Hello –
We entered the month of June with heavy hearts. With yet another school shooting – this time in Uvalde, Texas – we need to replace our thoughts and prayers with action. Mass shootings happen almost daily and there have been 279 to date this year alone. We cannot continue to pretend – or to allow others to pretend – that this is not a problem.
That’s why I acted with my House colleagues to pass a package of bills. A federal “red flag” law that works to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves and others and legislation to raise the purchasing age of semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 years while also banning the buying, selling, and possession of large-capacity magazines.
What makes these mass shootings more devastating is that many are preventable tragedies. Now that the Senate is acting on some gun reform legislation, I hope that we will see an impact – and save lives – soon.
I also see the struggles our working families are going through as our country faces the rising costs and burdens of inflation. So, together with the New Democrat Coalition, we released our Action Plan to Fight Inflation outlining concrete and pragmatic ways to tackle the real problems our working families are facing. Hailed as “the best inflation-fighting blueprint to come out of Congress yet,” our plan will strengthen global supply chains, increase energy supplies, lower the price of food, and most importantly get more people back to work.
And I know it’s not just about fighting to make our everyday needs more affordable, it’s also about keeping healthcare costs low for working families. That’s why I sent a letter to Congressional leadership to urge them to extend the successful enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies from the American Rescue Plan. Millions of Americans, and nearly 60,000 Washingtonians, gained coverage because of the ACA subsidies, and with rising prices set against the ongoing backdrop of the pandemic, we cannot afford a price hike on healthcare now.
We are fighting for the change we know we need – and making progress – but we know there are also uncertainties. Ever since Politico broke the news last month of a leaked draft opinion to overturn the protections of Roe v. Wade, we have all waited with great concern for the final Supreme Court decision. Abortion care is a right, it’s just that simple, and regardless of the final decision I will never let up the fight for our right to choose.
Looking ahead, the Seattle Pride Parade will be this Sunday June 26th. I hope to see you there!
– Suzan DelBene
