Dear neighbor, 

It’s an honor to represent you in Washington. As your Member of Congress, I wanted to provide you with another update on the work Democrats are doing to create lower costs; better-paying jobs; and safer communities for American families.

Better-paying Jobs: President Biden signed Democrats’ historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, which makes crucial investments in improving and modernizing our infrastructure while creating millions of good-paying jobs. The American Rescue Plan, Democrats’ $1.9 trillion package to address the unprecedented coronavirus crisis, also focused on getting people back to work. I’m pleased that as a result, the U.S. has added over 10 million jobs since the beginning of the 117th Congress. And with our CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Infrastructure Law, Democrats will create millions more as we revitalize American manufacturing, advance clean and secure energy, and rebuild our infrastructure.

Lower Costs: I’m pleased that Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act – a transformative piece of legislation – is now law. This historic new law will slash prescription drug costs by letting Medicare negotiate the price of prescription drugs. It also lowers health care and energy costs, and fights inflation. In addition, Democrats signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law, which addresses the semiconductor chip shortage and reduces costs for American consumers on everything from cars to household goods.

Safer Communities: Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which is the most significant piece of gun violence legislation in nearly 30 years. The law is a solid step in the right direction that creates commonsense gun safety regulations to start tackling the problem. Sadly, while Democrats have prioritized gun safety reform, MAGA Republicans have no substantial plan to reduce violence and have instead weakened gun laws, allowing more dangerous criminals to gain access to guns.

Overall, Democrats are committed to putting People Over Politics and passing legislation that supports families, invests in our communities, and boosts employment. Republicans, on the other hand, have opposed most of the legislation mentioned above and have no plan to lower costs for American families. Instead, they’re focused on criminalizing abortion nationwide and cutting key programs like Medicare and Social Security. 

Here’s a look at what else I’ve been working on this week:

• Cosponsored a bill by Rep. Adam Schiff, the Support for Iranian Political Prisoners Act, to demand that Iran end its disgraceful human rights violations against peaceful protestors and release all arbitrarily detained individuals. We in the U.S. Congress stand with the Iranian women and citizens protesting the horrific death of Mahsa Amini and call upon Tehran to end its campaign of violence and abuse against women and girls. 
• Spoke at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Legislative Forum about how the laws we’ve passed in Congress help our local business community.

• Applauded the State Department’s announcement of a new Unit for Subnational Diplomacy. Congressman Joe Wilson and I have been championing this issue in Congress through our bill, the City and State Diplomacy Act. I’m pleased the State Department has heeded our calls for increased federal resources for subnational diplomacy.
• Called for Congress to come together and pass comprehensive immigration reform following a federal appeals court ruling that declared DACA illegal but left the policy intact for the 600,000 immigrants already enrolled.

For more information on my work in Congress, please visit my website at lieu.house.gov and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have any questions or concerns, please call our D.C. office at (202) 225-3976 or our Los Angeles district office at (323) 651-1040. 

I look forward to updating you again soon. 

Sincerely, 

Ted W. Lieu 
Member of Congress