Media

Modesto, CA – Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) announced that his office – working with the office of Assemblyman Heath Flora – helped local veteran John Bokelman of Manteca get the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to cover his medical bills totaling $573,108.54 after incorrectly denying his claims. Mr. Bokelman had two heart attacks in 2017, but the VA refused to cover the costs associated with treatment on four separate occasions. Most alarmingly, the VA's initial denial claimed that heart attacks were not emergencies. Without intervention, Mr.

Modesto, CA – Representatives Josh Harder (CA-10) and Jim Costa (CA-16) announced the Expanding Medical Education Act to establish a grant program to assist colleges and universities in the establishment of new medical schools in underserved communities. The grants would be directed towards communities with fewer than 200 physicians per 100,000 residents and no accredited medical schools in the area.

Modesto, CA – Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) was named by Town Hall Project as the eighth-most accessible freshman member of the House of Representatives in 2019 based on his commitment to holding town halls at home in the Central Valley. Rep. Harder is in the top five percent of all members of Congress for the number of town halls hosted.

Modesto, CA – Building on his commitment to accessibility, Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) will host his first office hours of the new year in Modesto during the upcoming district work period. Office hours are an opportunity for folks in the Central Valley to meet one-on-one with Rep. Harder to make their voices heard, ask questions about what's happening in Washington, and get help with federal issues.

WASHINGTON – Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) along with fellow Freshmen Members of Congress have founded a new Congressional caucus, End Corruption. The group has already been active in fighting corruption, including helping pass the most sweeping effort in a generation, the For the People Act. The caucus will focus on fighting the power of money and lobbying and will work to increase transparency and accountability in Washington.

WASHINGTON – After the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) signaled that it would not cover several diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange for at least a year – if at all, Representatives Josh Harder (CA-10) and Pete Stauber (MN-08) introduced the Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act, which would require the VA to cover the conditions. Currently, Vietnam Veterans with specific health care problems developed as the result of exposure to Agent Orange during their service get "presumptive" access to benefits at the VA.

WASHINGTON – A day after rolling out his plan to combat homelessness, Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) introduced the Homelessness Emergency Declaration Act, which would allow governors to request a federal emergency declaration to obtain federal support. The emergency declaration process included in the bill is modeled after the existing process for requesting emergency aid after a natural disaster.

WASHINGTON – Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) released his plan to address the homeless crisis in the Central Valley in advance of this year's Point in Time Count, which assesses the total number of people who are homeless throughout the country. Homelessness is a growing problem in Rep. Harder's district, where the rate of homelessness grew by nearly 16 percent between 2017 and 2019. Homelessness is also a statewide problem in California, which saw a larger increase in the number of homeless people over the last year than all other states combined.