February 16, 2024

Dear JOHN,

It was another busy week in Washington, where I continued working to make Rochester a better place for everyone who calls our community home. Read more about my week below.

This past weekend, many of us here in Rochester were excited to watch our own Daniel Durant perform an American Sign Language (ASL) performance of the Star-Spangled Banner during the Super Bowl pre-game show. Sadly, Daniel and the other two ASL performers were never shown during their performances, a decision which alienated millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans.

Rochester is the proud home of a large and vibrant deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and as the representative of this community, I’ve continually fought to expand understanding and accessibility for our deaf neighbors. After seeing this blatant disregard for accessibility by the NFL and CBS, I knew I had a responsibility to act. On Monday, I sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Goodell and CBS President Reisenbach calling out this unacceptable decision and urging them to be more intentional about displaying ASL interpreters in future broadcasts.

The NFL and CBS have failed to live up to the standards of equity, diversity, and inclusion they claim to value, and I hope they take the necessary steps to do better in the future.

Read more: Congressman Joe Morelle Calls Out NFL, CBS for Failure to Broadcast American Sign Language Performances During Super Bowl LVIII

Over the past few months, I’ve updated you on my ongoing efforts to combat explicit deepfakes, which are spreading across the internet like wildfire and targeting everyone from celebrities like Taylor Swift to young teenagers.

I’m tired of the continued inaction in Washington on this deeply disturbing trend. This week, I called on House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to immediately take action on my legislation, the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, so we can finally make the sharing of non-consensual deepfakes a federal crime.

Read my letter to Chairman Jordan: Congressman Joe Morelle Calls On House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to Take Action on Deepfake Pornography

 Welcoming Rochester to Washington 

This week, I had the opportunity to host organizations from across New York State who are doing important work to support our community. Here are a few of the groups I met with this week:

Community health centers are the unsung heroes of our healthcare system, helping ensure underserved communities can access the medical services they need. On Wednesday, I met with representatives from community health centers across New York State to discuss our continued work together to improve healthcare outcomes in our state.

I’m proud to continue my work in Congress to help get them more support and resources so they can reach even more people in our community.

It's simple: reproductive care IS healthcare, but sadly, far too many women in this country cannot access the services they need.

It was great to spend time with Physicians for Reproductive Health, an organization committed to advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice. Together, we’re continuing the fight against a national abortion ban and helping ensure reproductive healthcare is accessible for all.

This week marked the birthdays of two Rochester icons: Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. These two famous Rochesterians were on the frontlines of the fight for equality, and their profound legacy is still felt to this day.

As we remember and honor these two leaders, let us recommit to continuing down the path they blazed for us—renewed in our commitment to achieve true equality for all.