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Candidate record

David G. Valadao

Current U.S. representative for California's 22nd Congressional District; Congress.gov records House service from 2013 to 2019 and again since 2021. Campaign affiliation: Republican.

Voter guide

Background, stated goals, record, and money

Background comes from official records, and from the campaign's own biography where the bullet says so; goals are summarized from the campaign's own platform and stay attributed; the record lines are official actions with the government source attached; money is shown as filed, with the filing window and the reconciliation in the note under the table, and is not evidence of why any position was taken.

David G. Valadao

Background

  • The sitting member for California's 22nd district. Congress.gov records House service from 2013 to 2019 for the 21st district, and again since 2021; he has represented the 22nd since 2023. Congress.gov
  • The House Clerk lists him on the Appropriations Committee, on its Agriculture, Defense and Legislative Branch subcommittees, and on the Agriculture Committee. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
  • His campaign describes him as a dairy farmer raised in Hanford, whose family emigrated from the Azores, and says he was elected to the California State Assembly in 2010. Valadao for Congress
  • Congress.gov lists 93 sponsored items for him, two of them floor amendments. By its latest-action record one bill, the Social Security Number Fraud Prevention Act of 2017, became law under its own number. Congress.gov, Congress.gov

What they say they want to do

  • A pathway to citizenship, a guest worker program for agriculture, and immigration enforcement focused on people who have committed serious crimes. Valadao for Congress
  • A safe and stable water supply for the Central Valley and its farms. Valadao for Congress
  • Market-based health care reform that lowers costs while keeping access for the elderly, the poor and people with pre-existing conditions. Valadao for Congress
  • A balanced budget, with spending cuts and a fairer tax code; he opposes California's high-speed rail. Valadao for Congress
  • More domestic energy production, including oil and natural gas in California as well as solar and hydro power. Valadao for Congress

What the official record shows

Campaign money from other committees, by type

Transfers and contributions from joint fundraising committees 8 committees$1,568,869
Corporation PACs 136 committees$532,371
Leadership PACs 91 committees$414,510
Trade Association PACs 91 committees$361,500
PAC - Qualified 45 committees$172,500
House 58 committees$130,402
Membership Organization PACs 29 committees$112,500
Cooperative PACs 18 committees$67,750
Labor Organization PACs 13 committees$52,500
Corporation w/o capital stock PACs 4 committees$19,000
PAC - Nonqualified 4 committees$17,500
Committees the FEC records no type for 5 committees$11,500
Super PAC (Independent Expenditure-Only) 3 committees$11,000
Party committees 2 committees$10,000
Hybrid PAC (with Non-Contribution Account) - Qualified 2 committees$7,500
Hybrid PAC (with Non-Contribution Account) - Nonqualified 1 committee$1,000

Source: Federal Election Commission, Federal Election Commission

Contributions from political committees on lines 11B (party committees), 11C (other political committees) and 12 (transfers from joint fundraising committees) of his committee's 2025-2026 cycle filings through June 30, 2026, grouped by the FEC's recorded organisation type or designation of the contributing committee. Each line reconciles exactly to the committee's own filed total: 10,000 dollars on line 11B, 1,911,533.22 dollars on line 11C and 1,568,869.04 dollars on line 12. The rows sum to 3,490,402.26 dollars, which is a part of what his committee reports raising and not its total. Donations individuals made through WinRed are individual contributions and are not in the table.

Words and record

Where statements meet the record

Each card is labeled narrowly, by rule, and states its own limit.

David G. Valadao

Medicaid coverage for the most vulnerable

Record does not bear out the claim

What they say

After the House passed its version of the reconciliation bill, he said he had told House leadership he would not support a final bill that reduced Medicaid coverage for children, seniors, people with disabilities or pregnant women.

“I would not support a final reconciliation bill that included any reduction in Medicaid coverage for our most vulnerable populations—children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women”

Source: Office of Congressman David G. Valadao

What the record shows ·

He voted Aye on the final bill on July 3, 2025 (Roll Call 190, 218-214), having voted Yea on House passage on May 22 (Roll Call 145, 215-214). The House-passed bill already shortened retroactive coverage, and by more: for every enrollee, children, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities included, Medicaid and CHIP would have paid for care only from the month before the month of application instead of the third month before (section 44122 of the engrossed bill). The release carrying his promise said of that bill: “This bill honors my commitment to protect Medicaid for our most vulnerable populations.” The final law, Public Law 119-21, shortens retroactive coverage by less for most of the groups he named, for applications from 2027: for everyone enrolled outside the adult expansion group, which is where children, pregnant women and people over 65 qualify, Medicaid will pay for care from the second month before the month of application instead of the third; for expansion adults, from the month before, as in the House bill (section 71112). Some adults with disabilities are in that group. The law's new community engagement requirement applies only to expansion adults aged 19 to 64 who are not pregnant, and exempts people who are medically frail or disabled and parents or caregivers of a child 13 or under or of a disabled person (section 71119). The enacted text contains no per-capita cap, one of the provisions he says he kept out.

Sources: Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Government Publishing Office, Office of Congressman David G. Valadao, U.S. Government Publishing Office

Limit: The label rests on his own words, “any reduction”: the final law narrows the months of care Medicaid will cover before an application for the groups he named, and he voted for it. The case the other way is strong. The change is narrow, ends no one's eligibility and starts in 2027, and it is smaller for most of his groups than the one in the House bill, which he said honoured his commitment in the same statement that made the promise; by his own usage that day, a shorter retroactive window may not have been the reduction he meant. The work requirement was written to exclude the groups he named, and on July 3 he said he voted for the bill because it preserves Medicaid for children, pregnant women, the disabled and the elderly. Whether a shorter retroactive window is the kind of reduction his promise ruled out is a judgment for the owner.

David G. Valadao

The $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program

Matches stated record claim

What they say

He said that after his conversations an additional $25 billion was added to the new Rural Health Transformation Program, bringing it to $50 billion.

“an additional $25 billion was added to the newly established Rural Health Transformation Program”

Source: Office of Congressman David G. Valadao

What the record shows ·

Section 71401 of Public Law 119-21 creates the Rural Health Transformation Program and appropriates $10,000,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2026 to 2030, $50 billion in all, for allotments to states through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The program was not in the House-passed bill of May 22. It appears in the Senate Budget Committee's substitute text of June 27, 2025 at $25 billion, spread over fiscal years 2028 to 2032; the enacted law carries twice that. He voted Aye on the final bill on July 3, 2025 (Roll Call 190).

Sources: U.S. Government Publishing Office, U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget, U.S. Government Publishing Office, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of Senator Lisa Murkowski, Office of Senator Susan Collins

Limit: The enacted total is exactly the $50 billion he gives, and it is $25 billion more than the Senate's June 27 text, so the increase he describes is in the record. No record checked here shows what part his conversations played. The offices of Senators Murkowski and Collins each say they pushed for the $50 billion; neither names him. The money goes to every state by allotment, not to his district in particular, and any left unspent in October 2032 returns to the Treasury.

David G. Valadao

$1 billion for western water storage and conveyance

Matches stated record claim

What they say

He said he secured $1 billion in western water storage and conveyance funding in the reconciliation law.

“I was able to secure $1 billion in western water storage and conveyance funding”

Source: Office of Congressman David G. Valadao

What the record shows ·

Section 50501 of Public Law 119-21 appropriates $1,000,000,000 to the Bureau of Reclamation, available until September 30, 2034, to restore or increase the capacity of existing Reclamation conveyance facilities and to increase the capacity of existing Reclamation surface water storage. None of it is reimbursable or subject to cost-sharing. He voted Aye on the final bill (Roll Call 190).

Sources: U.S. Government Publishing Office, U.S. Government Publishing Office, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives

Limit: The appropriation exists at the figure and for the purpose he states. It is the Bureau of Reclamation's to spend “in a manner as determined by the Secretary of the Interior”, across the West rather than in his district, and the law's text cannot show who secured it. “Secured” is his account of his role, which no record checked here confirms or contradicts. The House bill he voted for in May carried more, in two sections: $2 billion for surface storage and $500 million for conveyance (sections 80203 and 80204). The enacted law merges them into the $1 billion he cites.

David G. Valadao

Immigration: a pathway to legal status

Matches stated direction

What they say

His campaign says he supports a reasonable and responsible pathway to citizenship, for people who want to come and for people already here, and that he will work on immigration reform until a solution is reached.

“David supports a reasonable and responsible pathway to citizenship for those wishing to enter our country and those already here.”

Source: Valadao for Congress

What the record shows ·

He cosponsored H.R. 15 in 2013, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, which offered registered provisional immigrant status to people living in the country unlawfully since before 2012, with later adjustment to permanent residence; its summary says they could then be naturalized in three years. He cosponsored the Dream Act of 2017 and was an original cosponsor of the USA Act of 2018, both offering conditional permanent residence to people brought to the country as minors. In June 2018 he voted No on the Securing America's Future Act (Roll Call 282, failed 193-231), which offered them a contingent nonimmigrant status, and Aye on the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act (Roll Call 297, failed 121-301), which offered people who arrived before 16 a renewable contingent status and a points-based route to immigrant status. On March 18, 2021 he voted Yea on House passage of the American Dream and Promise Act (Roll Call 91, 228-197), which offered conditional permanent residence to qualifying people brought to the country as minors and permanent residence to some holders of temporary protected status, and of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (Roll Call 93, 247-174), which he cosponsored and which created a certified agricultural worker status. Both passed the House and went no further. He cosponsored the Dignity Act in 2023 and was an original cosponsor of the Dignity Act of 2025; both were referred to subcommittee.

Sources: Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Congress.gov, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Office of Congressman David G. Valadao

Limit: His votes and cosponsorships run the way his campaign says, from his first term to his current one. None of these bills became law. Most offer a provisional, conditional or contingent status first, and permanent residence, the step before citizenship, only after years. His office's release says the 2025 Dignity Act “grants legal status and a path to permanent residency for Dreamers.” The campaign page is undated and appears to predate 2023.

David G. Valadao

Tax breaks in the 2025 reconciliation law

Matches stated direction

What they say

After his final vote on the 2025 reconciliation bill, he said it eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, expands the Child Tax Credit and enhances deductions for seniors.

“eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, expanding the Child Tax Credit, enhancing deductions for seniors”

Source: Office of Congressman David G. Valadao

What the record shows ·

He voted Aye on the final bill on July 3, 2025 (Roll Call 190), and it became Public Law 119-21. Workers can deduct up to $25,000 a year in tips and up to $12,500 in overtime pay ($25,000 on a joint return), counting only the part of overtime pay above their regular rate (sections 70201 and 70202). Both deductions shrink above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint) and end after 2028. The Child Tax Credit rises from $2,000 to $2,200 per child (section 70104). People 65 and over get an extra $6,000 deduction through 2028, reduced above $75,000 of income, or $150,000 on a joint return (section 70103).

Sources: U.S. Government Publishing Office, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives

Limit: The tip and overtime breaks are capped deductions that end after 2028, so “eliminating” taxes on them overstates the law. The child credit and senior deduction are in the law as he says.

David G. Valadao

Expanding domestic oil and gas production

Matches stated direction

What they say

His campaign supports expanding domestic energy to cut dependence on foreign energy and save money, naming oil and natural gas in California as well as solar and hydro power.

“David supports expanding our domestic energy potential to reduce our dependence on foreign energy and save money here at home.”

Source: Valadao for Congress

What the record shows ·

He was an original cosponsor of the Protecting American Energy Production Act (H.R. 1121) in February 2023. It bars a president from declaring a moratorium on fracking unless Congress authorizes one. He voted Yea when it passed the House on March 20, 2024 (Roll Call 93, 229-188); it was then referred to a Senate committee. The same ban was in the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1), which also required at least four onshore oil and gas lease sales a year in each state with land available; he voted Yea when it passed the House on March 30, 2023 (Roll Call 182, 225-204). He voted Aye on the 2025 reconciliation law (Roll Call 190), which orders the Interior Department to immediately resume quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales (section 50101 of Public Law 119-21).

Sources: Congress.gov, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Congress.gov, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Government Publishing Office, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives

Limit: The campaign page is undated. The same 2025 law ends the clean electricity production and investment credits for wind and solar facilities placed in service after 2027, unless construction began within 12 months of enactment (sections 70512 and 70513).

David G. Valadao

Preserving Social Security

Matches stated direction

What they say

His campaign says that without improvements Social Security and Medicare will be unable to fully meet their promises to the next generation of retirees, and that he believes “we must act in order to strengthen and preserve these vital programs.”

“David, who believes we must act in order to strengthen and preserve these vital programs”

Source: Valadao for Congress

What the record shows ·

On February 27, 2023 he cosponsored H. Res. 109, which states that Social Security “should be preserved and protected for current beneficiaries, and for future generations to come.” It was referred to the Ways and Means Committee. He cosponsored the Social Security Fairness Act in every Congress he served from 2013 until it passed. He voted Yea when the House passed the 2023 bill on November 12, 2024 (Roll Call 456, 327-75), and it became Public Law 118-273 on January 5, 2025. It repealed the windfall elimination provision and the government pension offset, which cut Social Security benefits for some people with a state or local government pension.

Sources: Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Government Publishing Office, U.S. Government Publishing Office

Limit: H. Res. 109 states a view and changes no law. The Fairness Act raised benefits, and the program's trustees say it hurt the retirement trust fund's finances. No Medicare vote was checked. The campaign page is undated.

Issues in this record

Follow the evidence by issue.

Health careImmigrationWater and infrastructureTaxes, spending and the economyEnergyEducationMoney and power in WashingtonSocial Security and Medicare

Evidence timeline

Dated records, with sources attached.

  1. race event

    Official candidate list certified

    The California Secretary of State's certified list for the November 3 general election names both candidates for the 22nd district.

    California Secretary of State

  2. race event

    July quarterly reports filed

    Both principal campaign committees filed their reports for May 14 to June 30, 2026 on the same day.

    Federal Election Commission Federal Election Commission

  3. finance

    FEC filing snapshot

    July Quarterly 2026, principal campaign committee VALADAO FOR CONGRESS.

    Federal Election Commission

  4. race event

    Dignity Act of 2025 introduced

    Valadao was one of its original cosponsors.

    Congress.gov

  5. race event

    The reconciliation act becomes law

    H.R. 1 became Public Law 119-21. Valadao voted Aye on the final House vote the day before.

    U.S. Government Publishing Office Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives

  6. race event

    House passes two immigration bills

    Valadao voted Yea on House passage of the American Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. Neither became law.

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives

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