Kevin Kiley
Representative for California · Independent · United States
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)] [House] [Pages H4471-H4472] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CALIFORNIA TAX INCREASE (Mr.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)] [House] [Pages H4471-H4472] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CALIFORNIA TAX INCREASE (Mr.”
“Included in that is a massive new healthcare tax that is estimated to raise the healthcare premiums for many Californians by hundreds of dollars. This is something that our State simply cannot afford. When we already have the highest cost of living in the country, this is the last thing that our families need.”
“Included in that is a massive new healthcare tax that is estimated to raise the healthcare premiums for many Californians by hundreds of dollars. This is something that our State simply cannot afford. When we already have the highest cost of living in the country, this is the last thing that our families need.”
“This new change has to be approved by regulators at the Federal level, and so myself and my colleagues are asking HHS--and we will be conveying this in a letter-- specifically to block the implementation of this plan, to block this tax proposal so that Californians do not suffer another blow to both our democracy and our cost of living.”
“This new change has to be approved by regulators at the Federal level, and so myself and my colleagues are asking HHS--and we will be conveying this in a letter-- specifically to block the implementation of this plan, to block this tax proposal so that Californians do not suffer another blow to both our democracy and our cost of living.”
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“This new change has to be approved by regulators at the Federal level, and so myself and my colleagues are asking HHS--and we will be conveying this in a letter-- specifically to block the implementation of this plan, to block this tax proposal so that Californians do not suffer another blow to both our democracy and our cost of living. ____________________”
“Included in that is a massive new healthcare tax that is estimated to raise the healthcare premiums for many Californians by hundreds of dollars. This is something that our State simply cannot afford. When we already have the highest cost of living in the country, this is the last thing that our families need. What is more, it violates, at the very least, the spirit if not the letter of Proposition 35, passed by voters to limit precisely this kind of a tax increase. Fortunately, there is a way we can fight back.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)] [House] [Pages H4471-H4472] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CALIFORNIA TAX INCREASE (Mr. KILEY of California asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, many Californians were shocked to [[Page H4472]] learn that our legislature and Governor have just imposed what is being called the largest tax increase in State history, which is saying quite a lot in a State that already has the highest taxes in the country.”
“This new change has to be approved by regulators at the Federal level, and so myself and my colleagues are asking HHS--and we will be conveying this in a letter-- specifically to block the implementation of this plan, to block this tax proposal so that Californians do not suffer another blow to both our democracy and our cost of living. ____________________”
“Included in that is a massive new healthcare tax that is estimated to raise the healthcare premiums for many Californians by hundreds of dollars. This is something that our State simply cannot afford. When we already have the highest cost of living in the country, this is the last thing that our families need. What is more, it violates, at the very least, the spirit if not the letter of Proposition 35, passed by voters to limit precisely this kind of a tax increase. Fortunately, there is a way we can fight back.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)] [House] [Pages H4471-H4472] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CALIFORNIA TAX INCREASE (Mr. KILEY of California asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, many Californians were shocked to [[Page H4472]] learn that our legislature and Governor have just imposed what is being called the largest tax increase in State history, which is saying quite a lot in a State that already has the highest taxes in the country.”
“It is an odd approach to innovation that says we are going to force innovation by banning any and all available alternatives. I believe in the future of clean energy. I believe that it is upon us now, but that future is being driven by entrepreneurs and innovators, not by vainglorious politicians. Madam Speaker, I look forward to this resolution passing. I hope it does with bipartisan support, so we can prevent the insanity of California's politics from infecting the rest of the Nation.”
“Therefore, we must act with urgency to democratically reverse that which was unilaterally imposed. It will be one of the most important things we do in this Congress. It will lower costs and restore common sense. It will restore the paradigm of consumer choice. Madam Speaker, I like EVs. I happen to drive an EV myself. It works well for where I live and for my lifestyle, but I would never think to use the coercive powers of government to impose my personal preferences as a consumer on everyone else. Americans should be able to drive a car of their choice, not one that is chosen for them by the government. Finally, with this resolution, we can restore a paradigm of dynamic innovation rather than command and control mandates.”
“It was an absurd, pathetic attempt to deflect responsibility from his own failures, for an NPR investigation would soon find that Newsom exaggerated the fire prevention work he had done by a staggering 690 percent and had also slashed the fire prevention budget by $150 million. {time} 1615 Newsom's edict eventually took the form of the regulation that is in front of us today, and on his way out the door, President Biden gave him special authority to effectively impose it on the rest of the country. Three things about this mandate are undoubtedly true: Number one, it was never voted on, not in Sacramento, not in Washington. Number two, it does have a nationwide impact. Number three, it is not just a problem for the future. The 35 percent mandate goes into effect next year.”
“Madam Speaker, today, I am presenting a resolution I have sponsored under the Congressional Review Act to reverse California's ban on gas-powered vehicles, to stop a single individual, Gavin Newsom, from dictating what tens of millions of Californians and other Americans are allowed to drive. Madam Speaker, let me tell you where this ban came from. It was September 23, 2020. California was in the throes of the worst wildfire recorded in our State's history. There was untold suffering. Our heroic firefighters were doing everything they possibly could to get the blaze under control. Governor Newsom came out and announced: Here is what we are going to do. We are going to ban gas-powered cars. Our cars make wildfires worse.”
“We believe in clean air, but it is through innovation that we will get to clean air. It is not by government fiat. Indeed, it is an odd approach to innovation that says we are going to somehow magically fiat innovation by banning any and all available alternatives. That is not the way it works. {time} 1445 Finally, to the notion of the gentleman from New Jersey that this sets a dangerous precedent, I will note that no California legislator ever voted on this or the car ban, no Member of this House has voted on it, no individual citizen has voted on it. There has been no vote whatsoever on a policy of profound personal consequence to 40 million Californians and tens of millions other Americans. I think that is precisely the precedent, actually putting this to a vote of the people's Representatives.”
“American consumers, as we are seeing already in California, will see the cost of just about everything, certainly the cost of groceries, go up, and this will only contribute to the fact that we have a shortage of truck drivers in our State and in this country. California is being allowed to create policy for the whole country because 11 States are tied to California's actions here and because it puts manufacturers in a dilemma if they have to manufacture one truck for one State and another truck for another State. Today, we are restoring common sense. We are restoring uniformity when it comes to interstate commerce. We are restoring support for our truckers and we are lowering costs for consumers. By the way, we believe fully in innovation and we believe in a clean energy future for this country.”
“With this regulation, the State has said that by just the year 2035, we are going to have for some classes of trucks, 55 percent have to be zero-emission vehicles; for others, 75 percent; for others, 40 percent. What is the practical consequence of this going to be? First, trucks are going to be a lot more expensive, tens of thousands of dollars more expensive. Companies will either have to buy more trucks or they will have to carry less in their trucks because there is less capacity because of the weight of the battery. By the way, they are going to have to use charging infrastructure that doesn't even exist at this point in time.”
“Madam Speaker, our Governor in California, Gavin Newsom, likes to say that California leads the Nation and, unfortunately, President Biden enabled him to do just that. He has led our Nation down a path of total insanity in a way that puts us at war with common sense, with American consumers, and with our fantastic truckers. California has come after truckers in every way you can imagine, whether it is by far the highest diesel tax in the country, the regulation after regulation after regulation that makes more and more trucks unusable, or AB5 that went after the independent owner-operator model and threatened to put thousands of truckers out of work. However, with this regulation, the State came after the whole ball of wax. They said we are going to take your truck itself.”