Team,

Since the start of the 117th Congress, my priorities have been fighting for additional COVID-19 relief, expanding affordable health care, and supporting our veterans. I'm grateful to have President Biden as a partner in the White House who is focused on these issues and helping the American people.

In his first few weeks in office President Biden has:

• Issued the Buy American Executive Order to support manufacturers, businesses, and workers across the country
• Requested that Veterans' Affairs extend debt relief to veterans during this public health crisis
• Signed executive orders to speed up critical efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic
• Opened the Affordable Care Act enrollment period to allow more Americans to sign up for health insurance
• Reversed the Trump Administration's ban on transgender people serving in the military

President Biden's executive orders on manufacturing and trade are a critical first step to ensure our economy gets back on track. I've called for COVID-19 relief to be the first priority of this session of Congress, and these first actions on the pandemic will save lives and help get the pandemic under control. While we continue the fight to make health care more affordable, opening the enrollment period for the affordable care act is an important measure to get people insured.

Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the military was un-American and went against everything we stand for as a nation. I have fought to reverse this cruel and bigoted ban on transgender military service since the day it was enacted by the Trump Administration, and I'm thankful to see this hateful policy reversed. Now we need to pass legislation to codify protections for more than 130,000 transgender veterans and 15,000 transgender service members.

We still have a long road ahead to make our country more equitable by passing protections for LGBTQ Americans, fighting for affordable health care, rebuilding our economy, and defeating the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to working with President Biden and my colleagues in Congress to undo the lasting damage from the former administration and rebuild a stronger nation.

Thank you,

Chris Pappas