Weekly Newsletter, 4.7.26
With many of you on Spring Break and celebrating the holidays, chaos continues to reign in Washington.
Our April recess began after House Republicans rejected a unanimous Senate deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security with the exception of ICE and Border Patrol. Instead, House Republicans passed a partisan bill they knew was dead on arrival in the Senate. In an abrupt about-face, Speaker Johnson suddenly announced last week that the House would agree to the Senate funding bill — without calling the House back from recess to actually vote on it — and then seek ICE and Border Patrol funding through another partisan reconciliation bill.
Republicans could end this limbo for our federal workforce today if they wanted to. Instead, we have now reached a record 52 days for the longest agency shutdown in American history, during which 61,000 TSA workers across the country have missed more than $1 billion in pay, leaving them struggling to afford basic necessities while airport security lines have stretched hours long. Meanwhile, the Big Ugly Law’s nearly $200 billion DHS slush fund has allowed ICE and CBP to continue their overly aggressive mass deportation campaign.
To our TSA, FEMA, and Coast Guard workforce: thank you for helping to uphold our safety while enduring this undue hardship. I will keep fighting for you to get the compensation and respect you deserve.
Meanwhile, during a White House speech last week and in an Easter morning Truth Social post, President Trump threatened to commit war crimes against Iran unless they reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. He doubled down this morning, threatening an apparent genocide.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ousted Army Chief of Staff General Randy George and removed two women and two Black army officers from the one-star general promotions list. Markets remain on edge and oil and gas prices skyrocket. On the heels of firing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, President Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi on the same day the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on his absurd attempts to rewrite the 14th Amendment to end birthright citizenship.
Keep reading to learn what else you may have missed since my last newsletter.
TRUMP’S NEW BUDGET: PRIORITIZING VIOLENT CONFLICT OVER CARE
Last Friday, President Trump unveiled a nearly $2.2 trillion spending request for Fiscal Year 2027. This proposal includes a gigantic wave of new defense spending: a $445 billion increase amounting to 42% more than this year’s spending level. The request comes as the Trump Administration may soon ask Congress for $200 billion of additional supplemental funding to support the war in Iran that the majority of Americans oppose.
Claiming the federal government cannot afford childcare, Medicaid and Medicare because of his war of choice in Iran, the President proposes to offset this ballooning defense spending by cutting funding for other federal programs by 10%, totaling to $73 billion. This includes cutting the budgets of the EPA by more than 50%, the State Department by more than 30% and the Departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development by nearly 15%.
The Trump Administration also plans to eliminate programs it deems “woke” and “wasteful” like the Minority Business Development Agency, Job Corps, the TRIO Programs and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs among others — initiatives that support minority business owners, provide free job training and higher education opportunities to low-income students and help under-resourced communities pay their energy bills. These programs have been in place for decades and have improved the lives of millions.
As prices skyrocket across the nation, further exacerbated by Trump’s war in Iran, the Administration has once again put invaluable services on the chopping block. We do not need more funding for violent foreign entanglement. We need affordable health care and energy costs, food security and support for vulnerable communities. I will continue to fight to preserve social services and push for a federal budget that supports the needs of the American people, not fund wars.
You can read more details about President Trump’s 2027 funding proposal here and here.
ENERGY & COMMERCE COMMITTEE UPDATE
In another busy week for the Energy & Commerce Committee, I secured a bipartisan win as the committee unanimously advanced the First Responder Network Authority Authorization Act, a bill I introduced alongside Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02).
During the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, first responders struggled to get the information they needed through congested communications systems and cell phone networks. As a result of this tragedy and resulting recommendations of the 911 Commission, Congress created the First Responders Network Authority (FNA) to establish a dedicated nationwide, reliable and interoperable public safety communications broadband network that prioritizes first responders. The FNA’s legal authority expires in early 2027, but our bipartisan legislation extends their authorization through 2037, ensuring our first responders have a reliable national communication system for the next decade.
The bill also improves the FirstNet program by ensuring greater accountability and transparency. After bipartisan deliberation and conversations with stakeholders, I introduced an amendment strengthening public safety professionals’ role in FirstNet’s leadership while also preserving the authority to act decisively when crises arise. As emergencies become more frequent and more complex, American first responders need a reliable, efficient and resilient communications system to keep us safe. I am thrilled to see this legislation reach the House floor as we work across the aisle to keep both public safety professionals and the people they serve safe.
The Communications and Technology Subcommittee held a hearing marking the 30th Anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This landmark bipartisan legislation transformed the telecommunications market from a regulated monopoly to a competitive market with the goals of innovation and universal connectivity. Congress also envisioned a competitive media marketplace with diverse voices and consumer choice. The law helped create the modern digital world, but rules written in an age of landline telephones, dial-up Internet, broadcast and cable television must be modernized for the era of smart phones, the Internet-of-things, social media and artificial intelligence.
During the hearing, I shared my perspective as a 25-year communications lawyer who began my career one year after the Act passed to explain why Congress must take action to create new frameworks that prioritize connectivity and affordability.
As we continue in this process, I remain committed to ensuring consumers are protected and have affordable access to the communications tools they need.
MY BRIGHT SPOT: DELTA DAYS ON THE HILL
On March 23rd and 24th, I joined my sorors for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated’s 37th Annual Delta Days in the Nation’s Capital!
Our 22 founders joined the 1913 women’s suffrage march in Washington as their first public act of service, persisting despite the racism they experienced as other demonstrators attempted to force them to walk in the back of the procession. 113 years later, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. stands strong and continues to uphold our commitment to public service and social action.
Hundreds of Deltas came together in D.C. for our annual gathering, including the nine sorors of Congress in the House and the Senate, national leadership and passionate advocates from all around the country. They spoke to dozens of Congressional offices to fight for voting rights, economic justice and health care reform. I got to meet and speak to so many incredible sorors, and I am proud to be in sisterhood with them!
REMINDERS
Submit an original piece of artwork for the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for a chance to see it displayed in the U.S. Capitol! Open to any high school (grades 9-12) artists living in Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District, the deadline is April 20th, 2026 by 5:00 PM.
Stay tuned for more updates and keep the faith, friends!