After a two week recess, Congress is back in session for a three week sprint to the August recess. The main event last week was the floor vote on the 2024 Fiscal Year National Defense Authorization Act (FY24 NDAA).

Last week the House considered the FY24 NDAA, which sets the recommended funding levels and policies for the Department of Defense (DOD) and traditionally passes on a broad bipartisan basis. As I reported previously, the NDAA passed out of the House Armed Services Committee on a 58-1 vote after over 14 hours of debate. That bipartisanship ended when Speaker McCarthy caved to demands from the MAGA wing of his caucus to load the bill with extreme culture war amendments on everything from eliminating Diversity, Equity & Inclusion training, personnel, and initiatives, to restrictions on access to abortion and gender affirming care for our servicemembers and their families. I spoke against four proposed amendments, two of which were defeated.  

You can see the status of all offered floor amendments here. 

The amended FY24 NDAA passed on a largely partisan 219-210 vote. I voted against the bill  because it will have profoundly detrimental impacts on hundreds of thousands of servicemembers and their families who deserve better. I joined Bloomberg’s Balance of Power to discuss my vote on the NDAA and the impacts these harmful amendments will have on our servicemembers and their families:

The FY24 NDAA now goes to the Senate, which will likely strip the extreme MAGA Republican amendments and pass a bill more closely resembling what passed the House Armed Services Committee.

SST held two hearings last week. The first focused on current fire weather prediction capabilities and collaboration between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), state and local officials, and commercial partners in collecting, distributing, and using fire weather data. The hearing was especially timely given the Canadian wildfires last month that caused Code Red air quality alerts as far south as the VA-04. While these wildfires and subsequent air quality impacts were historic and unprecedented, we are likely to see increasingly severe wildfire seasons as the result of climate change—which exacerbates heat and drought conditions, making it easier for fires to catch and spread. My questions focused on climate change impacts on fire weather and how Congress can mitigate wildfires for vulnerable communities:

You can learn more and watch the full hearing here.

 

The second hearing focused on continuing U.S. leadership in commercial space and stakeholder input on legislation pending before the committee. This hearing is particularly relevant to Virginia, which is home to NASA’s Langley Research Center and Wallops Flight Facility, as well as several commercial space companies that provide critical services, develop innovative technologies, and promote economic development in the Commonwealth. My questions focused on how Congress and the regulatory framework can help advance the commercial space industry:

You can learn more and watch the full hearing here.

As the first member of the Virginia House of Delegates to be pregnant and give birth while in office, I have long been aware that we have a growing childcare crisis in this country. That’s why I worked in the General Assembly to expand access to affordable, quality childcare, such as through my Childcare Stabilization and Quality Care Act that passed in 2021. Now in Congress, I am part of a very small club: only 6.8 percent of the 118th Congress are mothers of minor children; only 3 percent are mothers of color with minor children. As a member of the Bipartisan Congressional Child Care and Pre-K Caucus, I am now cosponsoring The Child Care for Working Families Act (H.R. 2976) and The Building Housing with Care Act (H.R. 3207).

 

The Biden-Harris administration took major steps towards addressing the childcare crisis by announcing executive actions to lower the cost of childcare for hardworking families, alleviate financial instability for childcare providers, and expand access to more Americans. These actions include capping the copay for families participating in a federal childcare program at 7% of the family’s income and encouraging states to waive fees completely if the family’s income is below 150% of the federal poverty level. This will potentially help nearly 80,000 families save on childcare costs. You can read more on these actions here.

The Conservation Fund, Capital Region Land Conservancy, and City of Richmond announced last week the permanent protection of four acres to complete a multi-year effort to conserve what historians call “the view that named Richmond.” In 1737, William Byrd II stood on Libby Hill and noticed that the view of the James River was nearly identical to that along the Thames in Richmond, England. Historians believe that is what inspired Byrd to name the city he founded Richmond. While in the General Assembly, I passed a resolution in 2007 to celebrate the beauty and historic importance of this viewshed of the James River. I am thrilled that it will now be permanently protected thanks to dedicated coordination between local, state and federal entities, to help maintain our natural resources and complete the Virginia Capital Trail, a 51-mile trail connecting Richmond to Williamsburg. 

Looking for assistance with a federal agency without driving to my offices in Richmond or Brunswick? Mobile McClellan sessions provide an opportunity for my constituent services staff to travel throughout the district to meet with constituents. My staff will be in three locations on July 18th:

 

Emporia - 10 am to 12 pm

Emporia City Hall

201 South Main St, Emporia 23847

RSVP here.

 

Hopewell - 2 pm to 4 pm

Appomattox Regional Library, Hopewell Branch

209 East Cawson Street, Hopewell 23860

RSVP here.

 

Petersburg - 10:30 am to 12:30 pm

Petersburg Public Library

201 West Washington St, Petersburg 23803

RSVP here.

Sincerely,

Rep. Jennifer McClellan

Member of Congress

Contact Me

Washington DC Office
2417 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6365

Richmond District Office
110 North Robinson Street

Suite 403
Richmond, VA 23220

Phone: (804) 486-1840

Brunswick Satellite Office

100 Athletic Field Road

Lawrenceville, VA  23868

Phone: (804) 690-5809

10am - 4:30pm — every Thursday, or by appointment