Dear friend,

I hope your weekend is going well.

I want to wish all those in our state who are observing Ramadan a month of peace and blessings. Ramadan Mubarak!

We also celebrated the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law this week. The landmark piece of legislation has helped millions of families get affordable health care through the ACA marketplace. The ACA continues to save lives in Delaware and across the country. That's why it's so important to me to build on its legacy, which is exactly what Democrats in Congress did when we passed the Inflation Reduction Act last year. The Inflation Reduction Act lowered health insurance premiums, gave Medicare the ability to finally be able to negotiate the price of prescription drugs, and capped the price of insulin at $35 a month for seniors.

House Energy and Commerce Hearing on TikTok

On Thursday, the CEO of TikTok testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on which I serve, in a hearing titled "TikTok: How Congress Can Safeguard American Data Privacy and Protect Children from Online Harms." The hearing came as part of our committee’s broader efforts to examine Big Tech companies throughout the industry including Facebook, Twitter, and Google. The hearing was also an opportunity to examine the specific national security concerns posed by TikTok. While we know that social media has incredible power and potential, we’ve also seen the danger and harm of those platforms going unchecked. For my part, I introduced the bipartisan and bicameral DETOUR Act, which is aimed at ending harmful practices and holding tech companies accountable.

I came to the hearing wanting to hear concrete actions TikTok is taking to battle misinformation, protect our young people, and ensure our national security. But the testimony raised more questions for me than answers. We are awaiting additional information from TikTok in response to our questions.

Click below to watch my full questioning of TikTok's CEO below:

Voting Against "Politics Over Parents" Bill

On the House floor, Republicans pushed through H.R. 5, a bill that creates unnecessary and burdensome reporting requirements on schools that target LGBTQI+ students, diverts essential resources and personnel away from meeting families’ real needs, and opens the door to dictate school ’s curriculum to exclude important parts of history. As the parent whose children graduated from Delaware public schools and now, as a grandmother, I can tell you this bill does not take meaningful steps to set our students up for success or increase parental engagement. I voted against this bill.

YMCA Congressional Champion Award

I was able to join the Brandywine YMCA this week to accept their Congressional Champion award for my work on the social determinants of health - where people live, learn, work, and play and how that affects health outcomes. The services YMCAs across our state offer are essential to the health, education, and development of Delawareans across all age groups. As a life-long supporter of the YMCA, I was humbled and honored to be recognized for my work to make our communities healthier, safer, and stronger.

Mobile Office Hours

Members of my casework team were on hand in Dover this week at the Kent County Public Library for Mobile Office Hours. I'm so glad that my team was able to help 19 Delawareans with issues they were having - from getting passports renewed to help folks get their Social Security or VA benefits. Please stay tuned for more Mobile Office Hours!

If you weren't able to make office hours, you can always contact my office to speak with a member of my team. 

GRANT RESOURCES FOR DELAWAREANS

As a member of the Regional Leadership Council, where I am helping lead the implementation and communication of the historic pieces of legislation passed last Congress, I want to make sure Delawareans are informed about grant opportunities for organizations, state and local governments, nonprofits, and others. Please see a few that are now available:

• NEW: COMBATTING POLLUTION: U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Industrial Demonstrations Program, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act
• REMINDER:
  • EV CHARGING: U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) new Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
  • CLIMATE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, established by the Inflation Reduction Act
  • MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTORS: U.S. Department of Commerce's CHIPS for America Program, established by the CHIPS and Science Act

While in Washington this week, I met with Melanie Daniels, the President of the Delaware Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. She shared with me the Coalition's efforts in advocating and supporting Black women and girls across the First State through leadership development and gender equity. Their work is crucial to helping Black women and girls succeed, and I am proud to support their work.

Yours in service,

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester

Member of Congress

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