Dear Neighbor,

It's been a busy few weeks in Washington, and I wanted to make sure you saw the important work we're doing on behalf of California's 44th District.  Last week, we demanded answers from the EPA on the train derailment in East Palestine, asked Secretary Xavier Becerra to allow innovative Alzheimer's treatments for Medicare and Medicaid recipients, and celebrated Women's History Month on the House floor. 

Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra came before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where I expressed concern with Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Service's (CMS) decision to tightly restrict coverage for an entire class of FDA-approved drugs. 

Tune in below:

FDA-approved drugs like lecanemab can slow the symptoms of Alzheimer's, improve quality of life, and allow families to spend more time with their loved ones. Every day, more than 2000 people transition to a more advanced stage of Alzheimer's where they are no longer eligible for treatment. I'll be reintroducing my Access to Innovative Treatments Act this Congress to ensure that Medicare recipients have access to new, FDA-approved therapies. 

People living with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairments, and dementia deserve the same access to therapies given to those living with other conditions like cancer, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS.

At last week's Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee Hearing, we asked questions about the clean-up of the Norfolk Southern train derailment that has devastated the town of East Palestine. 

I was looking forward to asking Norfolk Southern their plans to clean up the disaster and make East Palestine and its residents whole again. However, the Republicans didn't invite them to testify.

The residents of East Palestine deserve answers from Norfolk Southern on what happened, whether they are safe, and full accountability that forces the company to cover all costs of clean-up, relocation, health care, and recovery in the community.

March is Women's History Month, and all month long we've been highlighting extraordinary women in CA-44 and across the country. Last week, I went to the House floor to honor Diana Vesga, the Chief Operating Officer of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Our District Staff has also been hard at work launching our first official Women's Advisory Council! This council is made up of volunteers from CA-44 who will advise our team on women's issues, including economic equality, reproductive rights, violence against women, and sexual harassment.

This council will make our team more effective advocates for issues in our district. Thank you ladies, for your time this week. We can't wait for our next meeting!

 Sincerely,

Member of Congress

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