During last week’s Joint Address to Congress, we all hoped to hear the President put the needs of the American people above partisan politics and his usual lies.

Instead, we got a rambling mess of a speech in which President Trump seemed more interested in creating a spectacle than actually putting forth an agenda for the American people.

At a time when America needs to be a strong voice for democratic values across the world, the President made clear that he has no interest in prioritizing the people he has been entrusted to serve or defending our allies. Rather than focusing on issues affecting the lives of the American people right now, he chose to ramble on for more than 90 minutes, spewing half-truths and outright lies while stoking bigotry and division. The American people want to bring down costs, but Trump has turned to petty trade wars with our neighbors that will only hurt American people and the American economy by raising the price of everything from gasoline to groceries, housing to healthcare, toys to technology, and more.

House Democrats are committed to protecting access to health care, veterans benefits, and Social Security for millions of Americans — including my guest to the Joint Address, Jeanne Robinson. I refuse to stand by while the Trump Administration and congressional Republicans try to shame and silence us.

Keep reading to catch up on what we did last week.

A DEEPLY DIVISIVE JOINT ADDRESS

Each member of Congress can invite one guest to a Joint Address to Congress. I invited Jeanne Robinson — one of the over 600,000 Virginians who could lose health care coverage if Trump and Republicans follow through with their plan to slash Medicaid.

Jeanne is a home care worker from Henrico County with decades of experience as a therapist and social worker. She left her well-paying job as an In-Home Counselor to care for her six-year-old grandson, who has Down syndrome. Now, Jeanne, her family and her former clients rely on Medicaid to cover essential and at-times life-saving services and treatments. When I asked Jeanne about her experiences with Medicaid and her fears for this Administration, she called it a “really, really scary” time. 

She’s not alone. Every day, I hear from constituents who are worried about cuts to Medicaid, veterans services, SNAP and other federal programs, and what these cuts mean for them and their families. Trump, of course, did not address this at all in his address — because he does not care about the American people who are at risk. His interests lie with billionaires and big corporations: those who will get tax cuts they don’t need at the expense of essential government services that millions of Americans do.

In Tuesday’s Joint Address, President Trump claimed that Elon Musk and his DOGE bros are saving the American people money. The truth is, they haven’t saved us a dime.

Americans did not want an out-of-touch billionaire to ransack our government and slash essential services upon which our nation’s veterans, children, pregnant women and new mothers, seniors, and the disabled rely.

Americans did not want an outright attack on the federal workforce that keeps our country running or for fundamental programs like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security to be ripped away from tens of millions of Americans.

Americans do not want a president who throws a tantrum over President Zelenskyy — a man who checks his ego at the door and puts his people first — not groveling enough at his feet. Nor do Americans want a president who bows down to the whims of far-right, authoritarian rulers illegally seeking to expand their territory like Vladimir Putin.

Americans do not want a useless trade war with our closest allies that raises prices even more — as I discussed with BloombergTV’s Balance of Power — because the President does not seem to understand how tariffs work.  

Trump’s actions and words were too much for my colleague Rep. Al Green (TX-09), who stood up for Medicaid and shouted against Trump’s efforts to strip healthcare away from 80 million people. Unlike when Representatives Joe Wilson or Marjorie Taylor Green made similar scenes in Joint Addresses by Presidents Obama and Biden respectively, Republicans moved swiftly to punish Congressman Green. Not only was he ejected from the Joint Address, but he was censured for his actions. Whether you agree with Congressman Green’s expression of his displeasure with President Trump’s words and actions, he was within his rights under the First Amendment. I voted against his censure.  

President Trump made clear last week that he and congressional Republicans intend to sacrifice the needs of millions of Americans on the altar of the ultra-wealthy. Congressional Democrats are determined to fight back. Afterwards, I shared my reaction to the Joint Address with BBC News.

FIGHTING FOR AFFORDABLE ENERGY AND UNIVERSAL BROADBAND

During his Joint Address, President Trump promised to “make America affordable again,” even as he and his administration take actions that increase costs of just about everything. In particular, Trump talks about reducing the cost of energy while meeting a non-existent national energy emergency. Yet he and Congressional Republicans insist on rolling back historic investments made during the Biden-Harris Administration in clean and renewable energy and energy efficiency policies that will in fact meet increasing growing energy demand, create new jobs and economic revitalization, and protect our environment, natural resources and public health.

Last week, in the Energy Subcommittee’s hearing on meeting America’s growing energy demand, I pushed back on Trump’s executive order halting new federal leases and permits for wind energy and the massive uncertainty it creates for the energy industry. Trump’s actions risk directly impede the development of clean energy projects, like the bipartisan Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project — and will result in higher energy prices for American families across the Commonwealth and beyond.

The Trump Administration also seeks to undermine the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in broadband deployment, changing the rules midstream in a way that will not only cause delays, but leave many rural and unserved areas behind or with inadequate service. In a hearing examining the progress and Republican-proposed changes to the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, I pushed back on these efforts.

MY BRIGHT SPOT

Friday marked the second anniversary of my swearing-in as a member of Congress! It has been the honor of a lifetime serving you in Washington. 

As I reflect on the past two years and the fear and uncertainty of the current moment, I find the most satisfaction in helping people. Since my swearing-in, my casework team has recovered nearly $10 million in constituent savings. That includes $200,000 in constituent savings just last week, for a total of $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2025 alone! These savings include tax refunds, earned veterans benefits, and more. 

Even when times seem chaotic, confusing and bleak, my staff and I will work to help people and solve problems.

If you need help with a federal agency, remember to reach out to my District Office team! Here are some casework tips to help my team help you more easily.

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