Dear John,

Welcome to your Weekly Wrap, a recap of the week in Congress and highlights of my work.  

Over the weekend, I attended several events in honor of Veterans Day.  

More from the week: The House was set to consider the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Appropriations Act of 2024 and the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of 2024. Due to a lack of Republican support, Republican leadership removed both bills from consideration. Also, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force met with the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.  

Additionally, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a full committee markup of the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transitions (DETERRENT) Act. Finally, I am including an update about internships in my Washington, D.C., and Waterbury offices.  

For the full recap, please read below.  

Honoring Veterans Day

Each year on Veterans Day, we honor the immense sacrifices that our veterans and their families have made for our country.  This weekend, I joined communities across the Fifth District in expressing our gratitude for all who have served. 

On Friday, I was in Waterbury with Black Women United for a Veteran’s Day Ceremony honoring 11 women veterans who dedicated their lives to serving our country. 

On Saturday, I attended the funeral of World War II Veteran Airman First Class Robert (Bob) Garth Williamson, who served as both a Technician Fourth Grade in the Army and an Airman First Class in the U.S. Air Force.  
 
Airman Williamson contributed to developing crucial technologies that have helped to secure and protect our country. During World War II in 1944, Mr. Williamson joined the Army, where he trained in the Signal Corps to repair radios, transmitters, and diesel generators. Over the course of his life, Mr. Williamson worked as an engineer with organizations such as the Erco Radio Laboratory, Sperry Rand Corp, Perkin Elmer Corporation, Danbury Corporation; he was an instructor with the Bridgeport Engineering Institute and The University of Bridgeport, and collaborated on projects with premier institutions including NASA, the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the National Security Administration, and more. Airman Bob Williamson is the definition of a life well lived in service to his country, his family, and his community. 

I also attended a Veterans celebration in the Town of Roxbury. During the event, I heard from veterans about their military experiences.

An Update on House Appropriations 

On Tuesday, the House considered the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Appropriations Act of 2024. This legislation is a 28% reduction from the enacted 2023 level. Specifically, the bill: 

• Guts rail infrastructure programs, including a 64% reduction to Amtrak, and a 92% cut to the Northeast Corridor (NEC). This would result in the elimination of service on most routes across the country, delay station improvements to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and furlough its workforce.  
• Eliminates $654 million for health hazard remediations in low-income housing, including lead-based paint hazards and those that contribute to asthma, cancer, and otherwise preventable injuries.

The House also considered the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of 2024. This legislation is 58% below the 2023 level. Specifically, the bill:  

• Enables individuals to sell dangerous products with cuts to the Consumer Product Safety Commission including unsafe products for children. 
• Leaves seniors vulnerable to losing their life savings to scams by cutting the Federal Trade Commission. 
• Cuts $1.1 billion from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The Republican-led appropriations bills brought to the floor this week were abruptly pulled from final consideration due to a lack of support from the Republican Conference. Further, the funding bills that have passed out of the House of Representatives thus far, are not likely to pass the United States Senate due to extreme amendments and cuts to critical federal programs.  

This delay in the appropriations process is especially concerning as government funding runs out on November 17, 2023, putting us at risk of a shutdown.

Meeting with the White House Office of Gun Violence

On Thursday, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force met with the newly established White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.  

The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention was created by President Biden on September 22, 2023. The office will help to implement and expand key executive and legislative actions against gun violence, which continues to ravage communities across the country.  

During the meeting, we discussed ways in which the Congressional Task Force and the White House Office of Gun Violence can work together with state and local partners to save lives. This includes passing the Assault Weapons Ban Act and requiring background checks for gun sales.

The DETERRENT Act

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a full committee markup of the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transitions (DETERRENT) Act.  

The DETERRENT Act would hinder participation in research by signaling to researchers and institutions that scientific collaboration is discouraged and effectively deterring academic institutions from engaging with immigrant colleagues and peers from countries of concern out of fear or heightened scrutiny.  

While I believe protecting the security of Institutions of Higher Education is imperative to safeguard our national security, the Biden Administration and the U.S. Department of Education are already focused on strengthening foreign influence, this legislation is both targeted and duplicative.

Internship Applications

Are you a college graduate, student, or recent graduate interested in public service? My Waterbury and Washington, D.C. offices are accepting applications for the 2024 Internship Program. 

Interns will have the opportunity to connect directly with constituents, assist with constituent casework and correspondence, coordinate and conduct tours, research legislation, and develop community outreach.  

Additional information on the 2024 internship program is available here. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. As always, please continue to share your thoughts and priorities with me. 

Jahana Hayes

Member of Congress