Press Releases
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
July 16, 2020
Torres Adds Appropriations Provision Reinstating White House Pandemic Office
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) added a provision and funding to the must-pass FY 21 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations bill to reinstate the National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefence, which coordinated the United States' response to pandemics until President Trump disbanded it in 2018. Rep. Torres released the following statement: "Of all the fateful decisions President Trump has made that endangered … Continue Reading
July 15, 2020
Torres Focuses on I.E. Expansion in Transportation, Housing Appropriations
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) passed multiple provisions to boost housing and transportation development in the Inland Empire as part of the must-pass FY21 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill. Rep. Torres sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for allocating all federal spending. "The Inland Empire is both a rapidly expanding community and the beating heart of commerce for the entire western … Continue Reading
July 14, 2020
Torres: Justice is in the Public’s Hands
CHINO, CA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA35) today urged the public for any information to help bring the murderer(s) of Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez to justice. The call comes as her office asked the U.S. Army for a full update on its investigation after its delayed notice of the murder for Roman-Martinez's family, who received official word only after seeing it in the news. Originally from Chino, California, 21-year-old Spc. Roman-Martinez was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne … Continue Reading
July 13, 2020
Torres Announces $150K+ to Expand COVID Testing Amidst Statewide Shortage
MONTCLAIR - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today announced a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant totaling $152,612 for Health Service Alliance in Montclair to expand coronavirus test capacity and purchase much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE). The grant comes at a crucial moment as California faces a statewide test shortage. "Our capacity to test for coronavirus is vital to combatting this disease," … Continue Reading
July 09, 2020
Torres Delivers Support for Rule of Law, Accountability in N. Triangle
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35), a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the only Central American serving in Congress, today included multiple provisions in the must-pass FY21 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill to fight corruption, protect vulnerable populations and root out corrupt actors in the Northern Triangle. Rep. Torres' provisions include: Anti-Corruption Funding: $45 million for anti-corruption and rule of law efforts in Guatemala, … Continue Reading
July 09, 2020
Torres Swings Back as Trump Attacks Free Speech on Social Media
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today announced that legislation she authored to halt President Trump's executive order (E.O. 3925) targeting free speech on social media platforms is included in the FY21 appropriations bill covering the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Both agencies are critical to implementing E.O. 3925. Torres' provision would block the agencies from using any funds to carry out the executive order.First … Continue Reading
July 09, 2020
Rep. Torres Calls on Coronavirus Taskforce to Ensure Tests for Inland Empire
POMONA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) is urging the Federal Coronavirus Taskforce to ensure coronavirus tests are available for anyone who needs one. The request comes after Inland Empire residents contacted Rep. Torres to raise alarms about their coronavirus test appointments being cancelled due to a state-wide test shortage. As positive cases and hospitalizations continue to rise at an alarming rate, Rep. Torres released the following statement: "President Trump has said time and … Continue Reading
July 07, 2020
Torres Leads Effort to Protect ONT from Abrupt Federal Fee Hikes
POMONA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today led a bipartisan group of 14 lawmakers in demanding answers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about an abrupt new fee structure impacting approximately 60 airports across the United States - including Ontario International Airport (ONT) - with significant cost increases at a time when they are already suffering great losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.The airports impacted by CBP's User Fee program rely on CBP for necessary … Continue Reading
July 02, 2020
Torres Announces $9.6+ Million in Federal Funding for Inland Empire
POMONA - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today announced more than $9.6 million in federal funding for the Inland Empire included in the California State Budget released by Governor Newson on Monday. The funds, which passed as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, are spread across California's 35th Congressional District: City Funding Amount Chino $1,100,370.86 Ontario … Continue Reading
July 01, 2020
Congresswoman & Military Mother to Trump: Inaction on Russian Bounties is a Betrayal
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35), who is the mother to an Air Force Veteran, today condemned President Trump for refusing to act on information that Russia was paying bounties for the lives of American service members in Afghanistan. Instead, Trump continued to curry favor with the autocrat as he paid blood money for American lives.Congresswoman Torres released the following statement:"The only word for a president who won't stand up to an autocrat is a coward," Rep. … Continue Reading