Dear friend,

June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month. While we made historic progress last year with the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, it’s clear that Congress needs to act to curb this uniquely-American issue impacting our communities. We cannot continue to stand by while children are killed in classrooms, families killed at malls, or friends killed at grocery stores. The time to end gun violence is now.

Above: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester wears orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Month.

This Week in Delaware

Air Quality

On Monday, I joined representatives from the Climate Action Campaign, Senator Carper, State Representative Larry Lambert, and environmental justice leaders to highlight investments from the Inflation Reduction Act for air quality monitoring in Delaware. We celebrated the over $350,000 in federal funding that Community Housing and Empowerment Connections Inc. (CHEC) is receiving to develop a community air monitoring network in New Castle County.

Above: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester gives remarks at a podium.

This announcement couldn’t have come at a more important time as Delaware and much of the East Coast are exposed to unhealthy and hazardous air quality due to ongoing wildfires in Canada. We are feeling the impact of the climate crisis, and we have to do all we can to fight it.

To stay up-to-date on the current air quality in Delaware, go to AirNow.gov. You can also click the image below.

NOW AVAILABLE: IMPLEMENTATION WEBINAR RECORDINGS

My office hosted its first two implementation webinars this week with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. 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 funding opportunities that are strengthening our economy, cutting costs for families, saving our planet, and more.

To watch the recordings of these webinars, please see below. And please visit my website for more information on upcoming webinars by clicking here.

EPA Implementation Webinar

DOE Implementation Webinar

Invest.gov

In case you missed it, President Biden announced Invest.gov, a new website which shows the impact of our Investing in America agenda. Invest.gov features critical data on the progress we’re making in the implementation of the transformational legislation we enacted last Congress including the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Click below to see how these laws are helping Delaware!

This Week in Washington

House Update

It's reported that there are conflicts within the House Republican Conference over the Debt Limit Deal that caused the House to only vote one day this week.

Meetings

I was able to meet with a few incredible Delaware organizations including the Delaware Health Care Facilities Association where we discussed the impact of workforce shortages on nursing homes. It’s one of the reasons why I introduced my bipartisan bill, the National Workforce Shortage Center Act, as part of my JOBS Agenda earlier this year.

I also met with the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence where we talked about the most recent version of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act that I proudly voted for last year and how we can expand on these efforts to protect and support people in Delaware.

Surprise SCOTUS Decision

This week, the Supreme Court announced its surprise 5-4 decision that Alabama’s congressional map diluted Black voting strength and representation. The state will have to redraw the map. This is a good outcome for our democracy, but our work is nowhere near done. We still have to continue our efforts to ensure voting rights for all.

REMINDER: 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!