Catch up on the latest updates from the New Democrat Coalition!

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New Dem Chair Kuster Holds Presser with House Dem Leaders Calling for Clean Debt Ceiling Increase

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NDC Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02) joined Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Budget Committee Ranking Member Brendan Boyle (PA-02) to demand a clean debt ceiling increase.

Kuster, Jayapal, and Boyle led a letter to House Republican leadership, with nearly 200 signatories, calling on Republicans to protect the full faith and credit of the United States by lifting the debt ceiling without any extraneous policies attached.
WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE ([link removed])
READ THE LETTER TO HOUSE GOP LEADERSHIP ([link removed])
New Dems Welcome Xochitl Torres Small for Conversation on Rural Development

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Yesterday, New Dems welcomed U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small to our weekly Member lunch for a robust conversation on investing in rural communities by expanding access to grant funding, high-speed internet access, business development, & more!
New Dems Hold Kickoff Meetings for Three Policy Task Forces

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This week, our Fiscal Responsibility & Economic Growth, Workforce Development, and Farm Bill Task Forces held their kickoff meetings for the 118th Congress!
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR POLICY TASK FORCES ([link removed])
Reps. Joe Courtney and Andrea Salinas Join the New Democrat Coalition

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This week, New Dems voted to induct Reps. Joe Courtney (CT-02) and Andrea Salinas (OR-06) as the newest Members of the Coalition.
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New Dems Call on Republicans to Join Their Efforts to Avoid the Disastrous Consequences of Default and Advance Smart Fiscal Policies
NDC Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02), NDC Economic Growth and Fiscal Responsibility Task Force Chair Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), and Vice Chair Nikema Williams (GA-05) issued a statement following the floor vote on the House Republican "Default on America Act."
READ THE FULL STATEMENT ([link removed])
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Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06) received the Distinguished Service Award at the 20th Annual Friends of National Service Awards for his support of Americorps and Americorps Seniors. As a member of the National Service Congressional Caucus, Rep. Kilmer has been a champion for placing citizens at the center of solving pressing challenges and uniting them in common purpose.
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Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) welcomed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland to his district as part of their year-long "Road to Healing Tour" that provides Native survivors of the federal Indian boarding school system and their descendants an opportunity to share their experiences.
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Rep. Gregory Meeks (NY-05) joined Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) on a CODEL to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the State of Israel and affirm the strong relationship between the United States and Israel.
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Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) shared his priorities for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill with the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The FAA reauthorization is a crucial opportunity to more effectively address the environmental, health, and quality of life concerns of aviation impacted communities in his district and across the country.
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Rep. Eric Sorensen (IL-17) applauded the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to put in the waiver to expand the sale of E15. This measure is a significant step to support corn farmers and lower costs for working families.
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In Case You Missed It:

I Flipped My Seat Blue. I Know Congress Can Pursue Bipartisan Goals.

Op-ed by New Dem Freshman Representative Nikki Budzinski (IL-13)

On November 8th, I became the first Democrat elected to represent my area of Illinois in nearly a decade. As I reach 100 days serving in Congress ([link removed]) , I've been reflecting on why I ran for office, my mission, and the work that Democratic freshmen have already accomplished so far.

I was able to flip my seat from red to blue because I ran a campaign focused on reaching across the aisle to find common-sense solutions to the issues facing working families. When I came to Congress, I was glad to find like-minded colleagues in the New Democrat Coalition ([link removed]) (New Dems), a caucus with nearly 100 center-left members who share a mission to break through the gridlock and get results for the American people.

New Dems are dedicated to working in good faith with our colleagues across the aisle. Our coalition members have already outlined ([link removed]) a comprehensive policy agenda and launched nine policy task forces focused on critical issues where there are opportunities for bipartisan agreement.

The New Dem policy task forces focus on climate change and clean energy; health care, substance use, and mental health; immigration and border security; the Farm Bill; and more. These issues are affecting Americans now, and they don't discriminate between party or ideology. If we work pragmatically together, I believe we can make progress.

I'm honored to serve on the New Dem leadership team as the Freshman Leadership Representative to elevate the voices of the 18 freshman members of our coalition. Through conversations with my new colleagues over the past few months, I've learned that we all share a commitment to finding common-sense solutions and actually delivering for our communities. From expanding economic opportunity to ensuring our nation's security, we believe there is room to make progress on critical issues while standing firm against attacks on our fundamental freedoms by extreme politicians.
READ MORE IN NEWSWEEK ([link removed])

House Passes Rep. Schrier’s Bipartisan Bill to Support Rural Communities and Improve Emergency Services ([link removed])
Rep. Kim Schrier’s (WA-08) bipartisan bill, H.R. 1353 ([link removed]) , passed the House this week by a vote of 422-1. The ALERT Parity Act would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt rules for satellite communication providers who want to deliver emergency connectivity service in remote and rural areas and those areas where communications infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. This means that the FCC will be able to give satellite communications providers the necessary certainty they need so that they can provide consumers with access to emergency services when it is otherwise unavailable.

Brownley Introduces Legislation to Make the Federal Government a Zero-Emission Leader and Improve Sustainability of Federal Infrastructure ([link removed])
Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26) introduced two pieces of legislation to direct federal resources towards renewable energy initiatives at federal facilities, on federal lands, and when procuring vehicles. H.R. 2703 ([link removed]) , the Green Energy for Federal Buildings Act, would require the federal government to increase the amount of renewable energy it consumes. H.R. 2704 ([link removed]) , the Green Federal Fleet Act, would require all new, non-tactical, passenger vehicles purchased or leased by the federal government to be zero-emission vehicles.

Brownley, Schneider Introduce Legislation to Reduce Carbon Emissions in Aviation ([link removed])
Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26) and Brad Schneider (IL-10) introduced H.R. 2747 ([link removed]) , the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Act, which incentivizes the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and supports the aviation industry in reducing carbon emissions.

Ivey Introduces “Raise the Age Act” to raise the legal age limit to buy a rifle from 18 to 21 ([link removed])
Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD-04) introduced H.R. 2870 ([link removed]) , the Raise the Age Act, to ban the sale of rifles having magazines with more than a five-round capacity to anybody under the age of 21. Ivey cited mass shootings in Uvalde, Buffalo and Newtown by 18-year-olds with semi-automatic rifles as reasoning to push for change.

Kilmer, Houlahan Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Tackle Mental Health Issues Across U.S. Military ([link removed])
Reps. Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) introduced the Servicemembers Mental Health Improvement Act ([link removed]) , to develop and provide recommendations for a comprehensive strategy to tackle mental health issues across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The bill would establish a mental health task force within DoD, comprising both DoD and non-DoD mental health experts.

McBath Introduces Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Overhaul Federal Prison Oversight ([link removed])
Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-07) introduced the Federal Prison Oversight Act ([link removed]) to establish new, independent oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). This bipartisan, bicameral legislation requires the Department of Justice’s Inspector General to conduct comprehensive, risk-based inspections of the BOP’s 122 correctional facilities, provide recommendations to fix problems, and assign each facility a risk score, with higher-risk facilities required to be inspected more often. The IG must also report its findings and recommendations to Congress and the public, and the BOP must respond to all inspection reports within 60 days with a corrective action plan.

Smith Introduces Bill to Improve Response to Nationwide Mental and Behavioral Health Crisis ([link removed])
Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) introduced H.R. 2977 ([link removed]) , the Behavioral Health Crisis Care Centers Act. This legislation would provide grant funding for states, cities and counties, and tribal governments to build and expand crisis stabilization services with housing assistance and other wrap-around services. Behavioral health crisis care centers provide critical stabilization services to individuals experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis.

Strickland Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Help Military Life Insurance Keep Pace with Economic Trends ([link removed])
Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) introduced H.R. 2911 ([link removed]) , the Fairness for Servicemembers and their Families Act. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would help ensure life insurance packages for servicemembers and veterans account for changes in the economy.

Stevens Introduces Bill to Tackle Intergenerational Student Debt Crisis ([link removed])
Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) introduced H.R. 2981 ([link removed]) , the Alleviating Intergenerational Debt (AID) Act, which expands eligibility for federal student aid by amending the Student Aid Index (SAI) to include outstanding parental student loan debt–– giving financial aid administrators a more accurate picture of a family's actual financial need and qualify more students for federal aid dollars by taking parental student loan debt into account when calculating SAI.

Wasserman Schultz, McBath Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Improve Data Collection on School Shootings ([link removed])
Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) and Lucy McBath (GA-07) introduced H.R. 2869 ([link removed]) , the School Shooting Safety and Preparedness Act. This legislation creates a federal definition for “school shooting” and establishes an annual report regarding indicators of school crime, allowing the public and policy makers to gain a complete, accurate picture of gun violence in and around our school campuses, and provide actionable data to develop better gun safety strategies to help prevent bloodshed at America’s places of learning.

Wexton Introduces Bipartisan Bill Empowering Child Sexual Abuse Survivors to Seek Justice ([link removed])
Rep. Jennifer Wexton (VA-10) introduced H.R. 2920 ([link removed]) , the Statutes of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse Reform Act. This bipartisan legislation incentivizes states to reform their statutes of limitations laws for child sex abuse crimes by offering grants to states who eliminate statutes of limitations for criminal and civil child sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking cases as well as allowed for the revival of time-barred claims. These reforms allow survivors to seek justice on their own time regardless of arbitrary deadlines and ensure abusers are held accountable.
New Dems Hold Roundtable on FAA Reauthorization Bill

This morning, New Dem Vice Chair for Outreach Salud Carbajal (CA-24) & Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (WA-02) brought together Members and stakeholders for a roundtable discussion on issues relevant to legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration such as workforce development, aviation safety, airport infrastructure, unmanned aerial systems, and more!
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