Dear friend,

After another very busy week in Washington, I am back with your Weekly Wrap, a recap of the week in Congress, and highlights of my work. 

Administration attacks on the U.S. Department of Education continue, but I am not backing down. On Tuesday, I spoke in support of the Department of Education at the House Democratic Caucus Weekly Press Conference to make clear what cuts to the Department could mean in schools across the country. On Wednesday, I joined the National Education Association (NEA) for a rally in support of public education.

More from the week:  I introduced the All Access Act, legislation to guarantee Members of Congress access to federal buildings. Also, the House Committee on Education and Workforce held a markup of five pieces of legislation, and the House Committee on Agriculture convened a full committee hearing entitled, Examining the Economic Crisis in Farm Country. I was also happy to meet with the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) and the Connecticut Fire Chiefs. 

I am also including an update on the Weekly Democratic Address, which I delivered on Saturday.

For my full recap, please read below. 

Standing Up for the U.S. Department of Education

On Tuesday, I spoke in support of the U.S. Department of Education at the House Democratic Caucus Weekly Press Conference. 

“It is important to understand what it means by Republicans calling to end the Department of Education. Ending federal funding or eliminating the department does not end our legal obligation to provide services to kids who rely on public education. 

Two things will happen, either local communities will have to make hard choices about what other resources they have to cut to meet their legal obligation to educate these children, or their taxes will go up to replace the funding that the federal government is no longer sending.”

To listen to my full remarks, please click here. 

Efforts to dismantle the Department of Education will not go unchecked. 

On Wednesday, I joined the National Education Association (NEA) for a rally in support of public education and to push back on this blatant attack on students and schools.

House Committee on Education and Workforce Markup

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Education and Workforce held a full committee markup of five pieces of legislation including the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, the Promoting Responsible Oversight to Eliminate Communist Teachings (PROTECT) Our Kids Act, the Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems (CLASS) Act, and the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act.

Throughout the markup, I heard many of my Republican colleagues comment on the importance of providing healthy meals for children, as well as respecting the rule of law. 

I ask that they keep the same energy when it comes to school meals and using our Article I powers to hold President Trump and the Executive Branch accountable. 

The All Access Act of 2025

Last week, I introduced the All Access Act, legislation to guarantee Members of Congress cannot be denied access to federal buildings. 

Specifically, under the All Access Act, Members of Congress would be allowed access to federal government buildings during regular business hours upon presentation of valid member identification. If members would like to enter the building during non-regular business hours, at least 12-hour advance notification to the agency would be required.

President Trump promised to open the doors of the federal government to the people and operate with transparency, yet his administration is keeping Congress and the American people from his work to dismantle federal agencies without the approval of Congress. 

My legislation would ensure Members of Congress can appropriately conduct oversight over the Executive Branch. 

Learn more about the All Access Act here. 

Examining the Economic Crisis in Farm Country 

Last week, the House Committee on Agriculture convened a full committee hearing entitled Examining the Economic Crisis in Farm Country.

I focused my remarks on the impact of ad-hoc assistance. For specialty crop producers, ad-hoc assistance has been critical to addressing gaps in the farm safety net. Unfortunately, it is not guaranteed support for farmers, many of whom face unpredictable weather events.  

Last year, several cities and towns throughout the Fifth District received up to 16 inches of rain in just a few hours, causing significant damage to critical infrastructure, small businesses, and farms in my district.

Ad-hoc assistance, such as funding through the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act 2025, established the Farm Recovery and Support Block Grant Program. This program will help to ensure that small- and medium-sized farmers, who are often overlooked by the farm safety net, receive assistance. 

The full hearing is available here. 

Meeting with the Connecticut Fire Chiefs

Last week, I met with the Connecticut Fire Chiefs. Our discussion focused on the role Congress can play in addressing supply chain issues that impact fire truck costs and delivery times. We also discussed increased support for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and assistance for first responders.

Meeting with the Capitol Region Council of Governments

I also met with representatives of the Capitol Region Council of Governments. The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) is the largest COG in Connecticut, serving 38 municipalities and almost one million residents.

During our meeting, we discussed the progress on Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) projects in Connecticut, as well as the local impact of the recent actions taken by the current administration.

Weekly Democratic Address

On Saturday, I delivered the Weekly Democratic Address to discuss further how cuts to the Department of Education would affect communities across the country.

Unconstitutional efforts to unilaterally delete and defund the department would mean effectively abandoning students, teachers, and schools across America. 

The full address is available here. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. Please be assured I will continue to advocate for your priorities. 

That’s a wrap.

Jahana Hayes
Member of Congress