Press Releases

Tonight, Congressman Carbajal invited Charlie Martinez to President Trump’s address to a Joint Session of Congress. Charlie is a former fire Captain at Vandenberg Space Force Base and is a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters, representing federal firefighters. CA-24 is home to nearly 8,000 federal employees, who are dedicated public servants who provide essential support to our communities. 

Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) issued the following statement after the conclusion of President Trump’s first Address to a Joint Session of Congress:

"Tonight, I chose to attend President Trump’s Address at the Joint Session of Congress to amplify the voices of my constituents and all Americans who have been personally impacted by the destructive, draconian and unjust actions he and his administration have taken over the last 6 weeks.

“Firefighters like my guest Mr. Martinez, are dedicated to maintaining public safety and responding to wildfires in the face of danger. The indiscriminate firings by the Trump Administration place a broader burden on the entire federal workforce and our work towards critical fire response. I am pleased to have retired Captain Charlie Martinez as my guest tonight to tell the story of the dedication of America’s federal workforce.

“Throughout President Trump’s entire campaign, he repeatedly promised that on day one he would lower the cost of living for hard working American families. He pledged to make life more affordable, to bring down the cost of groceries, gas, housing, and health care and to ensure that the government would work in the interests of everyday Americans. Yet, since taking office, his administration has instead taken opposite actions to raise costs and focused primarily on dismantling our long-standing democratic institutions.

“Unfortunately President Trump’s narcissistic, xenophobic and highly partisan speech only focused again on spreading countless lies and seeking to further divide our country. Instead of standing up for working, middle-class Americans and articulating plans to bring down grocery, housing, health care and child care costs, President Trump doubled down on prioritizing giving tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations by slashing funding to programs that provide critical support to Veterans, children, and families like Social Security, Medicaid, and SNAP.

“I will work tirelessly to fight back against these dangerous and missguided assaults on hardworking, middle-class families on the Central Coast and our democratic institutions.”

Background: 

Rep. Carbajal joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers urging the Trump administration to reverse their decision to fire 3,400 federal workers from the U.S. Forest Service, which manages 193 million acres of public lands.

On January 23, 2025, the House of Representatives voted to advance Carbajal’s legislation to reduce wildfire threats. Rep. Carbajal’s Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act would reduce procedural steps for removing hazardous vegetation near power lines, cutting red tape to allow for a more streamlined process when tackling wildfire risk.

In 2022, Carbajal’s legislation to protect federal firefighters who are afflicted by job-related cancer was signed into law.