Tell us about your district . It is one of the only majority asianamerican districts in america. Huge caucasian population, chineseamerican, indianamerican, latino, africanamerican, it is an ex extraordinary place to represent. Host how would you describe the relationship between silicone valley and washington . Guest it is an emerging relationship. There is a frustration in the valley with the type of bureaucracies in washington. The valley is where you are not afraid to dream big, take risks, fail and try again. Some people look at washington as risk averse and very cautious. So there is a cultural different. On the flip side, i think people have an obligation to the nation and people in the valley have a dose of what can they do for the country and the valley. Host how do you bridge that gap . Guest i think this election was a wake up call to a lot of folks saying there is extraordinary innovation and growth but there is a lot of places that have been left out of it. An economists at berkeley talks about there are 300 metropolitan areas that are doing great. But if you are outside of there you are stagnating. One thing is how do we partner with other places. Host anything you can do and congress can do make that happen . Guest sure. If you look at Apple Computers and people say they are creating jobs in silicone valley but they are creating the iphone and ios operating software. There is someone in kentucky i met who has created a four Month Program to educate former coal minors on how to use iso software and guarantee them a job doing that. Apple says there are probably two million jobs you could have by understanding basic web design and creation. How did they do this in kentu y kentucky . They had a grant from the Appalachian Development program and that is a federal program. Concrete, tangible skills that will lead to the jobs of the future developed there. Host how can washington best help these companies with tangible legislation . Guest i dont think the question should be how should they help the countries because apple or googles interest may not be the interest of the average person. I think the question washington should ask is how do we make the jobs of the future accessible to people and how do we create those opportunities. That involves several things. One, we have to figure out what the credentials look like for the jobs available. I am not as concerned about the folks getting fouryear degrees or ph. D but what are you doing after high school that will get you credentials to get you a job. I think the federal government should be looking to credentials that relate to jobs and funding those type of apprenticeship programs. Host funding . Guest funding but being creative about it. There is a labor mismatch and a misconception that they have to go to stanford and mit and hire. You and i grew up in the midwest. There are plenty of creative, bright brilliant people where great skills who may not go to a fancy university. So companies have to think broader about how they will get their workforce. On the other hand, the government needs to think about what types of skills are going to lead to employment. One example is anyone who understand an ios or android platform can get a job. Anyone who understand basic cybersecurity can get a job within a year. We had our president elect become a celebrity by a show called the apprentice. We need to do a lot more apprentice like programs in the United States when it comes to tech jobs. The one point about the tech jobs that is so important is for every one set of jobs created there is a multiplier of four or five other jobs. Only 20 are involved in tech. But you know the Tech Industry fuels restaurants, drycleaners, lawyers, it has a bigger multiplier affect than manufacturing effect. Host i want to introduce dave and the next question is from him. Dave you mention job training. We see the pace in which silicone valley changes work. Uber, for example, has created this whole new class of ride share and what happens when antonymous vehicles come around . I am wondering how you make sure if the government is working to train people for the new jobs that training pace keeps up with silicone valley . Guest it is a great question. First of all, it cant be training without the promise of a job. Folks say we have been training but we dont have a job. You have to give training to jobs that exist. Lets take your example of driverless cars. I think some of the negatives about the jobs are being replaced. Most pilots and airplanes are selfoperating but we have pilots still on hand. You will have Truck DriversStill Necessary even if the vehicle is being driven by driverless technology. The challenge is they will need a different skill. A proficiency and comfort with technology. They will need ability to adapt and change. The skills are not okay you learn java programming or proficiency in android technology. The skill we have to give people is a technology, efficiency, literacy that will allow them to continually adapt. Host can silicone valley be created anywhere or is it unique . Guest i think it is pretty unique. There were universities there, huge strategic investment. It doesnt mean we cant create other clusters and encourage entrepreneurs. There is a program about investing in venture tap capital across the country in the future entrepreneurs and visionaries. It would be a boring country. What we do need is innovation and some jobs of the future accessible to all parts of the country. They dont all have to be silicone valley but they all need some set innovation and that, i think, is doobl doable. Host what have you heard from constituents about the Incoming Administration . Guest there is concern on particular issues of Civil Liberties and civil rights. You know, you look at place like the valley and it was founded by people who were immigrants. A lot of these countries, any grow, elon musk, google. You have a sense that incredible diversity gives us strength and alternative prospects that lead to innovation. There is a concern the administration not be too inward and we recognize the competitive advantage we have at being a nation where everyone from the world aspires to come here. I think that is one of the biggest things that you hear among the constituents. Host this is a president who still uses twitter, one of the products coming out of silicone valley. On the business side is there concern . Guest the question is what is he going to do . So my perspective is okay, we know some companies have trillions of dollars offshore. It is good idea to figure out how to bring that money back. The president has talked about that. But the devil is in the details. Are we going to bring this money back in a way that will help mainstream or wall street . If we bring it back and it goes into stock cash buybacks like 2004 you will is a bump in the stock market market but not going to have an expansion of jobs in my district or across the country. If you did it in a way that linked bringing the money back to expanding the payroll to investment in job creation then i think it would be productive. So i think there is a lot of wait and see what are the actual plans and who is it going to benefit. We know he is pulling back on u. S. Trade commitments and you worked at trade at the department of commerce. I am wondering what you think the effect of his trade policy will be on the Tech Industry . I was not for the Transpacific Partnership and i will tell you two reasons. One, i thought the it protections to the pharmaceuticals went too far and would have deprived people around the world of potential lifesaving drugs. And secondly, i think the balance of power with the Multi National corporations and arbitration went too far. On a more philosophical level, when we know in this country there are folks who are anxious about their prospects and about whether their kids will have as good of a life as they did our First Priority has to be how do we build our own workforce . How do we provide them with opportunities before prioritizing global trade . So i think this election showed us there are a lot of people who are not part of the innovationEconomic Growth. I would rather first we focus on them than on trade. A lot of companies in your district are committed to global expansion. Apple is aggressive with the Chinese Market and close to m e making a deal on manufacturing smart phones in india. I am wondering how you think that position might jive with the company youz represent. Guest i think they are thinking about expanding in the United States. Google just opened a data center in oklahoma. Sales force opened a tower in indianapolis, indiana and created almost a thousand jobs. They are looking for interest in partnering in the United States and if they are not creating direct jobs they are creating potential App Developers and others. I think as a congressman who represents in the United States congress my First Priority is how do we provide these opportunities to people in this country. Host how can your Current Committee assignments help you in your work . Guest i have been fortunate to be on the Budget Committee which debates the big issues of where our economic priorities ought to be. Where i fundamentally disagree with the president is his idea is if we just had the right facts and trade policy we could somehow bring these old jobs back. My view is we have to think about what the jobs of the future are. I think it is patronizing to say if you are a coal minor or steel minor thank them for building the country we had but it is patronizing saying their kids may not inspire to do something in technology or innovation. The question is how are we going to create the opportunity . It requires an investment in aprint apprenticeship and training. You cant just solve this by tax and trade policy. The Budget Committee is going to be debating those big issues. Of course, i am on the Armed Service committee where we will be talking about cybersecurity and that is going to be a huge issue. Host lets get into cybersecurity, silicone valley, washington and the trump administration. There could be a mix of issues in there. The first thing is just the job opportunity whether you are President Trump or the republicans in congress or democrats we know there are about 240,000 jobs in cybersecurity that are needed. We know that we dont have people filled in those jobs. A College Close to my district in oakland is showing a model where for two years of training you can get someone certified in cybersecurity and get them a job. You tonight have to be a programmer or go to mit or stanford. So there is a huge job opportunity in cybersecurity. The second thing is even if we care about our competitors we cannot put all the burdens by the business especially small and medium size businesses. Most of the burden falls on the companies thechl selves. We need the government to have some sense of how we can protect cybersecurity so these companies are not having to bear all the burden and there costs of protecting their own data. Is there an unwillingness to work with this administration in silicone valley . Guest i wouldnt say that it is no secret a lot of people in silicone valley supported the president s opponent. But a lot went to meet with the president when called. The question is wauz best with the country . There is resistance where people think the president s policies arent good for innovation, for job creation, arent good for the middle class. But the first saying is what is good for the country and if the president proposes something that is good were the country there will be cooperation. I was interviewing someone on the Budget Committee yesterday. The president called for allowing the importation of drugs from canada. A great policy, in my view. The republican weakness was opposed to Donald Trumps plan and was, in my judgment, articulating the pharmaceutical companies message. Where the president has a message that will help people i will support it and i hope others from the valley would too. Do you think that could expose you to criticism from people in your district . There was a story out yesterday about how employees at uber are very interested in how their ceo is working with the president. I am wondering how you balance the interest of the Corporate Leadership in your district, the people who are responsible for the job creation, with the rank and file employees who work there. Guest that is a good question. I think silicone valley and the entrepreneur who works at the community is driving Economic Growth and innovation. I think even the leadership would tell you that. I think it would be irresponsible for me to think i am going to be representing the tech leadership. I am there to represent the entir entirity of the district. In areas that are i think are good for or for the american people, like there importation of drugs from canada, we should work together. But that is not a rubber stamp. Repatriation is a good example. If they support that and i think it is only benefiting the Corporate Leaders and isnt going to create jobs for ordinary people i will be opposed to that. So my lens is does it help the actually people in my district and in the country not helping elite and particular companies. Are you willing to listen to your new collyial colleagues in congress and pressure over diversity and Safety Measures . Are you willing to pressure the companies in your district, many which have supported you in your campaign . Guest first of all, i think there is an issue of ethics. If i was going to do Something Like the tweet the president did i would be disciplined by the house ethics committee. You cannot use our office into bullying a company to make decisions on who they should hire or where they should locate. I will speak out from a policy perspective with that said on saying help increase diversity and incentivize companies to pay their fair share of the tax burden. On a policy perspective i have no problem standing up to tech interests. But you have not see me tweeting a tech company saying you need to hire x. I fundamentally think that is not ethically right to be using your position to do that. How would you balance the interests of the Tech Companies with the interest of low income people in your district . Income inequality is a huge issue in the bay area. Guest i am going to be proposing a massive increase in the earned income tax credit because we need to make sure that people who are working and right at the poverty line have a sustainable break. I dont think that is going to face massive opposition from the Tech Community. I am going to be sponsoring a walmart tax and companies that are underpaying employees should share some of the public cost. You should not bag groceries at walmart and have to be on food stamp do is buy groceries. If Companies Like walmart are doing that they should pay for the underpayment. There are policies i have that i think the Tech Community would be behind and if they are not so be it. My first obligation is to the people in the district. Host did you see the post on facebook of a tech executive calling out the company and saying that the rest of the world needs to get onboard and she used rather salty language saying you need to be more like us in silicone valley. Is there a disconnect between people in the valley and the rest of the world that it is a little isolated place . I think the valley has to think about not what is good for the valley but what is good for the count raechlt when President Trump won, and i tweeted back to those who supported me, and said it is crazy when they said california should succeed from the union. People died for this country for the concept of one america. People have forgotten the extraordinary sacrifices people in this country made so i can have the honor to represent my constituents in the hauls of congress. No reason, no entrepreneur, no company, is greater than the United States of america. The valley feeds to think of itsself as having our moment for a few years to make a contribution to the United States not think we will be greater tan the story of the United States. Is it valuable for you and your district to have peter till close to the president . Guest he is an individual who i disagree with on a lot of things. I wouldnt say it is valuable to me or the district other than the fact i think the district believes in the Free Expression of ideas and peter teal is entitled to his world view and articulating his policies a lot of which i disagree with. That is what the robust public debate is about. I dont think we ought to discourage that. What do you think of the new chairman pi . I tweeted him about net neutralty. Open access to the internet is so critical. Especially this past election. We saw how much impact the internet has on democracy. If he we start to charge for access to the internet that is going down a dangerous road for fundamentally equality in democracy. I will fight hard for the principle of Net Neutrality. He hasnt replied to my tweet yet. The likelihood is high that the Net Neutrality rules are going to go away or be severely weak weakened. If there is a legislative effort to reach a compromise on net new traly what should that look like . We have to athlete internet like we do telecommunication and there needs to be congressional legislation