John,

I want to update you on some of the ways I’ve been honored to serve my community lately. I’m in Congress to fight for my neighbors, and we’ve had some recent wins.

Environmental justice

After the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Norfolk Southern chose to dispose truckloads of hazardous materials at the site of one of our region’s most negligent and notorious corporate polluters -- without any notice to local communities that could be placed at risk.

Our residents and elected officials came together and pushed back against this decision and helped halt further shipments. We will never give permission for corporate polluters to continue to sacrifice the health and well-being of our communities and our families.

Unfortunately, recent data shows asthma is on the rise in my community, largely from industrial pollution and the burning of fossil fuels.

Detroiters are four times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than Michigan residents more broadly, and within that there are dire racial disparities: Black Detroiters are over three times more likely to be hospitalized than white Detroiters.

So I’ve been working with environmental groups to push the EPA and Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to better regulate air pollution.

Our communities need stronger action now, and like many frontline communities, mine is all too familiar with exploitative corporations lining their pockets at our expense.

This week I partnered with grassroots groups We the People Michigan and the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition to put together a town hall to hold our for-profit utility corporation DTE accountable after a recent winter storm, which left nearly a million residents in Southeast Michigan without power and heat for days.

Despite some of the least reliable services in the nation, DTE charges some of the highest rates in the nation. DTE is a monopoly that invests in their shareholders and executives rather than in our communities.

If you agree that we need to make all utilities across the country publicly owned and operated, check out our recent petition. I’m going to keep fighting to ensure that access to utilities (including electricity, heat, and water) is treated as the human right it is.

Investing in communities

This week I also rallied with activists in Detroit asking why we're offering $800 million in tax incentives to billionaire developers without strong, enforceable community benefits.

Instead of giving away money to companies that exploit our communities, we’ve got to invest directly in communities so neighborhoods can thrive and fight poverty.

Earlier this year, we secured over $19.6 million in federal funding for local projects in my community. This went to support important initiatives ranging from community centers, to work training programs, to infrastructure updates, to affordable housing, education needs, and health facilities like the American Indian Health Family Services of Southeastern Michigan.

Relatedly, I recently re-introduced the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act to directly invest in local nonprofit organizations across the country working on projects such as: homeowner rehabilitation assistance, weatherization, improved housing accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities, housing counseling, refinancing, property tax relief, and infrastructure improvements.

I want to make sure that every family has what they need to thrive, from my community to yours. That includes protecting our human rights to clean water, clean air, access to utilities, and affordable housing for all.  

If you’re able to, please pitch in to support the fight for environmental justice and thriving communities.

Thank you so much. Always in service,

Rashida