Dear John,

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

Last week, the House considered H.R.8998, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025. The House was also set to consider additional appropriations legislation for Fiscal Year 2025. Unfortunately, votes on these bills have been postponed until after the August District Work Period, putting the House closer to the September 30th funding deadline. 

More from the week: On Thursday, I met with Newtown Action Alliance to discuss gun violence prevention legislation. Also, the House Committee on Agriculture held a full committee hearing on Financial Conditions in Farm Country. Lastly, as we marked World IVF Day, I signed a discharge petition to bring the Right to IVF Act to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. 

For the full recap, please read below.

An Update on Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations

Last week, the House narrowly passed H.R.8998, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025.

Unfortunately, the Fiscal Year 2025 Interior Appropriations bill would undo years of work to protect the environment and the health of future generations. The legislation cuts funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by $1.8 billion from FY24 levels while simultaneously barring clean energy initiatives, and guts effective enforcement authority of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act with funding cuts. The legislation also cuts the National Park Service (NPS) budget by 6%, which will undoubtedly affect the visitor experience at our National Parks and hurt both seasonal and full-time employees of NPS.

For these reasons, I did not support the final passage of the FY25 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. 

The House was also set to consider the FY25 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Instead of investing in the future of clean, the FY25 Energy and Water Appropriations bill reflects a cut of over 5% from the FY24 enacted nondefense total. This includes a $1.5 billion cut to the Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program. This lack of funding will hamper EERE research, development, manufacturing, and deployment of clean energy solutions that protect the environment and drive the U.S. closer to energy independence. 

Additionally, the legislation revokes $8 billion from DOE Loans Programs that provide loan for large-scale energy infrastructure projects; these cuts will eradicate American jobs and hinder our competitive strength on the global stage.

Final votes on the FY25 Energy and Water Appropriations bill were postponed. Additionally, the remaining 5 appropriations bills were pulled from consideration until after the August District Work Period. With the September 30th fiscal year deadline quickly approaching, this delay in passage puts the House closer to a government funding lapse. 

Meeting with the Newtown Action Alliance

Newtown Action Alliance (NAA) is a grassroots organization founded by Newtown residents after the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. Since its establishment, NAA has worked to promote legislative and positive cultural change towards a less violent America.

On Thursday, I met with student representatives of the group to discuss the importance of repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which gives the gun industry a unique legal liability shield that protects gun manufacturers from lawsuits. We also discussed the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act. This legislation would remove limitations on the civil liability of gun manufacturers and the disclosure of gun trace data in civil actions.

Financial Conditions in Farm Country

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Agriculture held a full committee hearing on Financial Conditions in Farm Country.

During the hearing, I discussed how the farm safety net can be improved for farmers in the Fifth District and across the nation. Crop insurance is a critical financial tool to meet this goal. Yet in 2022, only 19% of the 1.9 million farms in the United States had crop insurance. In Connecticut, just 5% of farms had crop insurance.

Last month, I introduced the Save Our Small (SOS) Farms Act of 2024 alongside members of the Connecticut Delegation. This legislation improves the farm safety net and expands federal crop insurance by allowing small farms to better access crop insurance policies often limited to large, commercial farms to protect their businesses.

Farms lacking crop insurance are forced to rely on disaster relief assistance and incur massive losses during extreme weather or other events that damage their crops. These losses disproportionately impact small farms that, under current policies, struggle to qualify for crop insurance.

During the hearing, Dr. Mr. Ronald Rainey, Assistant Vice President of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, discussed some of the barriers to crop insurance access.

Watch the hearing, Financial Conditions in Farm Country, here.

Learn more about the Save Our Small Farms Act, here.

Protecting Access to IVF

American families deserve quality reproductive care, including access to IVF and fertility care. 

The Right to IVF Act would guarantee the right to access in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) services that families depend on to start a family. Additionally, the legislation would permit the U.S. Department of Justice and private individuals to sue any state or local government official for restricting IVF access.

Last Thursday, on World IVF Day, I joined my colleagues in signing a discharge petition to bring the legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. 

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