Dear Neighbors,
Extreme right-wing Republicans in the House continued to hold the legislative process hostage this week. With 8 days until a government shutdown, they are wasting time and fighting each other instead of working with Democrats to prevent a government shutdown that would hurt working families, endanger our national security, and force our troops to go without pay.
Congress has a constitutional duty to fund the government, but some House Republicans are threatening to shut down the government if they don’t secure harsh cuts to investments that families count on, including health care, child care, education, food assistance, and public safety. I will only support spending bills that support hardworking Americans and put families first.
Update on Funding to Protect Marine Mammals
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced allocations of the $82 million this week from the Inflation Reduction Act and Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations to support the conservation of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The funding announcement came after I led the call in April for more action to protect marine mammals and their habitats.
The funding allocations include:
- Monitoring and Modeling: $35.8 million for monitoring and modeling efforts, including $17.2 million for passive acoustic monitoring along the U.S. East Coast. $3.5 million will go toward a satellite tagging monitoring program, $5.6 million for high resolution satellite artificial intelligence, and $5.2 million for modeling advancements.
- Vessel Strike Risk Reduction: $20.1 million will be invested in vessel strike risk reduction efforts, including $16.7 million for whale detection and avoidance technology development.
- On-Demand Fishing Gear: $17.9 million to support furthering on-demand fishing gear technology.
- Enforcement Efforts: $5 million will be invested to further support enforcement efforts, including new equipment, such as Doppler units, radar plotting aids, and marine monitor shore-based units, in addition to contracts for operations.
This announcement is important news for our efforts to protect marine mammals. With this funding, NOAA is getting closer to deploying new technology to track whales with greater accuracy so that we can reduce vessel strikes and entanglements, which we know are the leading causes of whale deaths and injuries. I’m going to continue to advocate for real solutions that keep marine mammals safe from vessel strikes, entanglements, and marine pollution. Read more here
My Investigation into Republican Abortion Restrictions
This week, I announced an inquiry into the consequences of Republican-led restrictions on reproductive health care on doctors and patients across the country. Almost immediately after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Republican-led states passed a wave of laws imposing extreme restrictions, and that trend has only intensified. Republicans’ abortion restrictions are endangering women’s health and imposing a dangerous chilling effect on providers.
The consequences of these laws have been heartbreaking. We’ve seen numerous reports of women forced to continue life-threatening pregnancies because doctors fear criminal prosecution for providing care. We’ve also seen doctors forced to leave their home states because they fear for their safety and are disheartened by undue political interference with their practice—an alarming trend that is leading to vast provider deserts in Republican-led states. There is even evidence that abortion bans have discouraged medical students from becoming OB-GYNs.
That’s why Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats will be investigating the consequences of these cruel laws to better understand their impact on doctors and patients as we work to restore the right to abortion nationwide. I’ll keep you posted as we move forward.
Click here to visit my website or call my offices directly if you have questions or need help with a federal agency:
Middlesex County: 732-249-8892
Monmouth County: 732-571-1140
Sincerely,
