President Milliken shares a postcard from Washington, D.C.
March 31, 2026 •
President Milliken shared the following post on his Substack on March 26, 2026.
A photo President Milliken took of a blossoming cherry tree in front of the UC Washington Center in Washington, D.C.
I spent the week in Washington, D.C., meeting with policymakers whose support and collaboration we depend on, and I wanted to share a few brief takeaways from my time there.
As many of you know, the University of California relies on federal support to sustain and grow the University. These funds — more than $17 billion in 2023-24 — support student financial aid, research, health care delivery and training, and many other critical functions and programs. This investment is not a “nice to have” — it’s essential to UC’s ability to deliver on its mission, which produces phenomenal benefits for the state and nation. The University has faced serious federal enforcement actions and penalties over the past year, and it’s more important than ever that we work closely with Congress to ensure support for the University now and in the years to come.
While in Washington, I met with members of Congress from both parties and diverse regions of California. While they may disagree on red versus blue, they all bleed blue and gold.
President Milliken visits with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (CA-11, top left), Rep. Young Kim (CA-40, top right), Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-33, bottom left) and Rep. Vince Fong (CA-20, bottom right).
Everyone I met with understood the importance of UC and our contributions to California and the nation. They see how UC creates opportunities for students in their districts — and serves as the backbone of our state’s economy and health care system. They know we are the second-largest employer in the fourth-largest economy in the world, with more than 260,000 employees; that our academic health centers served patients from nearly every California ZIP code last year; that we are a driver of the state’s innovation economy; and that we contribute $82 billion to the state’s economy annually.
Most importantly, our California members of Congress want to help and support us. I look forward to deepening these partnerships in California and in Washington on behalf of the University.
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Tags: Congress, President Milliken, UCDC
