Weekly Newsletter 4.30.23

April 30, 2023

It was another incredible, productive week in Washington and the district.

THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON

As the United States inches closer to the debt ceiling, House Republicans are playing chicken with the American economy. The debt ceiling is the legal cap on how much money the Treasury can borrow to pay the bills for spending already incurred. Moody’s Analytics estimates that by as early as June, if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling, the United States will default on its debts for the first time in American history and be unable to pay its bills. This would be catastrophic for our economy, as outlined by Moody’s Analytics and this report from Joint Economic Committee Democrats. You can see what a default would mean for the Fourth District here.

Rather than simply raising the debt ceiling, as Congress did three times during the Trump Administration, House Republicans are holding the economy hostage by demanding budget cutsthat will hurt working Americans, tank our economic recovery, and eliminate 780,000 jobs by the end of 2024. In Virginia alone, these cuts would:

Threaten access to food assistance for 22,000 people aged 50-55;
Eliminate preschool and child care for at least 4,900 children;
Increase housing costs for at least 13,400 people in Virginia;
Make college more expensive for at least 162,900 students;
Eliminate at least 2 air traffic control towers;
Cut at least 180 rail safety inspection days;
Reduce access to outpatient care at Veterans Affairs medical facilities by approximately 704,031 visits; and
Repeal investments in cleaner, cheaper energy — threatening at least 165 clean energy and manufacturing jobs announced in Virginia since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.

I voted and spoke against the House GOP plan, H.R. 2811, which should be called “The Default on America Act”. You can read my statement on the bill here and watch my floor remarks here:

This Default on America Act is not really about the debt limit. It’s about GOP efforts to undermine and eliminate President Biden’s accomplishments that help the American people. Fortunately, this bill is likely dead on arrival in the Senate. Republicans must stop holding the American economy hostage and playing games with American families’ well-being. Congress must raise the debt limit without attaching poison pills that hamper families’ lives, and I joined nearly 200 of my House Democratic colleagues in a letter to Speaker McCarthy calling for a clean debt ceiling increase.

I will continue to speak up on this critical issue and work to halt Republicans’ reckless actions.

Pass the ERA!

A hundred years ago, the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced to enshrine constitutional protections for women into the U.S. Constitution. Sadly, it took Congress nearly fifty years to pass this critical legislation putting women’s rights in the US Constitution. In 2020, I led the charge to make Virginia the 38th and final state necessary to ratify the ERA. Yet, because of an arbitrary deadline Congress imposed when it passed the ERA, the National Archivist has not published the ERA as the 28th amendment to the Constitution, and it sits in limbo.

However, Congress can remove this arbitrary deadline, enact the will of the people, and allow the ERA to finally become the law of the land. This week the Senate had the opportunity to do just that by passing S.J. 4. As Vice Chair of the ERA Caucus, I joined Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Cori Bush and Rep. Ayanna Pressley and several colleagues in a march to the Senate Chamber to call for passage of the resolution. Unfortunately, a vote to overcome the filibuster and proceed on the resolution failed, and the ERA remains in limbo. I am a co-sponsor of similar legislation pending in the House, and will continue to fight for the ERA to finally become law.

Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol Addresses Congress

This week, Republic of Korea (ROK) President Yoon Suk Yeol was in Washington for a state visit to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the alliance between our countries, as established by the U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty, signed in 1953 at the end of the Korean War. Economic ties between our nations were bolstered by the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement, implemented in 2012.

It was an incredible honor to attend a Joint Meeting of Congress to listen to President Yoon’s address and meet him afterwards. You can watch his address here. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I understand that the ROK is one of the United States’ most important strategic and economic partners in Asia. Approximately 28,500 U.S. troops are based in the ROK, and in 2022, South Korea was the United States’ seventh-largest trading partner (goods and services trade combined), and the United States was South Korea’s second-largest trading partner.

Rep McClellan and President Yoon Suk Yeol

Committee Hearings

This week, I participated in two House Armed Services Committee hearings. The first focused on the current U.S. military posture and national security challenges in Europe. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the safety and security of Europe has become significantly more precarious. My questions focused on U.S. and NATO efforts to support the Ukraine national emergency services and combat Russian efforts to undermine our allies.

The second hearing focused on The Department of the Navy’s fiscal year 2024’s budget requests. Our Navy and Marine Corps are only as strong as the men and women serving, and as a result, I have been particularly focused on the quality of life issues that threaten recruitment, retention, and readiness of our servicemembers. To that end, my questions during the hearing focused on ongoing efforts to mitigate the lack of comprehensive mental health services and suicide prevention resources for service members, as evidenced by the death by suicide over the past year of several sailors assigned to the USS George Washington, which has been docked in Norfolk since 2017.

I also participated in two Science, Space and Technology Committee hearings this week to discuss the budget proposals for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA. My questions focused on the NSF’s grants to programs at Virginia State University and Virginia Commonwealth University and NASA’s STEM K-12 initiatives, and NASA Langley’s work in hypersonics research/development and pollution monitoring.

Other Legislative Actions

This week, I signed on to cosponsor a number of bills, including The Anti-Racism in Public Health Act introduced by Representatives Ayanna Presley and Barbara Lee and Senator Elizabeth Warren. This bill declares racism a public health crisis, expands research into the public health impacts of racism, and requires the federal government to develop an anti-racism health policy. It also establishes a National Center for Anti-Racism and creates the Law Enforcement Violence Prevention Program at the CDC. For far too long, the racial disparities in health outcomes have persisted, whether it’s life expectancy, surviving childbirth or a myriad of other issues. This legislation will require the government to address these disparities and determine concrete policies to address them.

To address the mental health crisis facing our armed services, I also joined a bipartisan coalition of members to cosponsor The Servicemembers Mental Health Improvement Act. Introduced by Representatives Derek Kilmer, Rob Wittman, Chrissy Houlahan, and Guy Reschenthaler, this bill establishes a mental health task force within the Department of Defense to develop recommendations for a comprehensive strategy to tackle mental health issues facing our service members.

I also cosponsored the bipartisan Fair Housing for Survivors Act to protect survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and sex trafficking from housing discrimination. Introduced by Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Nicole Malliotakis, and on the Senate side by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, this bill builds on and expands protections for survivors of domestic violence protections in the Violence Against Women Act to the Fair Housing Act.

You can find a complete list of bills I have cosponsored here.

IN THE DISTRICT

Renaming of For Lee to Fort Gregg-Adams

On Thursday, the United States Army officially renamed Fort Lee to Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of Lieutenant General Arthur Gregg and Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams. General Gregg, who attended the ceremony, was the first Black lieutenant general in the Army and rose to the rank of three-star general during his long career. He is the only living person in Army history to have a base named after him. The late Lt. Col. Charity Adams served as the first Black officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp and led the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in Europe during World War II.

This renaming is due in large part to the tireless work of my predecessor, the late Donald McEachin, who continuously engaged with the U.S. Naming Commission during the renaming process, held independent, community-led panels, and built support both in local communities here in our Commonwealth and in the halls of Congress. Read my full statement on the renaming here.

Lt Gen Gregg at the podium of the Fort Lee renaming

Community Project Funding

As I explained in last week’s newsletter, I submitted fifteen community projects to the House Appropriations Committee for funding from around the district that would truly make a difference in their communities. Last week, I outlined projects submitted in Henrico and the Chesterfield. This week I'm detailing the following projects in Richmond:

Richmond YWCA Program for Domestic Violence Survivors

The Richmond YWCA provides valuable services to survivors of domestic violence. I was pleased to submit a request for $3,400,000 to create forty residences and provide services for at risk individuals, including youth recently aged out of foster care and experience domestic, sexual, or physical abuse.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades

The City of Richmond needs major upgrades to its antiquated water system. I submitted a $5,400,000 project to pay for significant improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant Main Pumping Station so that it can reliably pump 140 million gallons, reducing sewer overflow and thereby protecting the James River and the Chesapeake Bay. This main pumping station was built over sixty years ago and while improvements and repairs have occurred, the pumps, motors and drives are at the end of their reasonable functionality. The funding will purchase new equipment and improve monitoring functions.

Improving Dangerous Richmond Intersection

The intersection of Route 2, Harwood Street, and Hopkins Road is an extremely dangerous intersection in Richmond. While only 7% of the street network, it accounts for 62% of accidents leading to death or serious injury. I submitted a request for $1,750,000 to construct a new intersection with high visibility crosswalks, pedestrian countdown signals, accessible ramps, and 90-degree mast arms, all to save lives.

Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership

To address increased demand for life sciences offices, lab space and replacement of aging infrastructure at the Virginia Biotech Research Park, I submitted a request on behalf of the new Life Sciences Innovation Center. The $4,000,000 funding will not only enhance the space but will equip the labs for cutting edge research. This will help public and private entities, and academicians to collaborate, helping to disseminate knowledge and increase research. While located in Richmond, this project stands to benefit the entire Commonwealth.

DISTRICT REMINDERS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Final Reminder - Art Competition

The deadline for the Congressional Art Competition is tomorrow, Monday, May 1st. This competition is open to all high school students in Virginia’s Fourth. I am excited to see your incredible pieces of art.

For more information, including rules, eligibility, and submission guidelines, please visit my website.

Renewing Our Schools – Join me for a Community Event

On May 8th, I will join with environmental groups and clean air activists to discuss information about energy-saving climate investments for our schools.

The community event is Monday, May 8th from 11AM to 12:30PM at the Petersburg Public Library: 201 West Washington Street, Petersburg, Va. 23803. All community members are welcome and interested attendees can register at https://linktr.ee/valcv.