Friends,

With Congress in recess until September, I get to spend more time meeting constituents here in Virginia’s Fourth District. For my first full week of recess, I met with court officials, attorneys, advocates and press to to discuss ICE activity at the Chesterfield County General District Court and my related legislative activities; commemorated the 60th anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare by co-hosting a senior town hall with the Chesterfield County Office of Aging and Disability Resources; participated in a community conversation hosted by The Giving Wall to discuss Medicaid and SNAP cuts; visited area businesses; and more.  

Read on for more on what I was up to last week.

FIGHTING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

A few weeks back, I mentioned the troubling news regarding increased ICE presence at courthouses throughout the country and in Virginia. Last week, I met with court officials, attorneys and advocates to hear firsthand what they have witnessed in Chesterfield County and the impact of ICE’s aggressive immigration enforcement activities on our local communities. Afterwards, I spoke with local press about the chilling effect ICE’s activities at the courthouse has on immigrant communities’ access to court services, justice and due process — including lawfully present immigrants and U.S. citizens. I also highlighted the letter I sent to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons seeking answers about ICE’s actions in Chesterfield County.

Since March, over 2,500 people have been detained by ICE in Virginia, including 15 at the Chesterfield County Courthouse. Without providing any evidence, Governor Youngkin claims the vast majority of the undocumented immigrants detained were violent criminals who “should be arrested.” However, the 15 people detained at the Chesterfield County Courthouse appeared at the General District Court, which handles traffic, civil, and minor criminal offenses, and a report from WTVR shows that only two of them had faced previous charges for violent offenses.

To address a broader pattern of wrongful detentions and deportations, I introduced the DHS Wrongful Detention and Deportation Accountability Act (H.R. 4703) to require DHS to track and report all instances in which a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident is detained or deported and mandate a standardized process for individuals in DHS custody to prove their citizenship or immigration status. A 2021 Government Accountability Office report found that as many as 70 U.S. citizens were wrongfully deported between 2015 and 2020. News reports identify others wrongfully deported since January of this year. Yet DHS currently has no system in place to track these violations of civil rights. My bill would introduce some sorely needed transparency and accountability.

Read my full statement about my bill and courthouse visit here. You can also find media coverage of the visit here.

SENIOR TOWN HALL COMMEMORATING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF MEDICARE AND MEDICAID

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation establishing the Medicare and Medicaid programs. To mark their 60th anniversary, I held a town hall in partnership with the Chesterfield Office of Aging and Disability Resources. 

We discussed how these vital programs are at risk under the “Big Ugly Law,” which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates will kick 10 million people off their health insurance. By increasing the national deficit by an estimated $3.4 trillion over the next 10 years, the bill also triggers $535 billion in Medicare cuts under the Pay-As-You-Go Act. We also discussed Trump Administration threats to Social Security, which turns 90 next week. The Trump Administration’s drastic staff cuts, office closings, and reduced phone services have forced many to drive farther for in-person appointments with longer wait times or use a website that frequently crashes and many seniors do not want to use.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in person or online. If you missed it, you can watch here or stay tuned for details on how you can join us at future town halls.

FIGHTING FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT AND CLEAN ENERGY AMIDST THE MAGA BACKLASH

A few weeks ago, I touched on how the Big Ugly Bill rolls back progress we have made on clean energy. Last week, I joined Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17), The Sierra Club, Evergreen, and the League of Conservation Voters for a virtual forum to discuss the Big Ugly Bill’s environmental and clean energy provisions and next steps for grassroots advocacy for the environment, clean energy and climate action. We outlined how disastrous the Big Ugly Law is for energy costs, jobs and clean energy and launched an August recess advocacy toolkit for climate and clean energy advocates. I also discussed the importance of advocating to state and local officials in addition to federal officials.

Clean energy is not just good for our planet and public health, but for our economy. That’s why so many businesses are looking for clean energy solutions to their energy needs. I visited one example last week at the Meta Data Center in Henrico, which is supported by 100% new solar energy sourced from projects in Virginia.

As a member of the Energy & Commerce Committee, I will continue to fight for our clean energy future amidst the MAGA backlash.

MY BRIGHT SPOT: MY CONGRESSIONAL BESTIE

The latest episode of Moment With McClellan dropped last week with my special guest — and Congressional bestie — Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37). Tune in for one of my most fun interviews yet! Can you guess which one of us is an introvert and which one is an extrovert?

You can watch the full interview here.

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