California — 36th District

Ted Lieu

Supports middle-class opportunity and fiscal measures

Lieu emphasizes expanding economic opportunities for working and middle-class families. In Congress, he voted against major Republican fiscal packages including the 2025 reconciliation bill (H.R. 1) and the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, while supporting bipartisan measures such as the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 and the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act.

• Voted against H.R. 1 (2025 reconciliation bill) and H.R. 2811 (Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023)
• Voted for the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 to raise the debt limit and cap non-defense spending
• Voted for H.R. 7024 (Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024)
• Voted for H.R. 82 (Social Security Fairness Act of 2023)

“Now, I’m working in Congress to ensure that working and middle-class families have those same limitless opportunities today.”

Houston Brignano

Opposes reckless federal spending

Brignano argues that excessive federal spending and interest payments on the national debt harm working families and inflate living costs. He advocates for strict fiscal accountability, radical transparency in federal outlays, and rejecting corporate PAC dollars.

• Demands radical transparency for all federal government spending and interest payments
• Pledges to publish every meeting, donor, and vote explanation online
• Refuses to accept corporate PAC money

“Washington spent $6.75 trillion last year while you struggle to afford rent. We're paying $882 billion annually just on interest and increasing”

“I'll publish every meeting, every donor, every vote explanation online. No backroom deals. No corporate PAC money.”

Ted Lieu

Supports democratic integrity and ethics oversight

Lieu positions himself as a defender of democratic institutions, voting rights, and federal government accountability. He supported California's 2025 congressional redistricting amendment (Proposition 50), voted to release the Jeffrey Epstein investigative files, and voted against Republican voting legislation like the SAVE Act.

• Supported California Proposition 50 (2025 redistricting map amendment)
• Voted for H.R. 4405 (Epstein Files Transparency Act)
• Voted against H.R. 22 (SAVE Act requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote)
• Voted for H.Res. 878 expelling Representative George Santos from the House

“And I am fighting to defend our values, our rights, and our democracy against extremism, corruption, and chaos.”

Houston Brignano

Supports radical transparency and ethics reform

Brignano campaigns heavily on bringing radical transparency to federal governance. He pledges to publish all campaign donors, official meetings, and vote justifications online while operating free from corporate interest influence.

• Promises online public disclosure of every meeting, donor, and vote explanation
• Rejects PAC and lobbyist influence in governance
• Focuses on holding elected officials directly accountable to constituents

“I'll publish every meeting, every donor, every vote explanation online. No backroom deals. No corporate PAC money.”

Ted Lieu

Supports stablecoin framework and AI oversight

Lieu addresses technology policy through his assignment on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet. He supported bipartisan legislation to create a federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins.

• Serves on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet
• Voted for S. 1582 (GENIUS Act) to regulate payment stablecoins

Houston Brignano

Supports AI innovation and workforce training

Brignano advocates creating innovation zones across the South Bay for tech, manufacturing, and energy. He argues government regulations should be streamlined so young Americans can master AI and automation rather than fear job displacement.

• Proposes local innovation zones for technology, manufacturing, and energy
• Calls for training youth in AI and protecting workforce jobs through reskilling programs
• Opposes bureaucratic regulations that could hand technological dominance to foreign adversaries

“The AI revolution is here; we need to train our young people to master it instead of fearing it.”

“I'll create innovation zones for technology, manufacturing, and energy to generate high-paying jobs right here.”

Houston Brignano

Supports portable HSAs and cross-state competition

Brignano criticizes the current healthcare system as a monopoly controlled by insurance companies and hospitals. He proposes consumer-driven reforms including portable health savings accounts, cross-state health insurance sales, and upfront price transparency.

• Establishes portable Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) tied to the individual rather than an employer
• Allows cross-state health insurance competition to break hospital and insurer monopolies
• Requires mandatory upfront price transparency before patients receive medical billing

“I want portable health savings accounts that follow you anywhere, cross-state competition to break monopolies, and transparency in pricing so you actually know what procedures cost before getting billed.”

Houston Brignano

Supports deregulation and housing abundance

Brignano attributes high housing costs and delayed homeownership to political and regulatory failures. He calls for streamlining regulations in California to foster housing abundance and allow young families to afford homes.

• Attributes home unaffordability to government regulatory barriers rather than market failures
• Advocates streamlining local and state regulations to increase housing production and affordability

“We live in the innovation and engineering capital of the world and you can't afford a home. That's not a market failure; it's a political failure.”

Ted Lieu

Opposes strict border enforcement measures

Lieu consistently votes against Republican immigration and enforcement legislation. In the 118th and 119th Congresses, he voted against the Laken Riley Act, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, and legislation making DUI offenses grounds for noncitizen deportation.

• Voted against S. 5 (Laken Riley Act) requiring DHS detention for noncitizens arrested for burglary or theft
• Voted against H.R. 2 (Secure the Border Act of 2023)
• Voted against H.R. 875 making driving while impaired grounds for noncitizen deportation or inadmissibility