child Speak Out About Roman-Martinez Murder
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today delivered an impassioned plea for information from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to the mothers of seven soldiers who were present on a camping trip on May 22nd when Fort Bragg Paratrooper Enrique Roman-Martinez went missing. Originally from Chino, California, twenty-one-year-old Roman-Martinez was camping in the Outer Banks in North Carolina the night he disappeared. The seven other soldiers on that trip failed … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020
Torres: Time to Break Up DHS
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, today offered an amendment to the FY21 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill that calls for the National Academy of Public Administration to carry out an assessment of options for the dissolution of DHS and transfer of its functions to other executive branch Departments or reorganize them as independent agencies. The Department - which has faced withering criticism for … Continue Reading
July 24, 2020
Torres Sounds Alarm at Disgraced Pomona Councilman’s Stunt to Retain Office
POMONA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) today called into question how disgraced Pomona City Councilman Rubio Gonzalez was able to join a tele-work closed-door council meeting on July 6th unbeknownst to his fellow councilmembers. The council voted on May 23rd to censure Gonzalez and demand he not participate in future meetings after he was arrested and charged with one felony count of possessing child pornography and four misdemeanor counts of annoying or molesting a … Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
Torres: Expanded Unemployment Benefits Must Continue
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today urged Senate Republicans to quickly extend the expanded unemployment benefits that were passed in the Coronavirus Aide, Relief and Economic Stability (CARES) Act. Those benefits are set to expire at the end of this month, ending a vital lifeline for millions of people and requiring cash-strapped Americans to begin paying rent again immediately. Torres led the call to expand unemployment insurance to include contract employees and … Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
Torres: It’s Time for Military Base Names to Honor Female Heroes Too
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) passed a provision in the must-pass FY21 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) encouraging the Department of Defense (DoD) to consider female soldiers who have served with valor as candidates for renaming military bases. The amendment comes amidst a national effort to rename bases that honor Confederate generals and would mark a historic shift for the United States, which has ten Army bases named after Confederate generals, but none … Continue Reading