Dear Friends,

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving as we head into the closing month of 2025.

Before the Thanksgiving break, the House returned to committee and floor business after 54 days of doing nothing. The good news is that after months of stonewalling, the House and Senate finally passed a bill requiring the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files. But rather than addressing the looming expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, the House wasted time with a flurry of censure votes that seem more about scoring political points than anything else. I remain focused on amplifying the voices of people worried about losing their health insurance when the tax credits expire, and started the week anchoring a Congressional Black Caucus Special Order Hour on the House floor to share these stories.

I also commemorated Rural Health Day by highlighting how the Republican health care crisis will disproportionately impact our rural communities.

To cap off Veteran Appreciation Month, I announced the 2025 Virginia Fourth District Veteran of the Year: U.S. Air Force Colonel William Woodard Butler.

Keep reading for what else you may have missed before the Thanksgiving recess.

Commemorating Prematurity Awareness Month

Nine weeks from my due date, my daughter Samantha burst into the world by emergency c-section when my placenta ruptured. We both nearly died. Samantha spent six weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) while I focused on my recovery and hers. My experience opened my eyes to the dangers of pregnancy in this country and sparked a resolve to do something about it.

As a state legislator, I passed legislation designating November as Prematurity Awareness Month and worked to address maternal and infant mortality rates. As a member of Congress, I have continued this work at the federal level. We have a long way to go to address the nation’s maternal and infant health crisis.

On Prematurity Awareness day, the March of Dimes released its 2025 report card on the state of maternal and infant health. For the fourth year in a row, the United States received a D+ preterm birth grade. In 2024, nearly 380,000 babies were born preterm—1 in 10 births—placing the US among the highest preterm birth rates in the developed world. 

Addressing this crisis begins with raising awareness, which is why I introduced a bipartisan resolution with Rep. Jennifer Kiggans (VA-04) and Robin Kelly (IL-02) to designate November as National Prematurity Awareness Month.

While 19 states saw their preterm birth rates improve, 21 states worsened, including Virginia, which maintains a C grade but saw its preterm birth rate rise from 9.8 to 10.1%. Three Virginia cities earned an F: Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Richmond. These plus 7 localities — Chesterfield, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, and Prince William, Richmond and Virginia Beach — saw their preterm birth rates get worse.  

These statistics will likely get worse as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing their health insurance because of the largest Medicaid cuts in American history, passed by Republicans in the Big Ugly Law. 

And now millions more are about to see their insurance premiums double and in some cases triple when the enhanced premium tax credits expire at the end of this year. As a result, the cost of insurance will go up for all of us.

I hosted a virtual press conference with Protect Our Care Virginia and preemie moms, as we shared our unique preterm birth stories, exposed the dangers of inadequate care and discussed why losing access to health insurance could cost moms and babies their lives.

I spoke about how during Samantha’s time in the NICU, I did not have to worry about our medical bills because of my employer-provided insurance. Every family deserves that peace of mind. While preterm births can happen to anyone, communities of color face greater health disparities and experience them at higher rates. 

I’m going to keep up the fight in Congress so that we recognize the threat preterm birth poses and take action to improve birthing outcomes for mothers and babies.

Energy & Commerce Committee: Back in the Swing of Things

Now that we are back in legislative session, committee work continues. I joined Energy & Commerce Democrats in two subcommittee markup hearings, where I attempted to support our overburdened state and local governments and meet growing energy demand.

The Communications & Telecommunications Subcommittee considered 28 bills comprising the Republican’s so-called permitting reform agenda. Unfortunately, most of these bills do nothing to meaningfully address barriers to broadband deployment, especially in rural communities that lack existing infrastructure. Instead, these bills impose arbitrary deadlines on local and state permitting officials who already face intense strain responding to the influx of permitting requests or gut the ability of local and Tribal communities to protect historic and culturally significant sites.  I introduced an amendment to one bill to give state and local permitting officials the resources they need to comply with the mandated deadlines contained in the bills. Republicans voted the amendment down.

The next day, the Energy Subcommittee addressed 8 bills that mostly fail to provide any solution to rising energy bills, but instead make them worse by gutting efficiency programs. I offered an amendment to one bill to require the Secretary of Energy to certify that the provisions would not negatively impact job growth in the energy efficiency sector. Once again, Republicans blocked the amendment.

I also called out the disconnect between what the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans say they want to do and their actions as they prioritize tax breaks for the ultra wealthy over tax credits that help working families lower their energy bills.

My Bright Spot: Thanksgiving Episode of Moments with McClellan

Last week, in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, I released the latest episode of Moments with McClellan, featuring my close friend and colleague, Congresswoman Shontel Brown of Ohio. We discussed the chaos and challenges of Washington, our favorite Thanksgiving dishes, what we’re grateful for, and more! You can check out the episode below or on my YouTube channel. 

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