In her own words: Rep. Matsui on the Dems, her age — and Donald Trump | Opinion
In late June, The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board interviewed Congresswoman Doris Matsui, who has represented the Sacramento region for 20 years. Matsui answered questions about President Donald Trump, her age (she will be 82 when she runs for re-election in 2026), the Democratic Party and whether she would commit to hosting a live, extemporaneous town hall.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Sacramento Bee: This is an important moment, given what is happening in our nation and in our world. What are your thoughts on your future, that of Sacramento and how this Congressional seat can help shape our future?
Rep. Doris Matsui: This whole time frame has been defined by the president and how far he is going to have unitary power, and the fact that the Constitution is no longer his guiding light and that the three branches of government are at risk. We’ve seen what’s been happening: the disrespect for others, and people who don’t agree with him.
This is a moment where everybody has to take stock of who we are, as Americans, as people. There’s only one party that’s willing to do something about it. All of us are ready for the fight, and we’re fighting all the time. My colleagues on the other side disappoint me because they’re not willing to fight back, and they know better. But I also know that what we’re doing in Congress to fight back is putting them on the spot. For instance, a lot of (Republicans) said, “We’ll never cut Medicaid,” but then they voted to cut Medicaid. And we’re hearing more and more dissatisfaction from their constituents.
On the state of the Democratic Party
Bee: How would you describe the current state of the Democratic Party in the eyes of Californians and in the eyes of Americans? Do you think the party is doing an effective job?
Matsui: The Democratic Party has never been quiet. We must lay the groundwork to fight back, and to get the House back so we have checks and balances.
Bee: In November, the Democrats lost the White House, the House and the Senate. Clearly, the Democratic Party’s message did not resonate with voters. What should the message be? And how do you get the House back?
Matsui: I believe that we made mistakes the last time around. You cannot assume people are going to vote a certain way just because they come from a particular group. I think we failed to send an economic message, an aspirational message and that’s what most people want. People want to provide a good living for their family, be able to raise their children safely, have a nice place to live and have a sense that their kids are going to be able to do better than they did. That’s an aspirational part of who we are as Americans, and that is the message that we failed to put out there.
On why she’s running again
Bee: This could be an opportunity for you to leave office at the very top of your game after a successful 20 years in office, but we sense you want to run again. Why continue? What have you not accomplished that you still want to do?
Matsui: I never felt it was an age situation. I really believe that leadership should be earned every single day. And what I bring to the table is deep experience here and in Washington. I have strong relationships with members of my caucus, and I also understand what it is to work with the other side of the aisle. I want to have tangible results for Sacramento. I’m really invested in talking with people, hearing what works and what doesn’t work and using that for the betterment of Sacramento.
On town hall requests
Bee: Are you willing to commit to having live town halls in your district going forward as a way to engage with the public?
Matsui: We’re trying to figure out if what I’m doing now needs to be further outreach, because I meet with a lot of people. I meet with groups of people and hear from people about what their needs are and what they’re thinking about.
Bee: Meetings are very different than town halls. We’ve heard from a lot of your constituents who are very angry that you’re not holding town halls. Are you willing to commit to hosting live town halls, yes or no?
Matsui: We’ll think about it, and whether it’s going to be productive or not. I’m willing to meet with people. A wonderful town hall meeting is one where people can actually talk and hear people and not have people in the audience intimidated. There’s been a decrease in (civility), which has made a lot of people afraid to stand up. We can listen to each other and not shout at each other. I want my constituents to feel like they can speak out and not be intimidated at all.
Bee: A couple of months ago, there was a people’s town hall held in your honor and you did not attend. When I was there, they said they contacted you about you attending, and you reportedly did not respond. Did you try to go?
Matsui: I’m in Washington a lot because we do legislation — particularly now, as we’re fighting battles over there, it’s going to be a lot of time spent there. If they called my staff, I might not have been in town. A lot of people don’t understand that we do work in both places, so we’ll follow up with that, and I’ll see if the staff has been informed.
Bee: The people who hosted this town hall wanted you to show your face and be present. A lot of them are worried about what’s happening. Do you feel like you have to be more public facing?
Matsui: I’m doing that. I feel that people do know that I do the work, and many times it doesn’t affect them personally, and they may not pay attention. But now is the time people are paying attention, because there’s been a sense of what Trump is doing is destroying everything that impacts everybody — not just one segment of the population. I believe that that’s why people are coming out and saying, “No way. We’re not going to let this happen.” What I have to do, as a member of Congress, is listen to them all, and many times you have to listen to them in smaller groups.
We don’t do a lot of social media, but now we are because I realize that’s the way we communicate now. So I do much more social media. There’s no 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. here. We are working around the clock. We always have to be on and understand what’s going on. And I probably have more information than I could possibly use. And that’s probably the detriment here, is that I am present. People know me in Sacramento, and they know that I can get things done.
Bee: At your teletown hall in December, it didn’t look like an extemporaneous town hall, but rather one where you had questions that were known in advance, and you were providing an answer that had been written in advance. Don’t you think that members of the public should be allowed to ask you questions directly?
Matsui: I understand that, and we do that to make sure that the same question doesn’t get asked all the time. When I’m in D.C., that’s the way it has to be. I answer the questions.
I think it’s important that they ask the question, but I also believe it has to be a question that they really want answered and can listen to. It’s important for me to communicate with my constituents. But I also feel, frankly, that I’m hired to do the work, to make sure I get stuff done in Washington for the people in Sacramento, and they can ask me questions, and I’ll be there to answer them.
On her age and legacy
Bee: You are 80 now, and you’ll be 82 when you seek re-election in November of 2026. Do you ever think that age should be a legitimate consideration when picking a candidate? And under what circumstance should age be such a consideration?
Matsui: I think people age in different ways. I don’t think anyone can challenge me on my work. It’s great to have energy, but you have to have effective energy. You have to know what you’re doing. Experience matters. I’m not going to be here in 10 years. I know that there are a lot of things I want to do and get done. And I’m mentoring younger members of Congress.
Bee: What are your thoughts on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Delta Conveyance Project? And what do you see as achievable and sustainable in the Delta?
Matsui: I think we’ve made progress on understanding how we might handle this in a more natural way. I feel that there are many avenues here, but the tunnel itself is not a solution. Instead of just digging this tunnel, we have to look at how we use the water. Southern California needs to look at how they use the water. I’m very seriously looking at this, because I’m looking at it from the lens of representing that area, the farmers who live there, the small towns, the people who want to stay there and farm.
On foreign policy and immigration
Bee: In terms of what’s happening in Gaza and between Israel and Iran, what is your solution to the conflict? And do you support the use of force by Israel?
Matsui: I support the Israeli people. I’m not enamored of their leadership there, and I think (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) is putting the security of his own country at risk.
(President Donald Trump) is not engaging with us in Congress at all. He’s barely engaged his experts because he doesn’t want to hear from them. How many of these bunker busting bombs does he need? What happens to our troops in the region? There’s all of these questions. We had diplomacy already, and (Trump) came into office and said, “forget it.”
Congress has to speak up and say, “Hey, your track record isn’t really good. Look what you did with our institutions. Look what you did with our people. Are you going to put us at risk in the Middle East?” I believe that Israel is our ally. We have to have them secure and make sure it doesn’t get into a wider war. We have to have more diplomacy.
Bee: What is an effective policy for Sacramento to defend human rights and due process amid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids?
Matsui: Our community has many different kinds of people from different parts of the world, and because of that, each of us has to look more broadly about immigrants. Without immigrants, Sacramento would not have prospered at all. Look around: You’ve got Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Latinos, Black people. You’ve got everybody here. And even though there may be different neighborhoods, we work together. This is a time where we all have to stand together. And as far as I’m concerned, everybody is an immigrant, except for the Native Americans. And they’re standing up because they know what oppression is, and they know what happens.