Dear John,

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

Last week, the Subcommittees on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, and Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing entitled Safeguarding Student Athletes from NLRB Misclassification. Additionally, the House passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

More from the week: I signed a discharge petition to bring the Senate-passed Bipartisan National Security Supplemental to the floor for a vote. This legislation will help the United States respond to concurrent global crises and address humanitarian concerns. I also met with advocates from the American Diabetes Association.

For the full recap, please read below.

Safeguarding Student-Athletes from NLRB Misclassification

On Tuesday, the Subcommittees on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, and Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing entitled Safeguarding Student Athletes from NLRB Misclassification. 

The hearing examined the potential impact of allowing college student athletes to classify as employees and, by extension, participate in collective bargaining activities. 

College athletics has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. This past fiscal year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) brought in almost $1.3 billion in revenue. In Fiscal Year 2022, the most prominent athletic conferences of the NCAA reported more than $3.3 billion in revenue thanks to the hard work of their college athletes.

Unfortunately, many of these athletes are not fairly compensated for the value they provide to their colleges and universities. Equally as concerning, the basic needs of many college athletes are not being met. A 2019 Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice survey found almost 25 percent of Division I college athletes experienced food insecurity within the past month of the reporting period. Further, a 2022 study published by the the National Institutes of Health found food insecurity was more prevalent among college athletes compared to the general university population.

My legislation, the Closing the College Hunger Gap Act, would help to close these gaps by informing students of their eligibility for SNAP using FAFSA information.

We cannot expect college student athletes to succeed on the court and in the classroom without ensuring their access to meals.

The full hearing is available here.

To learn more about the Closing the College Hunger Gap Act, click here.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act

On Wednesday, the House passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

This legislation prevents web hosting or app store availability in the U.S. for applications controlled by foreign adversaries unless the application severs ties to entities subject to the control of a foreign adversary. Specifically, the legislation would require TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company, ByteDance, if it is to continue operating in the United States.

I voted no on this legislation. I want to make clear that I recognize the extreme national security threat our foreign adversaries pose. I also believe protecting freedom of speech is fundamental to maintaining a strong, healthy democracy. The way this legislation was rushed to the floor, and the failure to answer basic questions about specific threats or civil protections by the sponsors left me uneasy. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act puts us on a slippery slope to government overreach in social media, which acts as a decentralized public forum.

I am willing and ready to support legislation that protects data security, national security, and full transparency in funding of platforms like TikTok and I believe this can happen without eroding American civil liberties.

Bipartisan National Security Supplemental Act Discharge Petition

The Senate Bipartisan National Security Bill is a $95 billion dollar legislative package that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as humanitarian assistance to provide food, water, shelter, medical care, and other essential services to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine, and other populations caught in conflict zones across the globe.   

The legislation passed in the United States Senate weeks ago, yet Speaker Johnson has refused to bring the bill to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. Last week, I signed a discharge petition to force a vote on the legislation.

Protecting our national security remains a top priority. We cannot allow the Speaker to play partisan games and put our allies at risk.

Meeting with the American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is a network of more than 565,000 volunteers, families and caregivers, health care professionals, and staff members dedicated to preventing and curing diabetes and improving the lives of people affected by the condition.

Last week, I met with advocates as part of the 2024 American Diabetes Association Call to Congress. During the meeting, we discussed several of their legislative priorities, including increasing access to adequate and affordable health care, funding for diabetes research, and lowering the cost of insulin.

More than 38 million Americans live with diabetes and rely on this life-saving drug. This includes 13.6% of American Indians and Alaskan Native Adults, 12.1% of non-Hispanic Black adults, 11.7% of Hispanic adults, 9.1% of Asian American adults and 6.9% of non-Hispanic White adults. As a cosponsor of the Affordable Insulin Now Act, I am working to lower the cost of insulin & fund research to combat this chronic disease. I also supported the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which caps the cost of insulin at $35 per month for seniors on Medicare.

Most recently, I introduced legislation to declare racism a public health crisis. The legislation draws awareness to the increased risk for health issues and shorter life expectancy experienced by people of color, many of whom struggle with conditions like diabetes.  

And that’s a wrap!

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