Ken Calvert

Ken Calvert was born in Corona, California, in 1953.[1] He graduated from Corona High School in 1971. He earned an A.A. from Chaffey College in 1973 and a bachelor's degree in economics from San Diego State University in 1975.[1][2] Calvert's career experience includes owning a business and working as a restaurant manager. He was chair of the Riverside County Republican Party.[1]

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Media interviewCalvert stated the following in an interview with The Orange County Register:From voter ID to war powers and from immigration to tariffs, Congress has tackled many issues over the past year. What do you, though, see as the top three issues impacting Californians, and what specifically could you do as a lawmaker to address these issues? (Please answer in 250 words or less, and keep your response to future proposals.)Just like President Trump, I believe one of the most pressing issues right now is passing the SAVE America Act to protect our elections. Requiring proof of citizenship and a photo ID to vote is just common sense. That’s also why I’ve been part of a small group of leaders to working to pass a voter ID Initiative in California.Equally important is making life more affordable for California families. Californians pay more for gas, groceries, energy, insurance, and housing than just about anyone on the planet while also paying some of the highest taxes in the country. I was proud to work with President Trump to quadruple the State and Local Tax deduction in the Working Families Tax Cuts, which will save Californians an average of $4,300 a year. It’s also why I am fighting to stop Gavin Newsom’s disastrous cap-and-trade policies that have driven up the cost of gas, to lower the gas tax, and unleash American energy to bring down prices for families.Lastly, we need to secure the border. President Trump has made great strides and has dropped illegal immigration to nearly zero for the first time in generations. But we still have more to do, including deporting criminal aliens and ensuring future presidents cannot return to open borders.Speaking of voter ID, the president has implored Congress to approve legislation that would require people to show proof of citizenship in order to vote. What role do you believe the federal government plays in telling states how to conduct their own elections, as dictated by the U.S. Constitution? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)Proof of citizenship and proof of ID to vote are just common sense. If even Mexico and Somalia can require voter ID, then so too can the United States of America. It’s absurd that we show our ID to board a plane, check into a hotel room or use a credit card, but not to vote in our elections. If the states don’t want the federal government to act, then they need to do their job.What, in your opinion, should the federal government focus on when it comes to immigration policy? For example, do you place a priority on border security, visas for high-skilled workers, refuge for asylum seekers, etc., and why? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)There can be no discussion of immigration reform until we’ve secured our border. Period. President Trump demonstrated that decades of open borders was a policy choice that was entirely avoidable. Under his leadership, illegal immigration has fallen to zero for months, the lowest in a generation, by simply enforcing the law. We cannot have a strong country without a strong border.However, since a future president can reverse all the good work President Trump has done, we must pass legislation that guarantees that our border will stay secure, ends the job magnet, and protects the sovereignty of our nation. I support a system that rewards those who follow the rules and wait their turn, not one that gives a “fast pass” or grants “amnesty” to those who cut in line.It’s been over a year since Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the federal government for supplemental disaster aid to help Southern California communities rebuild after the devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires, but neither President Donald Trump nor Congress has acted. What would you do to push for the funding, besides writing letters to the Trump administration or the leaders of Congress? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)The Trump Administration has played a major role in the cleanup of Los Angeles following the devastating wildfires. The federal disaster response has provided tens of billions of dollars to help the impacted communities. EPA removed hazardous materials from 13,612 residential properties. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers then followed up with debris removal in record time. The Small Business Administration has delivered $3.2 billion in disaster loans to Los Angeles residents. As the most senior Republican on the House Appropriations Committee from our state, I’ll continue fighting for additional funding, disaster aid, and hazardous fuel reduction resources that are key to ensuring a disaster like this doesn’t occur again. I led the effort to send CAL-FIRE seven C-130H firefighting supertankers and pushed legislation like the EMBER Act and the Fix our Forests Act.Do you support a ban or restriction on congressional lawmakers and their families from buying or selling individual stocks? Why or why not? And what would you propose to ensure lawmakers aren’t using their positions to engage in insider trading? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)Yes. Members of Congress are there to serve the people, not to get rich like Nancy Pelosi, buying and trading stocks on insider information. I have never traded individual stocks since being elected to serve in Congress. Members of Congress serve the public and must be held to the highest standard of conduct.Do you support stronger regulations on pollution and carbon emissions? If so, how would you ensure those regulations aren’t overly burdensome on small businesses or lower-income families? And if not, how do you propose lawmakers protect the environment and curtail the impacts of climate change? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)I believe one of the best ways to actually improve the air Californians breathe is to replace older, dirty burning engines. That’s why I’ve supported the EPA’s Clean Diesel program for years. I do not support costly carbon regulations because Californians already pay the highest gas prices in the country. The last thing we need is new regulations that would raise the cost of gas even higher.Newsom is also wrong to push an extreme plan to ban gasoline-powered cars and trucks, and force families to buy more expensive cars that they don’t want and can’t afford. And he’s wrong to spend billions on a train to nowhere. I do not support a mileage-based tax that would crush California commuters and economically devastate our state. A more logical approach is focusing on investing in infrastructure to help mitigate the effects of a changing climate instead of imposing more taxes and regulations that kill jobs and make everything more expensive.The answer is water storage (like the millions of dollars for projects I’ve funded for throughout Riverside County), better forest management to stop these catastrophic fires before they start, supporting innovators and entrepreneurs with big ideas that are making nearly everything more efficient, and investing in infrastructure so we can better handle whatever Mother Nature throws our way.President Donald Trump has significantly increased spending for the U.S. Department of Defense. Would you, as a member of Congress, approve additional dollars for the military if the president were to ask for more funding? How would you ensure that any military spending does not end up putting the American people or national security in harm’s way? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)Yes. As the Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I’ve been proud to work directly with President Trump to rebuild our military. We aren’t just cutting blank checks, but rather we are focusing our investments into the technologies and weapons systems that will provide our troops with an advantage on the battlefield. We are ending woke and DEI programs that do nothing to support our warfighters. The superiority of America’s military should never be in doubt – especially to our adversaries. Look no further than the capture of Nicholas Maduro and the overwhelming success in Operation Epic Fury. President Trump accomplished in a year what decades of American foreign policy failed to do for generations. Americans are put at risk when America does not invest in our military, not the other way around. A fully funded military is how we keep our adversaries at bay and Americans safe.Under what specific circumstances do you believe the U.S. should engage in a war? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)When American lives, our national security or our strategic interests are put at risk. The world is safer when America leads with strength. As Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I have worked to place resources in the platforms and programs that give our military a clear and decisive advantage on any battlefield. I firmly believe that an American military with unmatched lethality and robust capabilities will deter our adversaries from engaging in hostile actions toward our country.Do you believe a president should seek congressional approval before engaging in military action overseas? Why, or why not? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)While the Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war, the President, as Commander-in-Chief, must have flexibility to protect America’s national security interests. Both Article II of the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Act of 1973 provide the President broad authority to engage in military action overseas for 60-90 days.Additionally, Congress has already provided multiple Presidents of both parties the authority to engage in the Middle East under the 2002 Authorization of Military Force. We live in a fast-moving world where information travels instantly and telegraphing every move to Congress would inhibit our ability to respond to imminent threats.Congress, in theory, is supposed to serve as a check on the president through budgetary, legislative and oversight powers. Do you believe Congress has fulfilled that obligation during the past two administrations, with one being a Democrat and the other a Republican? Why or why not? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)There’s no question that the power of the Legislative Branch of government has been in decline. However, voters should always pay close attention to what Congress is doing to either support or oppose the President’s agenda. During the Biden Administration, Democrats in Congress joined President Biden to pass a $450 billion tax increase and runaway spending that caused massive inflation. During the first year of Trump’s second term, Republicans in Congress joined President Trump to pass significant working family tax cuts, allowing taxpayers to keep more of the money they earn.Governments around the world are increasingly considering an age ban or other restrictions on social media use among young people, citing mental health and other concerns. Should Congress adopt such restrictions? If so, what specific restrictions do you propose? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)There’s no question that social media is causing a multitude of issues for our kids. We see huge spikes in anxiety, depression and self-harm among young Americans. These platforms are designed to be as addictive as possible and pose real distractions at home and in the classroom. I don’t believe in creating a government nanny state, but I do believe that we need more platform accountability and tools to empower parents to take control of the content and amount of time kids are spending on screens. Parents and teenagers need to understand the risks in using these devices.Statistically, violent crime rates in California are on the decline, yet residents still don’t feel safe or at ease in their communities. How do you see your role in Congress in addressing the underlying issues that make Californians feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)People feel unsafe because liberal politicians across the state have prioritized the rights of criminals over those of the victims and law-abiding Americans. Congress can and should take a bigger role in helping people feel safer in their communities. Federal funding should be contingent on jurisdictions eliminating sanctuary state policies, cashless bail and other pro-criminal policies that have put families at risk. We should empower federal prosecutors to step in when local progressive DAs refuse to do their jobs.But most importantly, we cannot have safe streets when the border leaks like a sieve. We have to continue prioritizing the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants, passing legislation to secure our border, ending catch and release and making remain in Mexico the law of the land, and ensuring law enforcement have the resources they need to investigate and prosecute crime to the fullest.There are term limits to serve in the California Legislature, but none to serve in Congress. Would you advocate for term limits for House members? Why or why not? If you support term limits, how many years maximum should a House member be allowed to serve? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)The best term limits are the ones voters can choose for themselves at the ballot box every two years. In my experience, voters judge House members by their effectiveness, not how long they have been in office.I’m proud of my distinguished record of delivering for our region. Just recently, I secured over $67 million for Riverside County infrastructure projects. It takes experience and institutional knowledge to get things done in a gridlocked Congress, and my re-election every other year is a strong signal that voters in this district approve of my record.— Ken Calvert in The Orange County Register interview (May 5, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

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Calvert's campaign website listed the following issues:[37]

Economy

Excerpt: "I began working in our family business in Corona at a young age. Before long, I started and ran my own business, learning valuable lessons about small business along the way. With an economics degree from San Diego State University and decades of community leadership and business experience, I understand what it means to sign the front of a payroll check, and what that paycheck means to families."

Education

Excerpt: "Communities across our country must constantly ask themselves if our children are getting the best possible education. It is not often that I agree with President Obama, but I do share his support for using meaningful performance pay systems to improve teacher quality and effectiveness. If we are going to give our students the best education, we must reward teachers who excel and give an extra effort."

Energy

Excerpt: "I believe the best way to confront our country’s energy challenges is by adopting an “all of the above” energy policy that takes aggressive steps towards reducing our dependence on foreign sources of energy. Federal incentives and coordinated research in developing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies are a critical component of solving our energy problems."

Healthcare

Excerpt: "I voted against ObamaCare and believe it should be repealed. The process Washington Democrats used to produce the health care law was fraught with sweetheart deals, special interest carve outs, and forced on America under undemocratic rules. I believe Congress should repeal and replace the health care law with a renewed focus on the health care reform elements most Americans agree on."

Immigration

Excerpt: "As most Americans know, our immigration policies are broken. The worst step we can take is to grant amnesty to people who entered our country illegally. I oppose amnesty because it sends a horrible message to those who entered our country legally and to those thinking about immigrating to America in the future."