News
Press Releases
February 13, 2026
Rep. Mike Levin Reintroduces Bill to Protect Waters from Plastic Pollution
—Today, Reps. Mike Levin (CA-49) and Hillary Scholten (MI-3) reintroduced the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act, to address plastic pollution in our nation’s waterways and along our coasts. This bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a rule that prohibits the discharge of plastic pellets and other types of plastic into our nation’s waters. Currently, EPA does not have an established federal rule to address plastic pellets specifically, and most states do not have mea… Continue Reading
February 12, 2026Rep. Mike Levin Denounces Sec. Noem’s Visit to Otay Mesa
Rep. Levin’s message to Sec. Noem Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) denounced Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press tour at the Otay Mesa detention facility. Sec. Noem’s visit to the facility comes as members of the San Diego Congressional Delegation are in Washington for House votes rather than in San Diego to press her about ICE’s actions and abuses. Rep. Levin released the following statement: “Sec. Noem decided to hold a press conference at Otay Mesa on a day when t… Continue Reading
February 06, 2026Rep. Mike Levin Reintroduces Bipartisan Bill to Eliminate Passport Fees for Purple Heart and Medal of Honor Recipients
Today, Reps. Mike Levin (CA-49) and Jim Baird (IN-4) reintroduced the bipartisan Passports for Purple Hearts and Medals of Honor Act to eliminate passport book fees for Purple Heart and Medal of Honor recipients. The current cost for an adult to obtain their passport book for international travel is $130, and there is an additional $35 execution fee for first time applicants. The Passports for Purple Hearts and Medals of Honor Act would exempt recipients of the Purple Heart medal and the Medal … Continue Reading
In The News
November 17, 2024
How to save $2 million a day … and remove radioactive waste from earthquake country
Memo to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy: We can imagine how excited you must be to star in “Honey, I Shrunk the Government!” We suspect you’d frown upon the idea of a brand new agency, sprouting like a delicate green tendril from the federal forest, but we’re here to argue that’s wrong. If you’re truly interested in governmental efficiency, here’s a no-brainer: Immediately stop the half-century of federal dithering that has let highly radioactive nuclear waste pile up in neighborhoods all over th… Continue Reading
September 25, 2024Levin introduces bill aimed at moving nuclear waste out of San Onofre — and other sites across the country
A bill co-introduced on Capitol Hill this week by Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, looks to make progress in the painstaking effort to eventually remove spent nuclear fuel that has piled up over the decades at power plants across the country, including the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The bill would create a federal agency called the Nuclear Waste Administration that would manage nuclear waste issues at commercial plants. The new agency would also be in charge of finding potent… Continue Reading
September 25, 2024Citing ‘Years of Inaction,’ Rep. Levin Leads Bipartisan Bill to Update Nuclear Waste Management
Nuclear waste is stored in communities across the United States, and the systems in place to manage it are old, underfunded, and out of date — potentially putting the health of entire communities at risk. The bipartisan Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2024, authored by California Democrat Mike Levin and Texas Republican August Pfluger, would bring the country’s nuclear waste management program up to date and establish an independent Nuclear Waste Administration to oversee it. “The federal … Continue Reading
Op-Eds
February 12, 2026
The Levin Letter: Government Must Do More to Remove SONGS’ Nuclear Waste
It has been more than a decade since the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) shut down, and roughly 3.6 million pounds of spent nuclear fuel still sit on our coastline, wedged between Interstate 5 and the Pacific Ocean—far from an ideal long-term solution. Since entering Congress, one of my top priorities has been the safe removal of that nuclear waste from our region. While we still have work to do, we have made important progress in recent years that is bringing us closer to fully r… Continue Reading
February 06, 2026OC Register: Olympic surfing must put surfers first
As the Olympic Winter Games open next month, the world will once again be reminded of what the Olympics represent: excellence, preparation, and legacy. After they conclude, the torch travels to our backyard in 2028. The Olympic rings will be front and center at Lower Trestles, in our region, for two weeks of Olympic surfing competition. The global spotlight will be on Southern California — the beating heart of American surfing. But, an ongoing debate about the future of surfing governance cloud… Continue Reading
January 21, 2026San Diego Union Tribune: Why reprocessing San Onofre nuclear waste is not a short-term fix
The 3.6 million pounds of spent nuclear fuel stored at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) are a symptom of a national failure that has left nuclear waste stranded at more than 80 sites across the country. Nuclear waste was never meant to stay at SONGS long term. But because the United States still has no permanent repository for spent fuel, we have been left with no other option. One of my first actions after being elected to Congress in 2018 was to convene the SONGS Task Force w… Continue Reading
Podcast
Congressman Mike Levin hosts in-depth, candid conversations on the latest happenings in Congress and California’s 49th Congressional District, featuring a variety of guests discussing a wide range of current events and topics.
