PRICES IN CALIFORNIA ARE TOO HIGH

On 2026-02-25, Representative Kevin Kiley (R-CA-3) delivered a floor speech titled "PRICES IN CALIFORNIA ARE TOO HIGH" in the House. The speech addressed the economy and also covered the environment, Israel.

PRICES IN CALIFORNIA ARE TOO HIGH

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 37 (Wednesday, February 25, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 37 (Wednesday, February 25, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2319-H2321] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] PRICES IN CALIFORNIA ARE TOO HIGH (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Kiley of California was recognized for 30 minutes.) Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, over the last month, gas prices in California have risen by about 40 cents. This is very different from what is going on elsewhere in the country. In fact, right now, gas prices in California average $4.63 where the national average is $2.97. California's gas prices are by far the highest in the country. [[Page H2320]] They are 23 cents higher than the next highest State, Hawaii, which, of course, is an island State. Lest you think this is strictly a matter of red States versus blue States or Democrat versus Republican policies, take a look at what folks not far from here in Maryland are paying for gas. In Maryland, the State average is actually $2.98, $1.65 cents cheaper than in California. Here are examples of a gas station in California and a gas station in Maryland. Now, Maryland is actually a bluer State than California is, and so the reason our citizens in California have to pay so much is because of the uniquely bad policies that we have in California, such as the highest in the Nation gas tax, the so-called cap-and-trade program, and regulations around the fuel mix that make it incredibly difficult to source. All of this has caused two refineries to now leave our State, which is going to spike gas prices even more. Indeed, it has recently been reported that California is now importing gasoline from The Bahamas, in addition to many other places overseas. By the way, this gasoline comes in on tankers that run on petroleum. The policies of California's politicians have somehow given us the Nation's most expensive gas and its most environmentally unfriendly gas. Mr. Speaker, on top of all of that, while all of these taxes are supposed to be going toward our roads, we are routinely rated as having among the very worst roads in the entire country. This is the extraordinary price that Californians pay for political failure. Mr. Speaker, to try to provide at least some relief, I have introduced the Gas Tax Reduction Act here in the House, which would place a national cap on how much a State can tax its own citizens for gasoline. This would save Californians at least 21 cents a gallon right off the bat. Unsurprisingly, the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has come out against it. I am hopeful that we can get bipartisan support for this commonsense, much-needed proposition in this House, get Californians a modicum of relief, and ultimately change the disastrous policies that have produced this reality for our citizens. Serial Child Molester Released Early in California Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the alarming news that in California a serial child molester by the name of David Funston has been granted early release. The parole board has granted parole to Mr. Funston, a serial child molester, who, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, used candy and toys to lure children 7 years old and younger. He was convicted of 16 counts of kidnapping and child molestation. According to the sheriff, multiple young children were victimized, some as young as 4 years old. He was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison, along with three additional consecutive sentences of 25 years to life, with the judge describing him as ``the monster parents fear the most.'' Yet the parole board has now released him or has recommended his release pursuant to a program known as the Elderly Parole Program that grants eligibility of parole to individuals over the age of 50. Now, when this program was expanded to include anyone over 50, even for these most heinous and vile of crimes, I was a member of the legislature and voted against it. It, in fact, received broad bipartisan opposition, yet Governor Gavin Newsom nevertheless signed that bill into law, putting many Californians and many young Californians at risk. Mr. Speaker, this is the outrageous consequence of reckless criminal laws in California that have removed consequences for criminal activity and provided for the early release of tens of thousands of serious, hardened criminals. We have made some progress in California through a voter initiative to make crime illegal again, passed overwhelmingly by California voters in 2024, but we have a long way to go to reverse the reckless laws that remain on the books and protect Californians from the most heinous of offenders. Cost of Living Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, it is undeniably true that many Americans continue to struggle with the cost of living in this country, but what is also true is that those struggles are not felt uniformly throughout the country, that prices are much higher in certain places than others. In my own State of California, we have the highest cost of living in the country and our Governor, Gavin Newsom, was asked about this recently on CNN. Why does California have the highest cost of living in the country? The Governor had no answer, but the answer is obvious. It is the State's failed policies that have--through this laboratory of democracy experiment we have in this country where you can compare the results of different policies side by side, State by State--driven up the price of just about everything in California. We have the highest gas prices in the country, the highest electricity prices in the country, the second or third highest water bills in the country, the second or third highest grocery prices in the country, the highest taxes in the country, and the highest housing costs in all of the continental United States. The list goes on, which is why when you look at the Census Bureau's measure of the real poverty rate, which accounts for the cost of living, California has the highest poverty rate in the entire country. By the way, we also have the highest unemployment rate and among the lowest rates of wage growth, so not only are our residents forced to pay the highest prices but they are experiencing the smallest boost in their earning capacity and paychecks. Now, the policies that have created this unfortunate reality are not difficult to identify. California taxes its citizens more than any State. It regulates its businesses more than any State. It has the worst litigation environment of any State. It has the most onerous regulations on gas, electricity and energy. It has failed to build adequate water storage in many decades, although we are, thankfully, changing that. It places tremendous restrictions and frivolous litigation on building housing and imposes fees that make it cost tens of thousands of dollars before you even break ground, which is why Gavin Newsom claimed he was going to build 3.5 million new homes when he came into office and has produced less than 20 percent of that number. Mr. Speaker, there is a lesson to be learned here. When we talk about an affordability agenda that we can pursue here in the House to lower costs and improve the quality of life for folks all across the country, it is to do the opposite of what States like California have done. It is to do the opposite of overregulating each and every sector. Instead, we should look to unleash the extraordinary capacity of the people of this country to build, to start businesses, to build housing, to remove the barriers, to be on the side of those who are creating and making life and providing more opportunities to folks all across this country. We passed some measures that are important steps in that direction, but we certainly have more to do. We should bear in mind the example of California as we move forward with that agenda and seek to raise the quality of life for folks across the country. {time} 1250 No Path Forward for California High-Speed Rail Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, the CEO of the California High- Speed Rail Authority was recently arrested and placed on leave, so the Rail Authority is now on its sixth CEO. That means there have been six more CEOs than there have been passengers because, of course, there haven't been any passengers, despite spending $17 million over 17 years. There has been no track laid. Nevertheless, the Governor recently, with quite a bit of hoopla, held an event in Kern County to celebrate the fact that a single railhead has now been completed. The Governor that crowed they are now entering the track-laying phase, whatever that might mean. Mr. Speaker, it is time for the Governor to acknowledge what the U.S. Department of Transportation did in a recent compliance review. This project has no viable path forward. Thankfully, in the House of Representatives, following a bill I introduced to this effect, there was a bipartisan vote to cut off all further Federal funding for high-speed rail. There is no [[Page H2321]] viable path forward for the project. I do believe when we have a new Governor in the State, the project will finally be wound down. Taxpayers also deserve answers on where all of this money has gone. Curiously, as we are seeing new scrutiny to answer that question as to where the money is going, the Governor is pushing a bill in the legislature to keep records of the project secret and to create new exceptions to our public records laws that specifically apply to high- speed rail. That raises the question: I wonder what he doesn't want the public to see. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to fight to assure that our share of Federal tax dollars goes toward projects like our roads that will actually benefit Californians, now that we have cut off funding for high-speed rail, and in encouraging leadership at the State level to wind this project down immediately so we don't continu