For the fourth time this Congress, we are barreling towards another government shutdown. The House has just 18 days to consider and pass the remaining five funding bills, which the Senate then must consider. Yet Speaker Johnson and House Republicans continue to prioritize their extreme MAGA agenda and partisan games. It’s past time Republicans actually governed and worked with House Democrats to pass a responsible budget. Will they join us? Time will tell… 

Here’s what you missed last week. 

THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON

• Prioritize workforce strategies that serve underrepresented groups: support apprenticeship and workforce development opportunities for underrepresented populations by increasing capacity building within Tribes, supporting early-career scientists and engineers at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and equitably distributing workforce development benefits to disadvantaged communities.

• Address barriers to workforce participation: develop wraparound services to address child care, transportation, and housing challenges that disproportionately prevent women and other historically underrepresented groups from participating in the clean-energy workforce. 

• Bolster worker retraining and technical development in the clean-energy sector: prioritize energy communities and communities impacted by industrial sector closures, relocations, and large-scale layoffs to ensure no community is left behind during the transition.

• Support prevailing wage standards: provide good-paying job opportunities for workers from all backgrounds to enter the clean-energy workforce.

• Coordinate with the Department of Labor (DOL) to strengthen skills training: facilitate inter-agency collaboration to identify gaps in training to ensure the energy sector has a skilled, robust workforce. 

I look forward to continued collaboration with my SEEC colleagues and the Biden-Harris Administration to support our nation’s transition to a clean-energy future. You can read our full letter to the DOE here. 

EPA Takes Critical Action to Curb Air Pollution

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final rule for the National Air Ambient Quality Standard (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter, commonly known as soot. Soot is a significant contributor to climate change and causes poor health outcomes, including increased infant mortality, heart and lung diseases, and cancer. I took to the House Floor to commend the EPA on this necessary action. You can watch my remarks here or below. 

Shortly after being sworn in, I joined congressional Democrats in urging the EPA to curb soot pollution. I am pleased they heard our call and took another decisive step to ensure every American can breathe clean air.  By strengthening these standards, the EPA will help prevent 4,500 premature deaths, avoid 290,000 lost workdays, and produce $46 billion in public health benefits. This new rule will also significantly impact low-income communities and communities of color, who face disproportionately higher levels of air pollution. 

Honoring Senator Yvonne Miller 

January marked the 40th anniversary of Yvonne Miller becoming the first Black woman to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates. Four years later, she became the first Black woman to serve in the Senate of Virginia. I had the pleasure of serving with Senator Miller as a member of the House of Delegates until her untimely death from stomach cancer in 2012. Last week, I took to the House floor to honor her life and legacy. You can watch my remarks here or below. 

THIS WEEK IN THE DISTRICT

Welcoming Democratic Whip Clark to Richmond for a Child Care Roundtable 

On Friday, I welcomed Democratic Whip Katherine Clark – the second-highest-ranking Democrat and the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. House – to Richmond. We toured the Sprout School at Second Presbyterian, a full-day high-quality child care and early childhood education center. Afterward, we convened a roundtable discussion at YWCA Richmond with child care providers, advocates, and community leaders to discuss the dire need for federal funding to address the growing child care crisis in America. 

Over the past three decades, child care costs have risen 220%, creating significant financial hardships for working families. In Virginia, families face the ninth-highest child care costs of any state in the nation. At the same time, the child care industry has struggled to meet its own costs. The COVID pandemic exposed and exacerbated a pre-existing child care crisis. In response, congressional Democrats included Child Care Stabilization Funds in the American Rescue Plan that slowed cost growth for families, stabilized employment and increased wages for child care workers, and increased maternal labor force participation. Unfortunately, those funds expired in September, leading to a child care cliff, particularly in Virginia. 

During our roundtable, we discussed these challenges, heard from experts, child care providers, and parents about their experiences, and explored various policies we are fighting for in Congress, including my Child Care Assistance for Maternal Health Act. I introduced this bipartisan legislation last year to provide families with short-term child care options during the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period – a time that can be incredibly taxing both emotionally and physically. We also discussed Whip Clark’s Child Care Stabilization Act, legislation I cosponsor, to allocate $16 billion annually to reinstate the Child Care Stabilization Grant program. I am grateful for Whip Clark’s leadership. I look forward to continuing to work with her to ensure every family has access to quality, affordable child care and early childhood education. 

Check out this clip from NBC12 about our discussion here or below. 

Democrats Invest in American Airports – RIC Receives Over $25 Million 

Thanks to the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration and the hard work of congressional Democrats, millions of dollars are being invested in our airports. According to a new report by the Regional Leadership Council, Richmond International Airport (RIC) has received $25.3 million in federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This funding supports upgrades to improve the airport’s safety and quality of service, which will have a meaningful impact on the lives of Virginians. I recently met with officials from RIC to discuss how I can ensure our district receives available federal funding to modernize our public transportation and support Virginian families as new opportunities become available.

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