Release from Rep. Adam Schiff’s office:

On Thursday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) was sworn into Congress for his tenth term, serving California’s 28th Congressional District.

Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) was sworn into Congress for his tenth term, serving California’s 28th Congressional District by new House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (Photo courtesy Adam Schiff)

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue to represent California’s 28th in Washington for the next two years. A great deal of work lies ahead of us, but I am motivated  by the trust my constituents have placed in me to advance their priorities in our nation’s capitol.” said Schiff. “Our first task is to re-open the government and bring an end to the President’s decision to shut it down. Last night, we passed legislation to do that as our first act of the Congress.”

Rep. Schiff will continue representing the 28th District in Congress, including all or parts of Atwater Village, Burbank, East Hollywood, Echo Park, Elysian Valley, Glendale, Griffith Park, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, La Cañada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Los Feliz, Montrose, Pasadena, Shadow Hills, Silver Lake, Sunland, Tujunga and West Hollywood.

Schiff continued, “The American people entrusted a new Majority in the House with a great responsibility to put forward a positive agenda for the nation. Along with my colleagues, I intend to advocate for legislation that puts people first by increasing incomes, and expanding affordable healthcare. I also intend to push forward local initiatives that improve the quality of life in our region, including expanding open space through the creation of the Rim of the Valley National Recreation Area, building the Earthquake Early Warning System for the west coast, reducing helicopter and airplane noise, and much more.

“Finally, I will do my part to support and conduct vital oversight of the Trump Administration, and to restore Congress as a co-equal branch of government. Let’s get to work.”

Prior to serving in the House of Representatives, Schiff completed a four-year term as State Senator for California’s 21st State Senate District, chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Juvenile Justice and the Joint Committee on the Arts. Before serving in the State Legislature, Schiff served with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles for six years.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-BURBANK) addressed the Democratic National Convention. His remarks, as delivered, are below:

As Ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, I am keenly aware of the grave threats we face. From the murderous brutality of ISIS and al Qaeda to Iran’s sponsorship of terror; from the belligerence of Vladimir Putin to the madman in Pyongyang.

This November, America’s decision is about more than who confronts these threats. It’s also about how: Will we continue to be a beacon for freedom loving peoples around the world? Or will we hunker down, shelter in place, or worse, sow division and discord? Will we pick a man with no vision, who cowers behind angry rhetoric? Or will we pick a woman of courage, conviction and compassion?

In short, the stakes could not be higher.

When the rights of expression, religion and association are under growing assault around the globe, when the world needs a leader who can offer “blood, tears, toil and sweat,” Trump offers only bluster, tirade, swindle, and threat.

With malice towards all, and charity for none, Trump would separate us from the world, and divide us here at home. In Trump’s world, NATO is a relic, Putin an ally, Tiananmen an example, and torture our instrument.

This is not leadership; this is calamity.

It is not speaking hard truths or shunning political correctness—but, instead, failing to see America’s greatness, its essential goodness, its unending promise. Like an easy mark at one of his casinos, Trump would have us throw the dice with America’s future.

We will not do it.

But thank God, America has a choice.

Rather than a man of endless ego and obsession, we can choose a woman of purpose and determination. Instead of a man who sees little but danger and murder in the face of immigrants, we can choose a woman who understands how immigrants have strengthened this nation of immigrants. Instead of a man who would gamble on the greatness of America, we can choose a woman with a brilliant mind, a resolute heart, a steady hand, and a passion for the betterment of humankind.

Democrats, this fall, the choice for Commander-in-Chief is clear — Hillary Rodham Clinton!

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), released the following statement in reaction to the President’s State of the Union address this evening before Congress:

“Tonight, the President laid out his vision for an improved economy and help for the middle class.  While our economy is far better than it was in the midst of the Great Recession, we still have a long way to go – and by addressing wage stagnation, making education affordable to all and investing in our middle class, we can ensure that a strengthening economy brings prosperity to all families. By reforming our tax code and helping expand opportunity for the middle class, we can generate rising incomes and give everyone the chance to succeed.

“The President also addressed the complex national security challenges facing the country more than a decade after 9/11 and years after the death of Osama Bin Laden. The President appealed to Congress to authorize the use of force against ISIS and this is vital – but make no mistake, this is a debate and vote that should have taken place five months ago when we first began strikes against ISIS in Syria and began deploying troops to Iraq. The Administration must resist the impulse to seek an authorization that is overly broad, without geographic limitation, a prohibition on the use of American troops in a combat mission, or a meaningful sunset date not subject to unilateral administrative extension. In light of the longevity and extraordinarily broad interpretation given the two existing AUMF’s, the Congress should not grant this or any future administration authority carte blanch.

“By addressing cybersecurity legislation in his highest profile speech of the year, the President acknowledged what many of us already know – that the vulnerability of our nation’s businesses and critical infrastructure must be addressed, and addressed soon.  For too long, our companies, families and government have been vulnerable to criminals, hackers, and a broad range of state and non-state actors  – and there is much more we need to do. I’m looking forward to working with the Administration to craft cyber-threat information sharing legislation that addresses these risks, while maintaining our privacy and civil liberties.

“The President must also continue to press for important reforms of the metadata program and FISA Court, both of which are essential to maintaining a proper balance between privacy and security, and which he alluded to in tonight’s speech. In addition to working with Congress, the President should take steps within his own authority to reform our surveillance programs, including ending the bulk collection of domestic phone records in favor of phone companies retaining their own data which could be queried on a case by case basis.

“These economic and national security challenges are real and we can meet them, provided we are willing to work together in a bipartisan way. I am determined to do my part, and hope that this Congress can become one of the most productive in years.”