Dear Friends,

We remain in the midst of a federal government shutdown with no clear end in sight.

Speaker Mike Johnson canceled yet another week of votes.

The Trump Administration and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought continue their assault on the federal workforce. From the beginning of Trump’s second term, the Administration has systematically targeted our federal agencies through buyout offers, mass firings and DOGE cuts. As a result, over 201,000 federal workers were pushed out of their jobs as of September 23rd. You can see the shutdown’s impact on remaining workers here.

Last week, the Administration threatened to illegally withhold backpay and fire furloughed employees. I joined Democratic members of the Virginia delegation to strongly condemn that threat. A judge has halted the Administration’s attempted mass layoffs across numerous federal agencies.

As the state with the second highest number of federal employees, Virginia feels the strain of the Administration’s assault on our local economy and communities, now made worse by the shutdown. As costs rise and unemployment balloons, I stand by our federal workforce and will continue working with state and local partners to provide avenues of relief and support for our federal workers.

Read on to learn more about what you may have missed last week.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS STAY HOME WHILE DEMOCRATS FIGHT TO PREVENT HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUM SPIKES

As the clock runs out on Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax cuts, the House has been in recess since September 19th. Yet House Democrats returned to Washington to urge the Speaker to act now to prevent millions of Americans from seeing their insurance premiums skyrocket.

I joined WUSA 9’s Jacqueline Quynh to explain why we can’t afford to wait.

We are fighting for people like Lester Johnson, the co-owner of Richmond’s beloved Mama J’s Kitchen, who will see their insurance premiums spike as much as 114% if the enhanced premium tax credits expire at the end of this year. With open enrollment starting on November 1, Lester checked his premium bill in preparation to renew his plan. Without the tax credit, his premium cost will double — putting a huge strain on him and his family in the coming year.

I shared Lester’s story and explained why Republican inaction could cost millions their health insurance in an op-ed published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. 

FIGHTING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AGAINST THE ADMINISTRATION’S ROLLBACKS

For centuries, land use and siting decisions for a wide variety of projects failed to consider the holistic health of communities and the environment. Low-income neighborhoods, communities of color and tribal areas disproportionately bore the burden of pollution from industrial plants,  landfills and poor housing conditions. As a result, these communities face significant health disparities, such as higher rates of asthma, cancer and other diseases. For over thirty years, the environmental justice movement has sought to address these wrongs. \

Last week, I joined participants in the The Equitable & Just Climate Platform for a roundtable with reporters to discuss the Trump Administration's efforts to roll back environmental justice progress, which include:

• Eliminating the Justice40 Initiative, which required 40% of the benefits from certain environmental programs to go to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution;
• Rescinded President Clinton’s 1994 executive order recognizing environmental justice, affirming every American's right to breathe freely, drink clean water and live on uncontaminated land, and creating the national environmental justice advisory committee; 
• Cancelling billions of dollars in grants intended to provide health, clean energy and pollution reduction communities;
• Rescinding funding for nearly every EPA program that reduces pollution burdens from reducing lead in schools, creating community disaster plans and more through the Community Change Grants Program and the Air Pollution Monitoring Program; and
• Pursuing the largest deregulatory effort in American history that would repeal pollution standards designed to limit carbon, mercury and other toxic air pollutant emissions from fossil fuel power plants and roll back 2024 updates to the EPA’s Risk Management program, which prevents chemical disasters and protects communities living near toxic industrial facilities. 

I have led efforts fighting back against the EPA’s efforts to terminate all environmental justice regional offices and programs, rescind the Endangerment Finding and overturn 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. On the Energy & Commerce Committee, I have also questioned Administration witnesses on EPA and Department of Energy budget and staffing cuts, firing of inspectors general, attacks on agency independence and scientific integrity, impounded grant funding and pay-to-play permitting schemes.

During the event, we also discussed our commitment to passing the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act, landmark legislation building on the legacy of my predecessor and the late Raul M. Grijalva of Arizona. I was proud to co-sponsor this legislation in the 118th Congress and look forward to its introduction again.

MY BRIGHT SPOT: CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT REACHED IN ISRAEL

Last week, the Israeli government and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement that returns hostages kidnapped in the brutal October 7, 2023 terrorist attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The deal also provides much-needed relief for innocent civilians after unbearable suffering in Gaza, ensures Israel’s security and serves as a pivotal first step in securing sustained peace and stability in the region.

The success of this agreement will require steadfast diplomacy by all involved parties to end the war and build on this critical first phase. As we turn our sights to a post-war Gaza, we must support a surge of humanitarian aid to Palestinians and restore critical infrastructure. A hunger crisis is ongoing across Gaza, including the severe malnutrition of children and vulnerable populations. Members of the international community must act swiftly to save lives, rebuild Gaza and provide stability and relief to the region.  

I remain cautiously optimistic that this agreement will allow for meaningful progress towards a lasting peace for everyone in the region. 

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