Congresswoman Lesko Weekly Update

Good afternoon,

This week, I had a busy week in Washington, D.C., including votes in the House. I attended a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, where I discussed the Democrats’ concerning push to release prisoners—regardless of their offense—prioritizing dangerous criminals over innocent citizens. This week, I was also honored to be selected as Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s designee on the House Republican Steering Committee. In this position, I get to play a role in selecting the committee assignments for Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives. I was also deeply disappointed that the Democrats called the House into session to vote on marijuana legalization instead of working on a bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill that can get signed into law to help the American people.

Legislative Update

Many Assyrian-Americans reside in our district. After speaking with members of the Assyrian community in our district, I decided to introduce a resolution to commemorate the Semele Massacre of 1933 when Iraqi armed forces brutally massacred an estimated 3,000 unarmed Assyrian men, women, and children and destroyed over 60 Assyrian villages. I wanted to introduce this resolution to recognize the immense hardships the Assyrian community has suffered throughout history. I am grateful to the Assyrian-American community in our district for reaching out and speaking with me as we worked on this resolution to bring awareness to this horrific massacre and the struggles of the Assyrian community in our district and our nation. I hope this resolution will increase public understanding of the massacre, and I hope it will bring attention to the atrocities that occurred so that we can work to prevent them from happening again.

Congressional Recognitions

Monica from our office presented a Congressional Recognition to Barbara Baroff Kavanagh, the founder and CEO of the Arizona Myeloma Network, a non-profit that helps patients with Myeloma, a type of blood cancer. Barbara Baroff Kavanaugh founded the organization in 2004 to educate and raise awareness for the disease and advocate for Myeloma patients after her husband survived the disease.

Monica also presented a Congressional Recognition to Diane Cordova, one of the co-founders of Merciful Grace Center, a local non-profit in Youngtown that provides food and has a thrift shop to provide essential items to domestic violence survivors.

Monica also presented a Congressional Recognition to Lauri Tanner, the CEO of Treasure House, the only supportive living community for young adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities in the state of Arizona. Treasure House was founded by Brenda and Kurt Warner, who were inspired by all that their son had accomplished in his life, despite his diagnoses.

Encouraging Stories

I want to share this story about a teen boy in Peoria who had a wish granted from the Make-a-Wish Foundation. A long line of cars drove by, and many people made wonderful signs showing their support and well-wishes. The Make-a-Wish Foundation also presented him with a large gaming set!

Casework Highlight

A constituent filed his 2018 taxes and included a specific form that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) required him to file. The IRS, however, stated that they never received the form, so the constituent was charged a late fee. He then contacted the IRS to correct the situation because he had filed in a timely manner. When he was unsuccessful, he paid the fee to the IRS and sent the form in again. The constituent then contacted our office to help him recover the late payment. Our office was successful in rectifying the situation and his late fee was returned.

Coronavirus Casework Highlight

A constituent contacted our office because his daughter was studying abroad in China as a U.S. citizen and was not able to return home. Our office worked with the U.S. State Department, as well as the constituent, to identify available private travel options and ensure that his daughter was scheduled for a return flight. His daughter was returned safely home.

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