Dear friend, 

Welcome to your Weekly Wrap, a recap of the week in Congress and highlights of my work.

Last week, the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee convened a hearing, Benched: The Crisis in American Youth Sports and Its Cost to Our Future, and the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions convened a hearing entitled, Ensuring Union Leaders Represent Members, Not Agendas. 

More from the week: House Democrats led efforts to extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits ahead of the December 31 expiration.

I am also including an update on the legislation considered in the House.

For my full recap, please read below.

Benched: The Crisis in American Youth Sports and Its Cost to Our Future

On Tuesday, the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee convened a hearing titled, Benched: The Crisis in American Youth Sports and Its Cost to Our Future.

The youth sports industry generates more than $40 billion in revenue every year, with the average family spending more than $1,500 on participation costs. Private equity firms are rapidly consolidating control over the youth sports industry, leaving families with higher prices and fewer choices for their children. If we continue down this path, we will exclude children based not on their talent or interest, but on their ability to pay.
 
Listen to my full remarks during the “Benched: The Crisis in American Youth Sports and Its Cost to Our Future” hearing here.

Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Hearing

On Wednesday, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions convened a hearing entitled, Ensuring Union Leaders Represent Members, Not Agendas.  

Unfortunately, this hearing did not focus on the value unions bring to their workplaces – like securing the ability of workers to collectively bargain for better wages and safer working conditions. Instead, the hearing was the third time since June that the Subcommittee used legislative time to vilify unions and their membership.

Unions have a near 70% popularity rating among the public. Instead of litigating the internal operations of unions, we should be putting in place stronger enforcement mechanisms for federal laws like the National Labor Relations Act. In March, I joined my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus to introduce the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025.

Additional information on the PRO Act is available here.

Expiring Affordable Care Act Subsidies

Last week, the House considered H.R. 6703, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act.  
 
This disingenuous legislation does nothing to address the health care crisis. The bill would weaken the protections put in place by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), leaving Americans with less coverage and more out-of-pocket costs, and it fails to address the expiration of the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits.

On December 31, 2025, ACA subsidies will expire. The impact of the tax credits expiring will be devastating. Expiration of the tax credits would result in health premiums increasing by an average of 114% for individuals who rely on the marketplace, forcing 4.2 million people to lose their health insurance. Small business owners, independent contractors, and other constituents from across the Fifth district will be unable to afford healthcare as they continue to experience rising costs for essentials like groceries, insurance, utilities, and housing.
 
In July, the Republican majority found a way to provide tax cuts to billionaires and the wealthiest people in this country. They must now find a way to provide relief for individuals to access healthcare.
 
Last week, 218 members signed a discharge petition to force a vote to extend the tax credits, including 4 Members of the Republican Conference.

Speaker Johnson could have called for a vote to prevent premiums from skyrocketing on January 1, saving millions of Americans from losing healthcare. Instead, he canceled votes and sent Members home early.
 
During debate, I spoke on a motion to defeat the previous question, which would have brought H.R. 6074 to the floor. The bill would have provided a clean three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced tax credits. Unfortunately, the motion failed by one vote.
Alongside my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus, I remain willing and ready to take a vote to extend these critical subsidies.

I implore Speaker Johnson to call a vote on the legislation.

Floor Update

Last week, the House considered two Wars Powers resolutions, including H.Con.Res. 61, which directs the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with presidentially designated terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere. The second War Powers resolution, H.Con.Res. 64, would direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.

For months, the Administration has continued to use the U.S military to attack organizations and non-state actors in the South America, Caribbean and Pacific. The power to declare war lies with Congress.

I supported both pieces of legislation to protect the security of the United States and ensure the Trump Administration stops recklessly endangering the American people.

Also considered on the House Floor: H.R. 4371, the Kayla Hamilton Act, H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act, and H.R. 3492, the Protect Children’s Innocence Act. I voted no on these bills because they further marginalize vulnerable communities and represent significant overreach by the federal government.

Specifically, the Kayla Hamilton Act would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct invasive physical exams on all unaccompanied migrant children twelve or older and prevents children from being placed with families who are legally present in the United States.

The Do No Harm in Medicaid Act prohibits Medicaid funding for gender-affirming health care for minors, while the Protect Children’s Innocence Act makes it a crime to provide gender-affirming healthcare to minors, threatening doctors with up to ten years in prison.

Instead of focusing on the affordability crisis facing Connecticut families and families across the country, House Republican leadership continues to target vulnerable communities, including children.

I have been consistent in my position that I will never use my vote to hurt children and American families.

And that’s a wrap!

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. As always, please continue to share your thoughts and priorities with me.

Jahana Hayes
Member of Congress