Congresswoman Lesko Weekly Update

Good afternoon,

This week, I remained in Washington, D.C. where I joined a telephone townhall hosted by Senator Martha McSally, and I attended a Homeland Security Committee hearing to discuss the security of our upcoming election. 

Week in Review 

Watch the video below to get an update on all I’ve been doing in Washington, D.C. this week.

Legislative Update

I recently introduced legislation, H.R.8106, to address the backlog of cases in Arizona’s federal courts by adding four additional judgeships to the U.S. District Court for the district of Arizona. This is a companion bill to legislation that was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Arizona Senators Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema. This legislation will help clear up the backlog in Arizona’s federal courts and better address Arizona’s needs to ensure Arizona has a strong and well-functioning judicial system.

Joining the Rare Disease Congressional Caucus

I am pleased to share that I recently joined the Rare Disease Congressional Caucus, a bipartisan and bicameral caucus focused on raising awareness for issues related to rare diseases. Rare diseases affect over 30 million Americans and their families, and most are considered ultra-rare diseases that affect less than 6,000 people. This caucus works to address roadblocks to the development of and access to treatments for rare diseases and gives the rare disease community a voice in Congress.

Encouraging Stories

I loved this story about a charity called the Joy Bus that recently expanded to Peoria. The charity delivers meals to cancer patients who are homebound. They partner with local chefs to deliver meals and have been able to expand and continue to provide meals to those in need during the Coronavirus pandemic. The bags for the food delivery are often decorated by local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops and other members of the community. It is so great to see all the ways people step up to help people in our community!

Casework Highlight

A constituent contacted our office because he had been denied social security disability benefits in 2018 and needed our help getting a hearing scheduled. Our office contacted the Social Security Administration and assisted the constituent through multiple hearings. The constituent received a favorable judgment, and our office worked to expedite the payment of his benefits.

Coronavirus Casework Highlight

A constituent contacted our office because his student loan provider was not honoring the student loan protections ordered by the Department of Education in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Our office obtained the appropriate contact information for the constituent and shortly after providing this, he confirmed that his student loan provider agreed to deferment options with no fees or penalties.

We are Here to Help

As always, my office is here to help. Both my Surprise district office and Washington, D.C. office are open to serve constituents. We are available over the phone and via email at both offices. In addition, the Surprise district office is taking appointments for in-person meetings with staff. We are not accepting walk-in meetings at this time due to the Coronavirus. For the safety of staff and constituents, we will be observing CDC guidelines, including wearing masks and social distancing. To make an appointment with the office, please call 623-776-7911. 

Please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office via phone at 202-225-4576 or via email by going to my website at https://lesko.house.gov/contact/.

I encourage you to visit the website and to also follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page for up to date information about the ongoing outbreak and available resources. 

May God continue to bless you and our great Nation. 

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Debbie Lesko