Dear friend,

Welcome to this week's Let Me Be Blunt! Keep reading to hear about what I've been up to.

This Week in Washington

A Deal on the Debt Ceiling

This week, President Biden and Leader McCarthy struck a deal to raise the debt ceiling, avoiding a disastrous default on our nation’s debt. The bipartisan bill was passed 314-117 in the House and 63-36 in the Senate. The bill is now on its way to President Biden’s desk for signature. I want to share with you why I decided to vote for the bill.

Let me be clear - we should never have been in this position in the first place. Republicans decided to play political games with the U.S. economy and risked the full faith and credit of our country. They did it in an attempt to make it easier for the rich to cheat on their taxes and harder for the poor to feed their families.

Thankfully, President Biden and his skilled negotiating team ensured that the worst and most extreme impulses of the Republican Party were not realized. This deal protects Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans benefits and ensures we’re not rolling back the progress we’ve made over the past few years.

This is not a bill I was happy to vote for - but it’s unquestionably better than the alternative - a disastrous and unprecedented default. Now, we must work to guarantee that no one can ever again hold our economy hostage for political gain.

Strengthening Our Economy

Yesterday, we learned that the U.S. added a robust 339,000 jobs in May – bringing the number of jobs created under President Biden to over 13 million. As Delaware’s former Secretary of Labor and the founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Future of Work Caucus, I’m proud to see how the Biden economic plan is strengthening our economy bottom-up and middle-out. It’s why I felt my JOBS Agenda, the comprehensive package of bills that I unveiled in April, meets this moment – because it will help us continue to strengthen our economy by building up our workforce, addressing workforce shortages, fixing our broken supply chains, spurring American manufacturing, and creating more available and affordable housing.

Bill Introduction

Ensuring that we have the adequate resources and services to care for our young people is one of our most fundamental and important obligations. That’s why on Wednesday, I introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill with Senator Tom Carper, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Representative Michael Burgess called the Kickstarting Innovative Demonstrations Support (KIDS) Health Act. This legislation would establish a holistic approach to children’s health care by integrating mental and physical health services for children and youth eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). I will continue working with my colleagues to get this legislation to President Biden’s desk.

Remembering Those Who Died in Service to Our Country

On Tuesday, I was honored to join the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs, the Office of Veterans Services, and the Delaware River & Bay Authority for the annual Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony. We know that Memorial Day isn’t about the parades, the barbeques, or the sales. It’s about remembering those who gave their last full measure of devotion for our country in uniform. We owe a great debt of gratitude to them - one that can never fully be repaid.

Left to right: Senator Tom Carper, Senator Chris Coons, and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester at the Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony.

Internship Applications are Now Being Accepted!

Internship applications for my Washington, DC and Delaware offices for the fall of 2023 are now being accepted! Complete applications are due by Wednesday, July 12 by COB. This is an excellent opportunity for young people to learn public service first-hand and gain experience working in a congressional office. For more information on how to apply, please visit my website here. And share with your networks!

📢 REMINDER: UPCOMING GRANT WEBINARS FOR DELAWAREANS 📢

I wanted to remind you about the upcoming grant webinars my office is hosting next week. With such historic legislation passed last Congress including the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and the Honoring Our Pact Act, there's funding for strengthening our economy, cutting costs for Americans, saving our planet, and more. As a member of the Regional Leadership Council - a group of 12 members of Congress appointed to help lead the implementation and communication of this transformative legislation - it's important to me to connect Delawareans with these opportunities.

The first two webinars 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.