Dear Friends,

Happy New Year and welcome back for the second year of the 119th Congress! We are already off to a busy start. As we begin this new year, I remain focused on issues that directly affect constituents in the Fourth District. Even in troubling times, I still have hope and renewed optimism for the work and progress we can achieve as a community.

Three days into 2026, the Trump Administration launched military strikes on Venezuela and captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife. President Trump claimed the U.S. will “run the country” of Venezuela for the time-being without a clear picture or vision of what that means. You can read my full statement in response here. I shared my initial reaction and concerns on with Rich Herrera on NewsRadio WRVA:

My concerns about what comes next were not allayed by a classified briefing for Congress. In response, I signed onto Rep. Jim McGovern’s War Powers Resolution, which limits the President‘s power to send troops into combat without Congressional approval and prevents the President from taking the country into a war in secret. The Trump Administration put our service members at needless risk and damaged the United States’ reputation as a global leader. 

Last week also saw a tragedy in Minneapolis as ICE’s escalation of violence and overly aggressive tactics ended in an ICE agent shooting and killing Renee Nicole Good, a poet and mother of three. U.S. Border Patrol agents shot a husband and wife in Portland one day later, sparking further outrage. My heart breaks for the Minneapolis community devastated by this killing, and we need a full and independent investigation into the actions taken by law enforcement in Minnesota and Portland. I cosponsored the Stop Excessive Force in Immigration Act to ensure this kind of tragedy does not happen again and enforce greater transparency from ICE by limiting the use of masks, implementing mandatory body cameras and requiring clear uniforms. I’ve also joined Reps. Raskin, Thompson, Jayapal and Omar to demand answers from ICE over the Minneapolis shooting.

In the midst of all this chaos, there was some good news: the House made progress to lower health care costs and passed three more appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026. Read on for more on this and what else you may have missed last week.

ONE MASSIVE LEAP TO LOWER HEALTH CARE COSTS

As the new year began, enhanced premium tax credits for insurance purchased on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange expired, raising premiums for millions of Americans. 

For months, I have shared stories about people who face the very real risk of losing their health insurance because they cannot afford the premium without the tax credits. Now, their worries are more than just theoretical.

Thankfully, just before recess, a handful of brave Republicans recognized the need for a solution to this health care crisis and joined House Democrats to sign a petition to force a vote on a bill extending the credits for three years, defying House Republican leadership and Trump in the process. Last week, I spoke on the floor in favor of that extension, outlining exactly who stands to lose if the tax credits are not restored.

On Thursday, 17 Republicans voted with all House Democrats to bring relief to those just trying to make ends meet. Amidst an affordability crisis and a devastated health care system wrecked by Republicans’ passage of the Big Ugly Law, it is imperative that the Senate follow suit and quickly pass their own version of the extension. I joined Ali Vitali on Way Too Early, MS NOW’s 5am show, to discuss the vote outcome and why Senate Republicans must do right by the American people.

ENERGY & COMMERCE COMMITTEE UPDATE: BACK TO WORK IN THE NEW YEAR

The Energy & Commerce Committee wasted no time getting back to work last week.

The Energy Subcommittee held a hearing focused on nuclear energy and American energy dominance. During the hearing, I marveled at my Republican colleagues’ claims to support an “all of the above” approach to meeting American energy demand affordably while sitting idly by as the Trump Administration canceled or paused dozens of clean energy projects that would quickly, affordably and leanly meet growing energy demand, such as the Administration’s reckless pause of the Virginia Coastal Offshore Wind Project over the holiday recess. 

The next day, I participated in a Health Subcommittee hearing on legislative proposals to support patient access to Medicare services, including my H.R. 5243 bill to improve the transparency of Medicare Advantage for seniors assessing the supplemental benefits in their insurance plans. This bill will help seniors make the best coverage decisions for their individual needs. During the hearing, I discussed my bill in the larger context of rising health care costs and how the Republican-created health care crisis has made it harder for people to afford health care. 

MY BRIGHT SPOT: PROGRESS ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING

Four months into fiscal year 2026 (FY26), we are finally making progress passing the appropriations bills needed to fund the government before temporary funding expires on January 30th. Legislation ending the government shutdown included appropriations through the end of FY26 for agriculture, military construction and veterans affairs, and legislative branch programs. This bill includes $1 million in community project funding that I secured for a water infrastructure project in the City of Emporia.

Last week, the House passed legislation funding agencies and programs related to commerce, law enforcement, science, energy and water development, public lands and the environment. This bill included additional community project funding that I secured for Virginia State University to create a Center for Generative AI and Industrial Cybersecurity; for Virginia Commonwealth University’s new Robotics and Autonomous Systems Research program; and water and infrastructure projects in Charles City County, Colonial Heights, Henrico County, Hopewell, Lawrenceville, Petersburg, and Surry County.  

Stay tuned for more information on these projects and other funding bills that come before the House.

REMINDERS

The 2026 Black History Month Essay Contest for middle and high school students across Virginia’s Fourth is now open! Essays can be submitted to [email protected] by Monday, February 9th. You can find more information here.

The 2026 Valentines for Veterans Program is now collecting Valentine’s Day cards to be distributed to veterans in the Fourth District. You can submit Valentines by mail or in person to my Richmond or Brunswick District Offices by Monday, February 9th for distribution on February 13th. Residents unable to send their cards to either office may coordinate a pick-up by calling the Richmond District Office at (804) 486-1840. You can find more information here.

Unsubscribe from future messages.