Weekly Newsletter, 2.19.26

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.

While the House and Senate are in recess this week, House and Senate Democratic leadership and the White House continue negotiations on a funding bill that includes ICE and Border Patrol reforms. Negotiations began with a letter from House and Senate Democratic leaders to the White House on February 4th with common-sense reforms that hold DHS agents to standards similar to every other law enforcement agency. I will not support any DHS funding bill that does not include guardrails on ICE and Border Patrol that protect individual constitutional rights and address the danger caused by their overzealous conduct and poor training.

Meanwhile, Central Virginia suffered a loss that will be felt across our Commonwealth for years to come with the announcement that the Richmond Free Press is shutting its doors after a 34-year run. Filling a pivotal gap in our local press and Black press ecosystem, the Richmond Free Press represented more than a single paper: it gave voice to communities across the region whose stories have often gone unheard. I join countless others in thanking the late founder Raymond Boone for his visionary leadership, co-founder Jean Boone for keeping the paper going after her husband’s passing and everyone who served at the paper to share the stories that other media often ignored.

Keep reading for more of what you may have missed since my last newsletter.

A NEW ERA OF VOTER SUPPRESSION: THE SAVE AMERICA ACT

While the cold weather persists, the fight for voting rights has been heating up as the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans continue their attacks on our democracy. 

On January 28th, the FBI raided an elections warehouse in Georgia, seeking proof of President Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in 2020. Yet again, this Administration has weaponized federal law enforcement to serve its own political whims, jeopardize citizens’ private information and intimidate state officials. Then, earlier this month, in his calls to “nationalize” federal elections, President Trump added to his long list of alarming oversteps of our foundational principles. Our founding fathers made it clear in the Constitution: elections should be in the hands of the states, not subject to the presidential administration already in charge. 

In Congress, House Republicans doubled down on restricting voting rights across the country by passing the SAVE America Act, which would require “documentary proof of United States citizenship" in order to register to vote. Effectively, the bill imposes a modern-day poll tax on the American people, as the documents required to prove citizenship cost money. Whether it’s the $2.12 poll tax my father paid in the 1940s, a $130 passport or a $1,385 certificate of citizenship, even a cent is too much. I voted no and spoke against the SAVE America Act on the House floor last week, sharing my family’s history with barriers to voting. 

I also discussed the bill on SiriusXM’s Mornings with Zerlina. 

The SAVE America Act erects barriers to voting for women, seniors, students, rural voters, military voters and more who have changed their names or do not have ready access to documents like passports or birth certificates. It shrinks the electorate by design, consolidating power and perpetuating existing inequalities by keeping millions away from the polls. It also  targets election officials and poll workers in an attempt to undermine a legitimate voting process and to lay the groundwork for future interference in elections.

Republican leadership continues to fearmonger about election integrity to hide the truth that their proposed voter ID requirements would make our fundamental right to vote cost-prohibitive. Every eligible citizen of the United States should be able to vote without jumping through costly and time-consuming administrative hoops and struggling with barriers to accessibility.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court could further gut the Voting Rights Act in the coming weeks through its decision in the Louisiana vs. Callais case, which you can read more about in this op-ed written by my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues from Louisiana, Troy Carter and Cleo Fields.

The right to vote is sacred. Many people, including in my own family, fought tooth and nail to be able to exercise that right. I will continue fighting to protect voting rights in Congress because our government by, of, and for the people only reflects the perspective — and therefore meets the needs — of those who are able to participate.

ENERGY & COMMERCE COMMITTEE UPDATE: ADVANCING LEGISLATION OUT OF COMMITTEE AND DEFENDING AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE

During the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, bifurcated public safety communications systems and congested cellular networks prevented first responders from communicating across jurisdictions, putting lives at risk. Following this tragedy, the 9/11 Commission recommended that Congress establish a nationwide, interoperable public safety communications network that prioritizes first responders. The product of that mandate, FirstNet, supports public safety under the direction of the First Responder Network Authority (FNA), an independent entity created in 2012 that manages and administers the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN). FNA’s legal authority expires in February 2027. 

Earlier this month, I joined Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02) to introduce the First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act extending FNA’s statutory authorization through September 2037, strengthening the program to better assist first responders in emergency situations, and adding more accountability and transparency to the program. Last week, the Communications & Technology Subcommittee advanced that bill to the full Energy & Commerce Committee.

As our nation is threatened by more and more extreme weather events, like the recent Winter Storm Fern which claimed three lives in Virginia, we must prioritize the ability of our first responders to take decisive action when emergencies strike — and that means ensuring connectivity holds strong when first responders need it most. This reauthorization could mean the difference between life and death. I look forward to furthering this work and continuing to collaborate across the aisle to protect and uphold public safety.

Last week, I also participated in a Health Subcommittee hearing entitled “Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: An Examination of the Prescription Drug Supply Chain.” I questioned leading experts on the pharmaceutical industry about the continually rising costs of medication and what we can do to bring prices down through effective policy and hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable. 

We cannot afford to back down from this fight as people all over the country struggle to make ends meet and face further strain from health care costs. The higher prescription drug prices climb, the more Americans we put in real danger. I will continue to amplify the stories of those struggling to access the medication they need and will not stop pushing for change until prescription drugs are affordable for each and every American who needs them.

MY BRIGHT SPOT: MEETING THE BUDDHIST MONKS ON THEIR WALK FOR PEACE IN WASHINGTON

After they spent months traveling on foot across the country from Fort Worth, Texas — including through Brunswick County, Dinwiddie, Petersburg, Chesterfield, Richmond and Henrico in my district — I got the chance to welcome the Buddhist monks from Hương Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center as they arrived at the Peace Monument on Capitol Hill last Wednesday.

Their extraordinary journey, grounded in peace, loving-kindness and compassion, reminds us all to choose love over hate, especially in this present moment. I wish them well and thank them for their commitment to keeping the faith.