Weekly Newsletter, 5.28.26
As gas prices skyrocket and our U.S. servicemembers continue to face greater risk for no good reason and with no end in sight, House Republicans again voted to block a War Powers Resolution to bring our troops home and end President Trump’s war in Iran. For the third time, I voted yes. Knowing he did not have the votes to stop it again, Speaker Johnson canceled a fourth vote before the House recessed until June. The Senate passed its version.
As Americans struggle in the midst of a cost-of living-crisis impacting everything from gas to groceries and more, President Trump requested $1 billion to help finance his White House ballroom vanity project. The Senate parliamentarian struck the request from the Republicans’ partisan budget bill.
President Trump said the quiet part out loud: when asked whether the economic hardship Americans are feeling would motivate him to end his war in Iran, he responded, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.”
Then he doubled down as the IRS settled the President’s lawsuit with the agency over the release of his tax returns by creating a nearly $1.8 billion slush fund for President Trump’s allies who believe they have been unjustly investigated or prosecuted. Even January 6th rioters who attacked U.S. Capitol Police could be eligible for a payout.
As I told Steve Scully on SiriusXM, President Trump’s priorities are all wrong.
Meanwhile, after months of unresolved code violations, deteriorating conditions and unresolved maintenance issues at Carriage House Apartments, the City of Petersburg deemed the complex “uninhabitable”. Property managers provided little to no information to residents on when, whether or how to evacuate the premises, sending over 100 residents scrambling to find housing last-minute.
My team and I connected with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the City of Petersburg and Carriage House property management officials to get answers and ensure the residents were quickly and safely housed. I also led State State Senator Lashrecse D. Aird (SD-13) and State Delegate Kimberly Pope Adams (HD-82) in a letter to the property management to demand that they immediately address all outstanding code compliance issues identified by the City and provide suitable housing for all residents until they are completed. After a briefing with the City yesterday, Delegate Pope Adams and I discussed our concerns with local press.
You can read coverage here, here, here and here.
In a bit of good news showing that bipartisanship is not completely dead, the House passed landmark housing legislation designed to address the nationwide affordable housing crisis. You can learn more about the bill here.
Keep reading to see what else you may have missed since my last newsletter.
FACING THE FALLOUT OF LOUISIANA V. CALLAIS AND AWAITING ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT SUPREME COURT RULING
Since the majority-conservative Supreme Court (SCOTUS) dealt a devastating blow to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in its Louisiana v. Callais decision, Republican legislatures across the South have moved with all deliberate speed to dilute Black voting strength in gerrymandered Congressional maps.
I discussed the impact of the Callais case on Meet The Press Now.
I also anchored a Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Special Order Hour on the Callais case.
The CBC is fighting back. Speaker Johnson pulled the SCORE Act from floor consideration after the CBC unanimously opposed it, and the NAACP called on Black student athletes and fans to withhold support from public universities in those states that have moved to dilute Black voting strength in the wake of Callais.
I then joined Congress Walker to discuss the implications of the Callais decision on Black voting power.
Now, we face another Louisiana case that could dramatically affect the lives of millions by limited access to reproductive health care. Louisiana v. FDA will determine whether Louisiana can ban the distribution by mail of mifepristone, a medication used for miscarriage management and abortion. If SCOTUS allows Louisiana’s ban to stand, it will open the door for a nationwide ban and further unravel reproductive freedom in our country.
As the Chair of the Abortion Rights and Access Task Force in the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, as a woman who was the first to be pregnant while serving in the House of Delegates and as a mother who almost died in childbirth, I know firsthand how vital the full spectrum of reproductive health care options is to patients who just want to know that they can stay safe and healthy during one of the most uncertain or scariest times of their lives. Decisions about when, whether and how to become a parent should stay between patients and their providers — not the government. I joined Free and Just US, advocates and storytellers to share my story, outline how we got here and affirm that reproductive freedom is a right.
SCOTUS issued a stay of the ruling until they can release their decision, preserving access to mifepristone for now.
ENERGY & COMMERCE COMMITTEE UPDATE
The Energy & Commerce Committee had a busy two weeks leading up to the Memorial Day Weekend. The full committee unanimously advanced 16 bipartisan bills dealing with recycling, transportation and public health.
First, the Committee advanced the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act, which I cosponsored with Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) to provide grants for projects that increase recycling in underserved communities and collect data on recycling and composting programs nationwide. I spoke about how this bill will help prevent recyclable waste from ending up in landfills and help rural and small municipalities provide curbside recycling services.
The committee also advanced the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act of 2026 to provide a five-year authorization for key motor vehicle safety and consumer information programs at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Finally, the committee also passed 14 bills to reauthorize and strengthen public health programs around early detection, sustained federal research and infrastructure, and addressing underserved and vulnerable populations. I spoke in favor of the NIH Improve Act, which establishes a research program at the National Institutes of Health focused on reducing maternal deaths and improving health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women.
The Energy Subcommittee also held a hearing titled, “Wires, Rates, and States: Permitting Transmission for Reliable and Affordable Power.” To meet exploding energy demand in an affordable way, we must modernize the electric grid and permitting procedures. Yet state and federal permitting procedures differ wildly. I focused my time during the hearing on the need to strike the right balance between federal and state action to meet our electricity transmission needs affordably while preserving our natural resources.
I also joined Earthjustice Action, members of Congress and advocates for a press conference to fight back against the Trump Administration’s efforts to eliminate the Roadless Rule. For over 25 years, this U.S. Forest Service rule has protected millions of acres of national forests and grasslands from road construction and timber harvesting. The rule is extremely unpopular across the political spectrum, and 99 percent of the 600,000 public comments submitted last fall opposed efforts to rescind the rule. To combat the Administration's actions, I have cosponsored the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025 to codify the 2001 Roadless Rule.
MY BRIGHT SPOT: CELEBRATING YOUNG ARTISTS ACROSS VA-04 WITH THE CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION
I announced winners of the Congressional Art Competition for Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District! This year’s overall winner, Gabrielle Williams, is an eleventh grader attending Thomas Dale High School in Chester. As a dedicated student artist and scholar, she has received multiple distinctions for her art in the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the Monumental Honor competition sponsored by the Virginia War Memorial Foundation and more. Her piece, “American Dream,” speaks to the ongoing struggle Black communities face in fighting cultural appropriation and theft and will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol later this year.
I thank all of the young artists who participated this year and congratulate our winners in each category for consideration! You all have wowed me with your artistic talent and creative vision, and I encourage each one of you to continue pursuing your passion in the years to come. Well done — you’ve made your Congresswoman proud!
REMINDERS
Applications are open through Friday, October 30th for Service Academy Nominations!
Stay tuned for more updates and keep the faith, friends!