Raul Ruiz

[constituency_baseline] District summary: California's 25th Congressional District encompasses all of Imperial County and portions of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties in the southeastern corner of the state. The district is anchored by the Coachella Valley cities (Indio, Coachella, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs) and Imperial Valley cities (El Centro, Calexico, Brawley). It is a majority-Latino district (66.1% Hispanic as of 2023) with a large immigrant population—25% of residents were born outside the U.S. The district is heavily agricultural: Imperial County alone generates $5.1 billion in agricultural economic output annually and directly employs approximately 14,500 people in agriculture (about 1 in 6 jobs). The district also relies on government employment (military, corrections, tribal), tourism, and retail trade. Median household income is $64,102, well below the California median, and the poverty rate is 16%. The district has significant healthcare access challenges, with rural hospitals serving sparse desert communities.

Voted nay_unverified on H.R. 8035 (FISA Amendments Act extension through October 2027) on 2026-04-17: Ruiz voted against the rule providing for consideration of the FISA extension bill (H.Res. 1175) and voted against the underlying bill (S. 4465) on April 30, 2026. As a physician and privacy advocate in a district with high immigrant populations and cross-border communities, surveillance expansion carries particular risks. The vote aligned with progressive Democrats concerned about warrantless surveillance but crossed the national security establishment and party leadership that supported the extension.

Voted nay on H.R. 1 (Reconciliation bill (One Big Beautiful Bill Act)) on 2025-07-01: Ruiz voted NO on the final reconciliation bill that included $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, SNAP work requirements, and $5 trillion in deficit-increasing tax cuts. His district has a 16% poverty rate, four rural hospitals at risk of closure, and heavy reliance on Medicaid and SNAP. This vote was constituent_aligned: it protected his district's healthcare infrastructure and food assistance programs while crossing Republican donor interests (tax cuts for wealthy) and going against the Republican majority. He explicitly cited the risk to El Centro Regional Medical Center, Pioneers Memorial, Colorado River Medical Center, and Palo Verde hospitals.

Voted nay on H.R. 7567 (Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026) on 2026-04-30: Ruiz voted against the 2026 Farm Bill despite his district's economy being heavily agricultural (Imperial County agriculture generates $5.1B annually and employs ~14,500 directly). He offered multiple amendments to the bill (rural area definition, Food as Medicine, specialty crop loss payments), suggesting engagement, but ultimately voted no. The vote aligned with the Democratic caucus (nearly all Democrats voted no). This is a party_defection against a bill that would have directly benefited his district's dominant industry—though the bill contained provisions his amendments sought to improve, the final version was opposed by Democrats as inadequate.