By Post Staff

U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) joined California senators and other members of the California delegation to Congress to call on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the Trump administration’s use of the Defense Production Act and other taxpayer funds to support coal projects, including the proposed coal export terminal in West Oakland.

Defense Production Act funding is for national defense emergencies, such as authorizing private car companies to build parts for tanks or ships.

Since President Donald Trump’s June 4 announcement of $75 million in funding for the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal, Simon has opposed and worked to stop the proposed coal terminal.

She filed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2027 Energy and Water Appropriations bill that would have prohibited funding for the proposed Oakland coal export terminal project; however, House Republicans blocked the amendment.

Last week, in a letter to the GAO Acting Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown, Simon and her colleagues questioned the Department of Energy’s plan to use up to $425 million in DPA funds to support coal-fired power plants and construct the West Gateway Terminal Project in Oakland.

This terminal project would primarily serve foreign commercial markets, rather than meet national emergency needs.

“The Defense Production Act was intended to scale up domestic industrial capabilities to meet urgent military or national emergency needs; therefore, its invocation to construct a commercial, civilian export facility intended primarily to serve foreign commercial markets raises profound statutory, legal, and fiscal questions,” wrote the lawmakers, which included Senators Alex Padilla (D) and Adam Schiff (D), Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee and Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA-08) and Ro Khanna (D-CA-17).

“We do not believe this satisfies the statutory definition of ‘national defense’ or ‘critical infrastructure protection’ under the DPA and that there is no legally sufficient, data-driven nexus between civilian coal exports and immediate U.S. military readiness or critical infrastructure defense,” the lawmakers’ letter said.

DPA funds are intended for U.S. national security and defense readiness. The Trump administration is instead diverting these funds to support a commercial export project that primarily benefits private industries and foreign markets in East Asia.

“Congress has never appropriated funds to the DOE’s DPA account with the intent of propping up a dying industry or financing a purely commercial project,” continued the lawmakers. “We are deeply concerned that DOE has improperly diverted funds from accounts intended by Congress for the critical modernization and resilience support of our nation’s grid to instead finance a commercial fossil fuel export project.”

Simon and colleagues also raised concerns that the Trump administration has improperly diverted funds designated for critical grid modernization and may be using emergency authorities to circumvent local environmental protections.  

“With no clear national security nexus, we question whether the DOE utilized emergency DPA authorities with the intent of preempting or subverting valid local health ordinances and environmental regulations. If so, this would be a gross departure from the intent of the DPA,” concluded the lawmakers.

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By Emil Amok Guillermo

Americans complain about inflation.

Filipinos complain about surviving.

That’s not a knock on America. It’s a reminder that for millions of Filipino Americans, the Philippines isn’t some faraway place we visit on vacation. It’s where our parents were born. Where our cousins still live. Where grandparents are buried. Where every phone call home can begin with, “We’re okay,” or, just as easily, “We need help.”

The Bay Area is home to one of the nation’s largest Filipino communities. California alone has nearly two million Filipinos—roughly half of all Filipino Americans in the United States.

Every year, Filipino Americans send an estimated $17 billion from the United States to the Philippines. Those remittances account for roughly a tenth of the Philippine economy. One wire transfer may keep children in school, put food on the table, pay hospital bills, or help elderly parents make it another month.

That’s why Filipino Americans were paying attention to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address this week.

They were listening for justice.

They were listening for Lyle Prijoles.

Prijoles, a 40-year-old Filipino American from Hayward, was killed on April 19 during a Philippine military operation in Negros Occidental. Also killed was Kai Sorem, a 26-year-old activist from Seattle.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines say those killed were connected to the Communist Party’s New People’s Army.

Their families say otherwise.

Human-rights advocates describe Prijoles and Sorem as labor organizers and peaceful activists working alongside sugar workers struggling under crushing poverty. Prijoles had traveled repeatedly to the Philippines since 2006, documenting conditions in Negros and advocating for farm workers whose lives rarely improve no matter who occupies the presidential palace in Manila.

Those conflicting stories are exactly why members of Congress, led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7), have called for an independent investigation.

After all, two American citizens are dead.

If an ally’s military kills Americans under disputed circumstances, shouldn’t we want to know exactly what happened?

Yet the story barely made news in the United States.

Perhaps because it’s inconvenient.

It’s inconvenient for Manila – and Washington.

Strategic allies aren’t supposed to kill American citizens.

The Philippines isn’t just another country.

It’s family.

President Marcos had bigger issues on his mind this week.

China’s growing aggression in the West Philippine Sea dominated much of the speech. Marcos rightly rejected racist insults aimed at Filipinos and insisted his country would not surrender its sovereignty.

“We are not racists. We are not liars,” Marcos declared. “We are respectful, and we are dignified. We are Filipinos, and we do not yield.”

Strong words.

But patriotism isn’t measured only by how forcefully a government stands up to China.

It’s also measured by how a government treats its own people.

The Philippines inherited many of America’s democratic institutions. Even the “State of the Nation Address” echoes our “State of the Union.” Congress. Elections. Constitutional government. We exported the architecture of democracy.

What we couldn’t export was accountability.

That’s why activists like Lyle Prijoles believed ordinary workers deserved better.

And that’s why his death matters.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist, political analyst and comic monologist. See him on his microtalk show on YouTube at @emilamok1.

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By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

Photo Caption: 

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) is advancing legislation that would prohibit unauthorized drones from operating within 400 feet of large outdoor ticketed entertainment events. 

Assembly Bill 2113, titled “Aviation: Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Ticketed Entertainment Events,” passed the Senate Public Safety Committee on June 30 by a 6-0 vote and was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

The Assembly approved the bill May 18 on a bipartisan 72-0 vote, with support from 54 Democrats and 18 Republicans. AB 2113 must clear the Senate Appropriations Committee before the Legislature’s Aug. 31 deadline to remain active. 

“Large, ticketed entertainment events such as concerts, festivals, and sporting events bring thousands of people into dense confined spaces, including many venues in my (California State Assembly District 61),” McKinnor said. “Unauthorized drones and activities in these settings pose a real risk to public safety and can interfere with event operations and emergency response.” 

McKinnor said the legislation would establish a state-level restriction that local authorities could enforce while preserving the federal government’s authority over U.S. airspace. 

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McKinnor also said, “While the Federal Government regulates airspace, local law enforcement is responsible for protecting public safety on the ground, yet current law does not provide a clear state-level prohibition addressing this issue.

Under the bill, the restriction would apply to outdoor professional music, sporting, or performing arts events held at venues with a capacity of at least 1,000 people.

Each violation would be an infraction punishable by a $500 fine. 

McKinnor, who chairs the Assembly Select Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation, said the restrictions are particularly important as California prepares to host major international gatherings, including the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

“AB 2113 protects the intellectual property rights of artists and addresses a growing public safety gap at public events due to the growing use of drones across California,” said McKinnor, a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC). 

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) has raised concerns about the bill’s potential effects on legitimate commercial drone operations. 

Mason Sisk, the group’s director of government affairs, said AB 2113 would address the “disruptive use of drones,” including operations that infringe on artists’ intellectual property. However, the trade association has asked McKinnor’s office to add an exemption for commercial flights providing services such as cargo transportation and infrastructure inspections. 

“Our issue with the bill really has to do with the distinction between the ‘loitering and hovering’ and the disruptive use of drones. So, I would ask that the committee not support the bill until we have language figured out,” Sisk told the Senate Committee on Public Safety.

To address concerns raised during the legislative process, McKinnor accepted amendments that narrowed the bill’s scope and exempted certain authorized operations. The prohibition would not apply to venue-approved flights, venue employees conducting official business, regulated utility employees performing official duties, or emergency personnel responding to an incident. 

“My office and the sponsor have been engaging with stakeholders throughout this process, and I want to thank everyone for their patience and collaboration,” McKinnor said. “We remain committed to working in good faith as the bill moves forward to address concerns of stakeholders.” 

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