Hello friends,
It’s been a great week here in Delaware – from honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to celebrating the passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). I’ve had the opportunity to connect with so many people and organizations across our state.
Honoring Dr. King
To celebrate MLK Day, I was honored to join groups like the Delaware Interdenominational Ministers Action Council (IMAC), the State Bar Association, the Alpha Phi Alpha Zeta Rho Lambda Chapter, and Delaware State University and the Inner City Cultural League. These events brought together community members, elected officials, local leaders, and clergy – reminding us of the accomplishments toward Dr. King’s dream and the work ahead.
Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) Passage
I joined Senator Tom Carper in Bowers Beach this week to celebrate the passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). This is a national bill with local impact that will make investments in our water infrastructure and help protect our shorelines and communities from the effects of climate change.
Over the past two years, I met with mayors, town officials, residents, advocates, businesses, farmers, and students who shared with me the need for this legislation and “showed” the impact of extreme weather, flooding, and sea level rise. That’s why it was important to work with Senator Carper on a bill called the Shoreline Health Oversight Restoration, Resilience, and Enhancement (SHORRE) Act that passed as a part of WRDA. The SHORRE Act will expand the mission and authority of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, give us the resources and tools we need to safeguard our coastlines and riverbanks, and will make Delaware communities more resilient, resourceful, and ready to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The Wilmington VA is Hiring!
It’s Wilmington VA hiring week! The Medical Center is currently holding a virtual hiring event for clinical and non-clinical positions. These jobs will help support the rollout of the historic PACT Act, which I voted for in Congress and President Biden signed into law last year. The PACT Act expands VA health care eligibility to Post-9/11 combat veterans, which includes more than 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans.
The hiring event runs through January 28th. Interested applicants will have the unique opportunity to email their resumes directly to HR to be considered for select openings. You can learn more about the event and how to apply by visiting the VA’s website here.
This week, I announced the winning team of the Congressional App Challenge, a competition to encourage STEM and computer-based skills in middle school and high school students. This year’s winners were Irwin Wang and Maya Perry for their app called Recycle Pro. Its goal is to simplify the recycling process for each of us and connect users with their communities to improve the environment. The app helps users identify what items are recyclable and where so that it’s easier to recycle everyday items. The app also encourages users to create and sign-up for volunteer opportunities such as community clean-up events and to learn and test their recycling skills. Congratulations to Irwin and Maya on this incredible achievement! For more information on the Congressional App Challenge, please click here.
As a reminder, if you have questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to reach out to my office. And if you ever need assistance with federal agencies, my team can help with a wide range of issues, including (but not limited to):
- United States Postal Service
- Social Security Administration
- Veterans Affairs benefits and services
- Passport and visa processing
- Citizenship and naturalization
Yours in service,
Lisa Blunt Rochester
Member of Congress
