On April 16, 2025, DVHS hosted US Representative Mark DeSaulnier in a student forum with over 140 students in attendance. Held during Student Support, questions were posed surrounding various topics of transportation, education, foreign affairs and his background in policymaking.
A Democrat, DeSaulnier is a senior member of the House Education and Workforce Committee. Before being elected as a congressman, he was a business owner of restaurants throughout the Bay Area and was also a planning commissioner in Concord 35 years ago. He later became elected to the California State Assembly and State Legislature, where he used his prior experience to pass policies by talking to people who work at the retail level and listening to their opinions.
“I’ve done more town halls in the last 10 years than any other member of Congress because I like to listen to people… So coming out in the scene of people is really helpful getting your experience because my experience is different, obviously, and as we become a bigger and more diverse country, fewer people who look like me will dominate our legislative bodies, and that’s happening in California…which [has] made the institution more thoughtful, but also more reflective of the general population,” DeSaulnier stated.
Starting off, one of the first questions posed asked about how Democrats can be a true opposition party if they largely agree with President Trump on issues of Israel and legal immigration. However, the congressman disagreed with the premise of the question, explaining the complexity behind foreign affairs in the Middle East and that Democrats still maintain different positions from the Trump administration.
“When it comes to the Middle East, I believe in Israel’s right to be a country, and when it’s a function of democracy, I’m particularly supportive of it. I don’t support the current government, just like I don’t support [those] that I work with (Republicans), [yet] I’ve gotten a lot of bills passed with Republicans,” he said.
He further went on to state actions he has taken in Congress regarding Israel, such as voting for appropriations for Israel, voting against offensive weapons sentences and also his future action of co-authoring a bill that discusses how Israeli soldiers have committed war crimes.
DeSaulnier also touched on the topic of immigration when asked about the highlight of his political career, mentioning the moment when he got to help an undocumented Guatemalan girl fight a deadly disease during Trump’s first term. At the time, Trump was denying people temporary visas who were here for help.
“We had an excision that didn’t conquer … She had a deadly disease; her life expectancy was three years when she was diagnosed. The UC Children’s Hospital was doing experiments on this very deadly disease, and they found out about her in Guatemala and said that if [she was sent home], she would die … So we fought like hell, and she’s now a permanent citizen because of our legislation,” DeSaulnier said.
Throughout the forum, the congressman emphasized the importance of bipartisan collaboration and transparency within the government as he addressed the impact of the reconstruction of the Department of Education and budget cuts on special education and healthcare.
“What they did to the Department of Education is one of the worst things that they did. And then what they did also in the health department for people with disabilities is just cruel and stupid … Why would you make it harder for people to do what he just did … It also demonstrates a clear lack of understanding about our education system,” he said.
DeSaulnier ended off by answering questions about transportation, such as his opinions on the implementation of autonomous vehicles and how he was involved in reauthorizing existing laws in Congress related to aviation, namely the Federal Aviation Administration.
Later in the day, DeSaulnier addressed Danville’s questions and concerns regarding ICE immigration policies at Charlotte Wood Middle School. He expressed that ICE deportations were highly unconstitutional and an abuse of power by the current government. Moreover, DeSaulnier himself called for action against the onslaught of deportations.
The congressman praised Senator Chris Van Hollen for taking action by traveling to El Salvador in order to press for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deported immigrant who originally came to the US in fear of gang violence. DeSaulnier made it clear that he will advocate against the wrongful deportation and pressure the current government for the release of Garcia.
“I think there should be more of us going down there and saying, ‘You want us to appropriate funds for your government? There are conditions on that, and one of them is that if someone is illegally [deported from this] country and the supreme court says they should come back, you can’t say that you’re not interested in doing it and still have us appropriate funds for your government,’” DeSaulnier expressed.
A student’s First Amendment right was another topic addressed by DeSaulnier. The congressman suggested that in order for students to have the right to speak their mind, Democrats must fight by seeking justice via the courts and winning elections.
“The best investment America could ever make is education. And that’s still true, whether that’s organized education – public or private – or just the library, we’ve gotta protect that. So having young people go to a higher education school and be open and speak their minds and make mistakes sometimes, as long as it’s legal and doesn’t hurt people, that’s part of education, so we’re gonna fight for that,” DeSaulnier said.
One of the last topics DeSaulnier discussed was regarding protests in Concord and how protesters could avoid getting arrested. On this issue, DeSaulnier emphasized that protesters should always abide by the laws when trying to protest; moreover, the congressman encouraged a close collaboration between law enforcement and protesters when possible.
“My suggestion is to work with them, follow the law. At these events in Walnut Creek that I’ve been at, we’ve worked closely with the Walnut Creek police department – as we, I mean the people, not me – but they’ve been great, they are peaceful, they are respectful and everything works just fine,” DeSaulnier reassured.
