Dear friend,

As we close out Mental Health Awareness Month, I want to remind you to put aside some time to take care of your mental health. I will continue my efforts in Congress to bring more funding and resources to critical mental health programs in our communities. Below are valuable mental health resources that you can reach out to for assistance:

This week marked the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

We remember the 19 children and two teachers who lost their lives that day at the hands of an assault weapon. While we've made some progress, the fact of the matter is that if kids are still dying, we are failing as lawmakers. We cannot ignore this uniquely American issue that requires an urgent and relentless response from Congress. Let's ban assault weapons. Let's institute universal background checks. Our kids deserve to be safe in school and everywhere else.

This week, we also mourn George Floyd who was murdered three years ago. While there has been some accountability, the same systems that failed George Floyd persist today. We will continue to call for justice through peaceful and purposeful action. Because we can and must do more.

This Week in Washington

Debt Ceiling Update

I wanted to provide you with an update on what’s happening with raising the debt ceiling. As you may know already, the United States is projected to default on its debt, which has never happened before in our nation’s history, on June 5. This would be devastating to families, workers, communities, and our economy. A default on our debt would be unprecedented and would prevent America from paying its bills. That means higher mortgages, car loans, interest rates, and disruptions in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans, and food assistance benefits. This is not the time to play politics with the full faith and credit of the United States.

Congressional leadership and the White House are still negotiating so no deal has been made yet to raise the debt ceiling.

Floor Speech on Fentanyl Crisis

As Congress debates the best approach to combatting synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, I spoke on the House floor about my bipartisan bill with Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire and Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, the STOP Fentanyl Overdoses Act. As the former Deputy Secretary of Health and Social Services in Delaware, my career has made me look at crises like this through a public health lens. The STOP Fentanyl Overdoses Act takes a comprehensive, public health approach to the fentanyl crisis, which was responsible for 80% of drug overdoses in Delaware in 2021, by expanding testing, data collection and analysis, and expanding treatment for opioid use disorder. You can watch my speech below:

House Votes

This week, the House voted on S.J. Res. 11. This resolution would repeal heavy-duty vehicle emission standards that the EPA set last year – and would have major implications for our health and safety. While this resolution passed the House, I voted no.

We also voted on H.J. Res 45, a resolution to rescind the Biden administration’s student debt relief executive order for low-to-middle-income student loan borrowers. It would also retroactively charge borrowers interest on their paused payments and rescind aid from public servants. In Delaware, over 133,000 borrowers would potentially be impacted if this became law. This resolution bill would jeopardize borrowers’ economic mobility and stunt America’s economic engine. I voted no.

📢 UPCOMING GRANT WEBINARS FOR DELAWAREANS 📢

Earlier this year I was appointed to serve on Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries' Regional Leadership Council - a group of 12 members of Congress selected to help lead the implementation and communication of the transformative legislation we passed in the 117th Congress. That includes the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the Honoring Our Pact Act, and more. I'm proud to be able to be leading Region 9 which covers Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, New Jersey, and Virginia.

With these new laws, there's funding for strengthening our economy, cutting costs for Americans, saving our planet, and more. As part of this initiative, my office is going to be hosting a series of webinars for Delawareans to learn more about these resources and grant funding opportunities. The first two webinars my office is hosting will focus on the benefits of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. If you're interested in attending one or both webinars, please see below to register. And stay tuned for more information on additional webinars.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Implementation Webinar

When: Monday, June 5, 2023

Time: 11:00 am - 11:45 am

To register for this webinar, click the button below.

Department of Energy (DOE) Implementation Webinar

When: Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Time: 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm

To register for this webinar, click the button below.