Dear John,

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

Last week, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing entitled, Protecting Missing and Exploited Children. During the hearing, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) President Michelle DeLaune discussed changes state welfare agencies can make to improve reporting. Additionally, the House considered H.Res.863, legislation to impeach Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, and H.R. 7217, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, legislation to provide supplementary aid to Israel. Both pieces of legislation failed in the House.

More from the week: On Tuesday, I met with representatives from the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges (CCIC) and the Connecticut State and Community Colleges, who were in Washington, D.C., to advocate for the resources needed to provide students with a high-quality education.

Lastly, I am including an exciting update on the expansion of my Casework on Your Corner program.

Read the full recap below.

Protecting Missing and Exploited Children

On Thursday, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing entitled, Protecting Missing and Exploited Children. During the hearing, the committee received testimony from Michelle DeLaune, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).  

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) plays an essential role in finding missing children and protecting our children from exploitation and abuse. In 2022, NCMEC assisted parents, law enforcement, and child welfare agencies with 27,644 missing children cases. Nearly 80% of children reported as missing were missing from the state child welfare system. A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General found that out of 100 missing children episodes, state agencies only reported 33 episodes to NCMEC in a timely manner.

President DeLaune provided recommendations to improve reporting among state welfare agencies. Additionally, we discussed the importance of agency collaboration in the work to find missing children and adults. This is underscored in my legislation, the Help Find the Missing Act. Also known as Billy’s Law, the bill strengthens cross-communication among agency databases and provides guidance for local law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and coroners on how to best handle missing persons cases.

To listen to the full hearing, please click here.

H.Res.863

The United States Constitution grants Congress the power to impeach federal officials following a conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Impeachment has traditionally been used for the most egregious actions. However, in the last several weeks, House Republicans have used the impeachment process to further partisan political games.

The most recent attempt, H.Res.863, Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors, failed in the House by a vote of 216-214. 

Our immigration system is broken and needs comprehensive reform. The humanitarian crises occurring at our borders must be urgently addressed to ensure our national security. I believe taxpayer dollars and legislative time are best spent addressing common-sense solutions to immigration and border security measures.

Should a legislative package that adequately and humanely addresses our immigration system come before the House of Representatives for a vote, I am prepared to support it.

The Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act

On Tuesday, House Republican leadership brought H.R. 7217, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, to the floor for a vote.

This legislation provides $17.6 billion for the U.S. Departments of State and Defense to respond to attacks on Israel. This legislation, however, does not provide any funds to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, nor does it provide funds for our allies in Ukraine or the Indo-Pacific.

For these reasons, I voted no to H.R. 7217, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act. I cannot support legislation that ignores the tens of thousands of Palestinians surviving without food, water, medicine, and fuel or the needs of our Democratic allies in Ukraine, who are fending off Putin at their borders and ports. Humanitarian aid must be part of any national security conversation.

Once again, House Republicans are playing partisan games with our national security and global stability. I remain committed to thoughtfully considering any legislation that promotes a two-state solution where the Israeli and Palestinian people can live in peace.

Supporting Higher Education in Connecticut

On Tuesday, I met with representatives from the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges (CCIC).

CCIC is dedicated to improving, strengthening, and growing Connecticut private colleges and independent universities. During our meeting, the group raised support for the need-based financial aid and workforce and economic development strategies. 

Additionally, Representative Joe Courtney (CT-02) and I met with representatives of the Connecticut State and Community Colleges, who were in Washington, D.C., to advocate for the resources needed to provide students with a high-quality education at local community colleges.

Announcing Casework on Your Corner– Farmington Valley 

I am excited to share the expansion of my Casework on Your Corner program into the Farmington Valley. 

The first event in Farmington will be held Wednesday, February 14, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Farmington Senior Center. Caseworkers will be on-site to help with federal issues, share resources, and answer questions about ways we can be of assistance.

To view the full Casework on Your Corner – Farmington Valley calendar, please click here. 

And that’s a wrap! 

Jahana Hayes
Member of Congress