John,

The fossil fuel industry poisons our communities as well as our political process.

This year, Democratic congressional leadership made an outrageous side deal with coal baron Joe Manchin to sacrifice Black, brown, Indigenous, and low-wealth communities for fossil fuel profits.

Together, we defeated this Dirty Deal multiple times. Even after Democratic congressional leaders tried to force it into must-pass legislation.

Instead of letting the fossil fuel industry write our laws, we must always center the people bearing the brunt of the climate and pollution crises. That’s one of the reasons why I ran for Congress, after having grown up by big polluters in Detroit and seeing for myself how urgently we need change.

As we gear up for a new year of possibilities, will you pitch in to our fight for environmental justice and a true thriving democracy that puts people over profits?

This year, I brought Congress to my district to hear directly from advocates living near toxic polluting projects, who suffer from high rates of asthma, cancer, respiratory diseases, infant mortality, and more.

As vice chair of the Subcommittee of Environment for the House Oversight & Reform Committee, we held a Congressional environmental justice hearing in the district where resident testimonies took center stage. We successfully worked with leadership to send letters to Stellantis, which has violated its air permit requirements repeatedly, and to U.S. Ecology, whose hazardous waste facility is impacting the public health of a majority Black neighborhood in Detroit.

We didn't stop there. With strong grassroots partnerships, I introduced cumulative impacts legislation to address the environmental racism that treats our communities as expendable, and started the bipartisan Get the Lead Out Caucus to ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe, and lead-free water. We took the Caucus on a tour of lead hotspots across Michigan and continue to raise awareness about the urgency of fully funding lead pipe removal.

We brought Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva to our district, and he toured our environmental justice communities and talked directly with frontline residents. Their feedback helped inform the Committee’s work on its landmark Environmental Justice for All legislation, which would deliver real change in our communities.

My constituents have been under-resourced and unheard for too long, and I’m in office to change that.

I’m proud to announce that over the past four years, we have returned more than $5 million directly to district residents through our constituent support services. Just this year, we secured more than $19 million in funding for community projects in my district. This is part of how we create community safety and a multi-racial democracy―where we can all thrive.

Next year, with Republicans controlling the House of Representatives, we’re up against a bigger fight for our communities and our planet. I promise to keep pushing at all levels for the transformational change we need, including continuing to call on President Biden to declare a national climate emergency.

Please chip in to invest in my environmental leadership in Congress as we head into a new year.

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Thank you for being by my side.

In service and solidarity,

Rashida