Gun control, sequestration and immigration reform are three of the key challenges federal lawmakers are currently facing, according to U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who provided an update on national issues on May 30 at the National Council of Jewish Women, Los Angeles’ (NCJW/LA) Council House.

Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) meets with NCJW/LA director of advocacy Ruth Williams during the congressional update last week. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Schiff said he had good news and bad news to report, and delivered the bad news up front. He said he was disappointed that Congress recently failed to approve comprehensive gun control legislation that would have required background checks for all gun purchases, as well as other stricter regulations. He said he supports an expansion of background checks and bans on high-capacity ammunition magazines, but pro-gun lobbyists and organizations such as the National Rifle Association have been successful in preventing their passage.

“Washington is unfortunately in a very dysfunctional place. Each year, I think it couldn’t possibly become more dysfunctional, and each year, I’m proven wrong,” Schiff said. “The most graphic recent illustration in my view is the debate we had over the gun issue after Newtown, when something that is supported by over 90 percent of the American people couldn’t pass in the Senate. Ninety percent of the American people believe that if you want to buy a gun, you ought to have a background check.”

Schiff said the other bad news is sequestration, in which automatic cuts to the federal budget began in March. The full negative effects of sequestration have not yet been fully realized, according to Schiff, who said it will eventually mean cuts to badly-needed services for senior citizens, low-income individuals trying to move into public housing, and parents seeking a better education for their children.

“I think what Congress is doing is affirmatively harmful,” he said. “At a time when we are poised to finally recover from the recession, we have put in place instead a sequester, a series of across the board cuts … which will, and is, dampening our recovery. So while we may be creating 100,000 or 150,000 new jobs each month, we could be creating two or three times that if the Congress would get out of the way. But we nonetheless embarked on this sequester, cutting the good programs with the bad, and those that are most vulnerable are going to be the most harmed.”

The congressman said the good news was with immigration reform, which he said is now moving forward after years of stagnation. He said some members of the Republican leadership are finally showing signs of support for immigration reform, and he anticipates that a bill granting a path to citizenship to immigrants currently in the country will eventually be approved.

“The election changed everything, in the sense that the mainstream voices in the GOP recognize, given the very substantial margins that President Obama won, not only in the Latino community but just about every minority community, that unless the GOP was more welcoming and changed some of its policies in terms of minority communities in the United States, it would perpetually be locked out of the White House, and would eventually be a minority party in both houses of Congress,” Schiff said. “The mainstream of the party, after the election, came out very strongly in favor of comprehensive immigration reform. Now the situation is that both parties have the political will to do something about this very big, important and previously intractable problem. In particular, what should be done about the 11 million people who are here and are undocumented.”

Schiff also answered questions posed by the more than 60 people in attendance, and touched on the topics of drones, the civil war in Syria, “fracking” and same-sex marriage.

He said drones still play an important role in national security, and if they were not being used, it would mean more soldiers would have to be placed in dangerous situations. He also said he backs President Barack Obama’s approach to Syria, adding that extreme caution is needed in deciding whether the United States should commit more military power to the region.

“I don’t agree with calls to provide lethal assistance or to create a no-fly zone,” Schiff said. “It’s very easy to get in. It’s very tough to get out once you do.”

The congressman also said he opposes hydraulic fracturing, known as “fracking”, a process in which water is inserted at high pressure to release oil trapped in the ground. He said the process is potentially dangerous and needs more research, and added that more support for alternative fuels is necessary.

“It’s an economic winner for us if we can be a leader in new technology and renewable energy,” he said.

Schiff was asked about the U.S. Supreme Court’s examination of Prop. 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act, which if repealed could clear the way for same-sex marriages and new benefits for LGBT individuals. He said he fully supports same-sex marriage, and anticipates that the Supreme Court may decide to refuse to hear the Prop. 8 case by citing that the proponents do not have the authority to defend the law in court.

“The best case scenario is that the Supreme Court takes the case and strikes down Prop. 8, but I don’t know that we should expect the best case scenario,” the congressman said.

Schiff also briefly addressed the Affordable Care Act, praising it as a benefit for seniors, disabled people and others living on a fixed income. He said a lot of uncertainty and misinformation is surrounding the healthcare law, but when enacted next year, it will ensure millions of Americans will be able to obtain necessary healthcare services.

The final question of the afternoon centered on politics and the upcoming elections, and ended on a lighter note. When asked by the moderator to answer in “as few words as possible” how much he will miss Republican congresswoman Michele Bachmann — who has announced she is suspending her reelection campaign — Schiff sat silently as roaring laughter reverberated through the room.

“I just did,” he said to much applause.