Newsletters
For over a month, the Department of Homeland Security has been subject to a partial government shutdown. Congressional Republicans let funding lapse for DHS rather than adopt common-sense reforms to protect individual constitutional rights and address the public safety crisis created by overly aggressive and poorly trained ICE and Border Patrol agents. While the Big Ugly Law provided nearly $200 billion to ICE and Border Patrol, the funding lapse means that Coast Guard, FEMA and TSA employees have now worked unpaid since Valentine’s Day.
During a short legislative session last week, Trump Administration officials provided a classified briefing to members of Congress that provided no clarity on the imminent threat to the United States, our troops or national security interests that justified strikes on Iran, the goals or long-term plan for ending the resulting war in the Middle East.
Over the weekend, the Trump Administration unilaterally authorized U.S. armed forces to join Israeli forces to launch a “massive and ongoing” military campaign in Iran without Congressional approval, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated by attacking Israel and Middle Eastern countries that host U.S. military bases.
On Friday, funding lapsed for the Department of Homeland Security as Congressional Republicans refused to rein in out-of-control and poorly trained ICE and Border Patrol agents who have created a public safety crisis in our communities. As a result, we are once again in a partial government shutdown.
Last week, the House returned to Washington in the midst of a partial government shutdown — resulting from overly aggressive tactics by ICE and Border Patrol agents across the nation that led to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
This weekend, Virginia inaugurated a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. I was excited to participate in the historic celebrations as Abigail Spanberger became the first woman Governor in the Commonwealth’s history. I wish her and fellow history-makers Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi and Attorney General Jay Jones the best as they begin a new chapter in Virginia.
Happy New Year and welcome back for the second year of the 119th Congress! We are already off to a busy start. As we begin this new year, I remain focused on issues that directly affect constituents in the Fourth District. Even in troubling times, I still have hope and renewed optimism for the work and progress we can achieve as a community.
I hope you are enjoying a holiday season full of comfort and joy as we come to the end of 2025. As we began the year and ushered in the second Trump Administration on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, I could not help but ask the question Dr. King pondered in the final year of his life: “Where do we go from here: chaos or community?”
This marks our last scheduled week of work in 2025 with only 5 days left to extend enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act before they expire and cause insurance premiums to skyrocket for millions of Americans.
I’ve spent the past few months raising awareness and sounding the alarm on the consequences of letting the tax credits expire. For the past two weeks, I continued drawing attention to people who could be priced out of their health insurance as I anchored the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order Hour.