Dear neighbor:

I’m pleased to report some good news – last week’s unemployment claims fell to their lowest level in 52 years. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan that Congress passed last year and the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, America’s economic recovery is going strong.

This week, history was in the making as the Senate Judiciary Committee held confirmation hearings on the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court. If confirmed, she will become the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is exceptionally qualified and will make a great Supreme Court Justice. I look forward to her swift and historic confirmation. 

Like you, I continue to be saddened and horrified by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. This week, Representative Eric Swalwell and I wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Department of Justice to investigate potential war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine following reports of deliberate attacks against civilians. Shortly after, the Biden Administration made a formal determination that Russian troops have in fact committed war crimes, and that it will work with others to prosecute the offenders. The world stands unified against the atrocities Russia is committing in Ukraine, and we will continue to push to provide Ukraine with the humanitarian and military assistance it needs to defend itself in this war.

If you’d like to continue receiving weekly updates from me on my work in Congress, please subscribe to my weekly e-newsletter here.

Here’s a look at some of the other items I’ve been working on this week:

• Led a letter requesting updates from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the ongoing bomb threats against Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). 
• Co-led a letter by Representative David Cicilline (D-RI) urging the Biden Administration to develop a robust resettlement program for Ukrainian refugees within the United States.
• Introduced the House companion legislation to Senator Wyden’s and Senator Daines’s bipartisan bill to ensure transparency of court-ordered data surveillance. 

For information on COVID-19 in Los Angeles Country, please visit the LA County Department of Public Health website. To stay updated on my work in Congress, you can visit my website at lieu.house.gov and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. 

I look forward to updating you again soon. 

Sincerely, 

Ted W. Lieu 
Member of Congress