Here's a number that should make every Californian angry: $24 billion. That's what our state spent on homelessness over five years and homelessness has only increased. Shockingly, when auditors tried to figure out where the money went they were unable to because no one was tracking it. Billions in taxpayer dollars allocated for the homeless simply disappeared.

This isn't a one-time failure. It's a pattern.

When the Palisades Fire devastated our district in January 2025, families in need of support were met with red tape, frozen reimbursements, and a political tug-of-war between Washington and Sacramento. A year later, many families are still waiting for the help they were promised. The system isn't overwhelmed. It's neglected.

The people who have been in Washington the longest have made their peace with a system that regularly mismanages funds. I have not made my peace with it, and I will not. I believe taxpayers deserve to know where their money goes — and what it accomplished. Every federal dollar sent to California should be trackable, measurable, and tied to outcomes. If a program isn't working, we fix it or we end it. If an agency can't account for its spending, that agency answers publicly in front of the people who paid for it.

Government wastes money under both parties, and both parties have let it happen. What's been missing isn't ideology, it's a willingness to ask direct questions and demand real answers.