Dear John,

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

Last week, the House voted on yet another Republican bill to raise energy prices for American families. The Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act would make improving the energy efficiency of home appliances more difficult. Also, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona came before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce for a full committee hearing to “Examine the Education Department’s Policies, Priorities and FY 2023 Financial Audit Failure.”

More from the week: The Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing on Confronting Pervasive Antisemitism in K-12 Schools. Additionally, the House once again voted on a Motion to Vacate, this time against Speaker Mike Johnson.

Finally, I introduced the Educator Down Payment Assistance Act, legislation to make home-ownership more affordable for teachers.

For the full recap, read below.

Preserving Energy Efficiency

Last week, the House voted on yet another effort by House Republicans to put polluters over people. The Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act would undermine the ability of the U.S. Department of Energy to enforce efficiency standards on new appliances that lower costs and help mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Federal energy efficiency standards save families up to $500 a year on their utility bills. Importantly, these standards are not bans, and these standards do not impact existing household appliances.

Read my full statement here.

Examining the Education Department’s Policies, Priorities, and FY 2023 Financial Audit Failure

Our committee received testimony from Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on a wide range of topics. 

Among the topics raised were student protests and civil rights issues. Across the country, university students are exercising their First Amendment rights. The freedom of speech, press, and assembly are all protected under the United States Constitution and are imperative to a functioning democracy.

These freedoms define who we are as individuals in a complex, changing, and self-governing society. However, I am deeply concerned by the rise in antisemitism and islamophobia on college campuses.

There is no place for hate speech or discrimination in education. As of April 30, 2024, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Education, which oversees investigations of discrimination at institutions of higher education has reported numerous open cases of discrimination, and reporting shows a severe backlog in the processing and investigation of cases by the OCR due to funding challenges.

Investing resources to address discrimination is critical to ensure all students feel safe on campus.

To listen to my full remarks during the Committee hearing, click here.

Confronting Pervasive Antisemitism in K-12 Schools

On Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing entitled Confronting Pervasive Antisemitism in K-12 Schools.

The subcommittee received testimony from school officials from Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools, New York City Schools, and Berkeley (California) Public Schools, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union.

As an educator, I understand the challenge that teachers face in bringing students from different races, religions, and socioeconomic statuses together into one classroom and creating a space where all students can feel safe and included.

Hate is learned. It is a lot harder to diminish or devalue someone’s experience when you know what it means or why a person holds certain religious beliefs. The teaching of the Holocaust and the Jewish experience is important to combating antisemitism and all forms of hate.

Engaging outside community groups and bringing together people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs is key in educating students and faculty about insensitive behavior.

To listen to my full remarks during the Subcommittee hearing, click here. 

More Republican Dysfunction

As the House prepared to take its last votes of the week, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14) called up a motion to declare the office of the Speaker of the House vacant.

I have a long list of things I would like Congress to vote on to improve the lives of my constituents. Sadly, a consistent theme of the 118th Congress has been the House Republican majority and its public displays of dysfunction and infighting. It took until May for the House to fund the government for Fiscal Year 2024—more than halfway through the Fiscal Year. Now, the most extreme members of the Republican Conference have used their refusal to compromise as the basis to plunge the House back into chaos.

I voted to table this motion, along with more than 350 of my colleagues. Being in the majority in Congress is a tremendous responsibility, and governing requires compromise and a willingness to work together. I hope that the House can get to work on issues that matter to the American people.

The Educator Down Payment Assistance Act

Lastly, on Wednesday, I re-introduced my legislation, the Educator Down Payment Assistance Act, with Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15).

This bill would establish a new grant program at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for local governments and local educational agencies to provide down payment assistance to full-time public-school educators and school staff who are first-time home buyers.

Teachers spend nearly half of their salaries on rent and typical rent prices are unaffordable for entry-level teachers in 49 of the 50 largest metro areas in the United States. Rising cost of living, combined with stagnant pay for teachers, makes saving up for a down payment on a home extremely challenging.

Many educators have to take second jobs or consider leaving the profession entirely, further contributing to the national teacher shortage. Attracting and retaining teachers in our most high-need areas is important to ensure every student receives a full education. My legislation will make homeownership more affordable for educators by providing financial support to those looking to buy a home in the community where they teach.

To learn more about my work to support educators, click here.

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