Rep. Anthony Cárdenas(D-Calif.) was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013 for the 113th Congress (2013–2014) and has represented California’s 29th district since. Now in the 117th Congress (2021–2022), Rep. Cárdenas sits on the prestigious House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he is fighting for hard-working American families. He has worked on and authored legislation to lower prescription drug prices, protect American consumers, combat climate change, and ensure that everyone has access to affordable, quality health care. The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest of the “authorizing” committees in the House.
Rep. Cárdenas is committed to bringing awareness and change to the issues most important to the San Fernando Valley and its families. A passionate advocate for justice, Cárdenas’s work on common-sense gun safety, immigration reform, juvenile justice, and championing solutions that will make the U.S. economy even stronger has been recognized and praised both locally and nationally.
Cárdenas led the passage of the bipartisan At-Risk Youth Medicaid Protection Act, which he co-wrote with Virginia Republican Morgan Griffith. This law ensures that at-risk young people have much-needed health and mental care coverage when they reenter the community from juvenile detention centers. The resolution acted as an extension of his work within the bipartisan Crime Prevention and Youth Development Caucus, which he co-founded along with Rep. David Reichert of Washington during the 113th Congress.
During the 113th Congress, Rep. Cárdenas also founded the bipartisan Congressional Student-Athlete Protection Caucus along with Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, underscoring his dedication to fostering America’s youth through bipartisan support.
Club Director: Mr. Cárdenas, your parents emigrated from Mexico and settled in the Los Angeles area before you were born. You are the youngest of 11 children and grew up helping your father with a gardening business. When did your interest in politics start and why?
Rep. Tony Cárdenas: I was 31 years old when I was recruited for state assembly. After getting my electrical degree from UC Santa Barbara, I moved back to my community where I was born and raised. I was a business owner, raising two kids when I was recruited to run state assembly. After six months of courting, I ran for the seat and won.
CD: As the son of immigrants, immigration policy is very important to you. The National Club Association (NCA) supports immigration reform, particularly with respect to non-agricultural seasonal workers. Where do you think Democrats and Republicans can agree on immigration reform?
TC: Democrats and Republicans agree that we need a better- balanced workforce in America and immigrants are our best answer to a robust workforce across industries. Immigrants have always been a part of the American fabric and we need them now more than ever.
CD: It’s been decades since meaningful immigration reforms have passed Congress. Do you think there is any chance Congress can move an immigration reform package in the next few years?
TC: The biggest obstacle to progress on meaningful immigration reform is the negative rhetoric towards immigrants. We need everyone to move past that and then we will see progress on meaningful immigration reforms.
CD: Mental health and juvenile justice are also areas you’ve worked to make changes at the federal level. What do you see are the main things the federal government can do on these issues?
TC: Mental health services are delivered at the local level and we need to continue to support that with resources and laws that help everyone have access to mental healthcare.
CD: Politics has always been a rough sport, but seems to have gotten particularly nasty and personal over the past 20 years. What is it really like as a member of the House? Do you have any opportunities to get to know members on the other side of the aisle?
TC: As a first-generation citizen, it is a tremendous honor to be a member of the House of Representatives. As policymakers, each one of us needs to focus on working together to create good polices that benefit all communities, and separate the politics of campaigning from the day-to-day legislation.
CD: You’re a member of the New Democrat Caucus. What is the purpose of the caucus and are there any successes you can point to that have come out of working through the caucus?
CD: NCA is an association of private country, city, golf, athletic and yacht clubs. What’s been your experience with clubs and do you think people understand the enormous amount of charity work clubs do every year?
TC: I’ve had the opportunity to play at private and public courses across the country and I constantly think of how important access is for all people interested in playing golf. I encourage the industry to support young people having access to every golf course in America. I think the most important charity is to make their courses accessible to all, no matter their income level.
TC: Before I learned how to play golf, I saw a little ball and someone swing and thought, “that was easy.” When I started to play, I learned it’s harder than it looks. Discipline, practice and dedicating yourself to improving your game is critical and I think that a lot of people think making laws is easy but when you’re making laws, it takes discipline, practice and dedication.
CD: Pick your foursome: one Democrat, one Republican and one member of the PGA or LPGA.
TC: Democrat: Barack Obama
Republican: George W. Bush
PGA: Chi-Chi Rodriguez
LPGA: Lorena Ochoa.