Earlier in my life, I tried my hand in business. After graduating from the Wharton School, I joined a group of friends in starting up a technology firm.

Unfortunately, during the 2001 downturn, we lost our funding, and my dreams of being a tech mogul were dashed. But because of those experiences, I have a very strong and very personal respect for those entrepreneurs and small business owners who put their blood, sweat, and tears– as well as their own money– into their ventures. 

In the state legislature, I authored the Small Business Relief Grant Program, which allocated $4.1B in relief grants to small businesses suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I also championed other legislation trying to help small businesses, including several bills to reduce the regulatory burden that they face in our state, as well as passed a law to address the growing problem of predatory lending targeting small businesses with hidden junk fees and usurious rates. 

As a member of Congress, I’ve continued to make it a point to hear directly from our small business owners in Orange County and I strive to take a thoughtful approach to the complex issues facing our business community today. For example, I voted in favor of legislation to modernize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program, which offer early stage funding to entrepreneurs and bring promising new technologies to market, after seeing firsthand how health care start-ups in our region have used the program. 

I also recognize that our economy is changing rapidly and we need to make sure that our businesses have the tools they need to succeed. For that reason, I’ve cosponsored legislation to support the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence, such as the CREATE AI Act, which would help remove barriers to artificial intelligence research and development, and the NSF AI Education Act, to incentivize more students to pursue studies in artificial intelligence and bring such programming to community colleges and vocational schools. I also support common-sense changes to our immigration system to make it easier for employers to recruit the talent they need. 

In Congress, I’ll continue to try to be a champion for entrepreneurs and small business owners, and for economic growth more broadly in Orange County.