John,
I hope you and your family are staying healthy and safe. I’m writing today to give you a brief update on what I’ve been working on this month.
One issue that unites Democrats and Republicans in the rural counties of central Virginia is the need for fast, affordable broadband services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m focused on procuring results for the people of VA-07 which means pushing for real, bipartisan solutions.
I’ve led an effort of more than 70 Representatives — Democrats and Republicans — from across the country calling for a historic investment in expanding our nation’s broadband infrastructure. We are all adapting to this crisis, and there is no singular, direct path forward. But the only way we’re going to address our challenges is by working together.
I’ve heard from hundreds of Central Virginians expressing frustration that they’ve been unable to reach Internal Revenue Service (IRS) customer service representatives to ask important questions. Earlier this month, I led a multi-member effort calling on the IRS to improve their customer service for taxpayers with questions about their stimulus checks.
On Monday, the IRS announced it will add 3,500 telephone operators to answer Americans’ questions about the status of their stimulus checks. I’m encouraged by this development, but I’ll keep pressing the IRS to improve its telework capabilities and provide faster answers to Central Virginians.
Here in Central Virginia, we’ve seen the devastating and fatal effects of COVID-19 on residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities. As these facilities and their staff struggle on the front lines to care for the most vulnerable people in our communities, it is unacceptable that the support they need has been so delayed.
I’ve led multiple efforts calling for more funding and better supply distribution at nursing homes and long-term care facilities for weeks. The facilities need testing supplies, personal protective gear and staff support, and the American people need clarity on what supply distribution issues or decision-making processes have caused delays. I promise to keep pushing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide answers and deliver long overdue support. We can’t keep losing our neighbors this way.
The Lugar Center has released its annual ranking of legislators, based on their commitment to coalition-building and bipartisanship. I am proud to be ranked as: The 5th most bipartisan House Democrat and the most bipartisan Member of the Virginia delegation.
The bipartisan index measures how often House Members introduce bills that succeed in attracting cosponsors from the opposite political party and how often they cosponsor a bill introduced by a Member of the other party. I am proud to have a bipartisanship score that demonstrates my strong commitment to working across the aisle on legislative solutions that can expand opportunity for all Central Virginians.
Thank you for supporting my campaign. Although we can’t be together right now, please connect with me on my campaign Facebook and Twitter pages — that’s where you’ll find the most up-to-date information. If you would like to get involved in my campaign, please visit my campaign website.
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