July 29, 2023

Dear Friends,

Around this time last year, I joined my Democratic colleagues in returning to Washington from our August District Work Period to advance major legislation that is continuing to deliver for the American people. Within the span of a week, we passed the Honoring our PACT Act, which ensured that veterans living with the effects of toxic exposure can access the care and benefits they’ve earned, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which cut costs for consumers and took aggressive action to combat the climate crisis.

But this year, while Democrats remain focused on getting things done for American families, Republicans used the last days before members head back to their districts for six weeks to put forth resolutions stripping protections from endangered bats and chickens and to advance legislation slashing benefits and protections for our veterans, active servicemembers, and their families.

The Honoring our PACT Act represented one of the greatest expansions of veterans benefits in American history. By finally treating exposure to toxic substances as a cost of war, this legislation opens up healthcare to more than 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans, many of whom previously had to fight for their right to care. The bill also included provisions from my Fort McClellan Health Registry Act that seek to address the lasting health impacts related to service at that base, something veterans in my district and beyond have demanded for decades. I’m proud that even in spite of Republicans’ callous efforts to obstruct the bill on the Senate floor, Democrats were able to come together to deliver this lifesaving legislation.

Less than a year after its passage, the Inflation Reduction Act is already restoring faith in the economy and driving down rising prices. Just this week, a new report showed consumer confidence at the highest level in two years, with inflation down 50% from the first quarter of 2023 and the unemployment rate near a half-century low. All this comes in addition to the rousing initial success of the IRA’s climate actions, which are already sparking public and private investments in clean energy technologies across the nation. Despite its clear benefits for American families, Republicans and their corporate backers unanimously opposed the IRA and are now actively working to undo its most promising provisions. And this week, Republicans went even further to roll back the progress we’ve made for our veterans and for our environment.

On Thursday, House Republicans pressed forward with a bill to slash programs that help keep our veterans, servicemembers, and their families safe. Even after being shamed into dropping their plans to rescind some $2 billion for veterans medical care and slash the Toxic Exposures Fund through their Default on America Act, the GOP is still failing our veterans with this latest legislation.

Their latest proposal would cut over $1.5 billion for military construction projects, including the elimination of funding for remediation of PFAS, or “forever chemicals” which can harm servicemembers and surrounding communities if not quickly cleaned up. Their bill also eliminates $90 million in funding to upgrade climate resilience at military installations, putting our military personnel and our national security at risk. And Republicans are threatening even deeper cuts to veterans’ programs in future spending bills, stripping away funding for education, housing, and food assistance that veterans and their families rely on. Republicans cannot claim to support veterans while making it harder for them to provide for their families and endangering the safety of active servicemembers.

Republicans have spent much of the remainder of this week advancing a pair of resolutions on an issue nowhere near the top of Americans’ list of priorities — gutting Endangered Species Act protections for the lesser prairie-chicken and the northern long-eared bat, thereby moving these species closer to extinction all to appease the fossil fuel and logging industries. While Democrats work to protect biodiversity and address climate change, Republicans are once again focused on doing the bidding of their corporate backers.

Over the past year, we have seen a stark contrast between the priorities of Democrats and Republicans in the halls of Congress. While Democrats have delivered major legislation that is already cutting costs for consumers, combating the climate crisis, and helping our veterans access the healthcare they deserve, Republicans are attempting to slash veterans benefits and advance dead-on-arrival resolutions that do nothing to address the issues that impact working families every day. To know what a political party stands for, one must simply look at the issues that party prioritizes when they have power. This week, the GOP’s bizarre actions leave us with one question: are Republicans too chicken to go to bat for the American people?

As always, thank you for reading.

Your friend,

DID YOU KNOW?

My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:

• Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare Part D drug plans now cover most vaccines at no cost to you!
• As of January 1, 2023, all adult vaccines recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices are now covered under Medicare Part D with no out-of-pocket costs.
• This includes vaccines for shingles, whooping cough, tetanus, and much more.
• Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released materials to help people with Medicare understand these changes, which can be found HERE and HERE.
• You can also visit this link to learn about more ways the Inflation Reduction Act is saving money for people with Medicare.
• For more general information about Medicare coverage and costs, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)