Ep 123 | Life in the House of Representatives

For the past 19 years, Congressman Mike Thompson has represented the 5th district of California in the US House of Representatives. One of the first moves he made when he joined The House was to create the Congressional Wine Caucus, which is composed of over 140 members of Congress, and works to educate the American People on the importance of wine growing in America, while working to fight for the rights of American Wine Growers everywhere. Today, Congressman Thompson is our guest, and we will talk to him about his involvement in the Wine Caucus, and what it is doing to help wine growers. We will also dive into the political process itself and get a first-hand account of what life on The House Floor really looks like. This is a can't miss episode that we hope you find not just entertaining, but informative and educational.   0:00 What has your attention right now 2:59 5th District borders 4:04 Getting into politics 5:54 Military service 8:03 Grape growing 10:31 The Wine Wine growers Other places in America making wine Farming 16:19 Distance Learning 20:18 Wine Caucus 22:29 Funding wine research $60 Billion worth of wine produced in Napa annually $180 Billion worth of wine produced nationally 24:14 Moving wine across state lines 24:54 California drought 26:49 International shipping of wine 28:44 Trade war impact on wine industry 68% tariff on wine exports to China, up from 42% 31:14 Solar panel tariffs 31:53 Climate change impact on wine industry 33:40 Introducing legislation 34:15 Bills sponsored Authorization of Military Force bill 37:25 The political process Getting others to sign on to a bill 41:04 Re-Election campaigns 44:24 Young people's involvement in politics 47:59 Tips for young people who want to get involved 48:48 Reflection Best part of serving 51:22 Wrap up