January 20, 2024
Dear Friends,
When the 118th Congress began last January, I headed to Washington eager to build on the successes of the 117th Congress and to continue delivering results for the American people. With transformative legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law already paying dividends across the nation, I hoped that my Democratic colleagues and I could come together with the new Republican majority in the House to further address the issues facing our country. But instead of reinforcing that progress, Republicans have instead spent this session mired in gridlock, inaction, and unprecedented dysfunction.
Ever since Republicans took control of the House, they’ve lurched from one self-inflicted crisis to the next. After spending the first week of the new Congress in chaos over the selection of a Speaker, they wasted more precious time this fall removing Speaker McCarthy from office and fighting amongst themselves over his replacement.
In May, House Republicans threatened to tank the global economy by forcing our nation to default on its debts unless President Biden agreed to their demands to slash funding for vital federal programs. And on multiple occasions, their incompetence has brought our government to the brink of a devastating shutdown, with Democrats stepping up each time to provide the votes necessary to keep the doors of our government open.
This week, my Democratic colleagues and I once again came to the rescue, passing a short-term stopgap bill that extends government funding into March. But the constant chaos and GOP shutdown threats have ground most other legislation to a halt, preventing us from addressing the issues that matter to American families. The numbers tell a clear story: the last year of the 117th Congress, with Democrats at the helm, saw 280 pieces of legislation passed into law, but this GOP-led Congress enacted a mere 27 laws in the first year of the 118th. Even Republicans admit this Congress has been one of the least productive in modern history, with one GOP member challenging his colleagues to “name one meaningful, significant thing” they had accomplished in 2023. But when my Democratic colleagues and I have approached our Republican counterparts in an effort to find real, bipartisan solutions to complex issues like immigration, we’ve been rebuffed at every turn.
Late last year, President Biden submitted to Congress a request for new national security funding which, in addition to providing critical assistance for our allies in Ukraine and across the globe, would have allocated $13.6 billion to address the crisis at our southern border. With funding to hire 1,300 additional border patrol agents and 1,600 new asylum officers, this would have represented a significant step toward a solution to a problem the GOP has decried for years. But House Republicans were unenthused, rejecting the proposal out of hand. Even now, as Senate negotiators work to forge a bipartisan compromise on the issue, House Republicans are signaling that they’ll vote down any legislation that falls short of their cruel, inhumane demands to increase deportations and separate more families.
The fact is that House Republicans have no interest in finding real solutions to improve and strengthen our immigration system. While they’ve spent years fearmongering about the “catastrophe” at the border and smearing desperate migrants seeking better lives for their families, their so-called efforts to actually address the issue have consisted of nothing more than cheap political stunts.
Through their staged photo ops, baseless impeachment inquiries, and threats to shut down the government and further exacerbate problems at the border, they’ve made it abundantly clear that they’d rather use immigration as a political football than take any steps to solve the issue. Some members have said as much explicitly, with one Republican explaining his opposition to a border deal by saying “I will not help the Democrats try to improve [President Biden’s] dismal approval ratings…Why would I?” Once again, Republicans have chosen politics over solving problems for the American people.
Throughout this Congress, the GOP has shown itself to be incapable of governing responsibly for our families and our communities. Time and again, they have chosen extremism and partisan politics over coming together to deliver results for the American people — a choice that has led to an unprecedented lack of legislative action. As President Biden said, “Republicans have to decide if they want a political issue or if they want a solution.” It is past time for Republicans to choose the latter.
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:
- With tax filing season fast approaching, I’m hosting a Tax Season Webinar on Wednesday, January 24th at 6:00 PM!
- At the webinar, I’ll be joined by a representative from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), who will share updates and guidance for taxpayers this filing season.
- The webinar will be streamed live on my Facebook page, and a recording will be available there after the conclusion of the event.
- More information and helpful tips from the IRS are available HERE.
