LAST 2 WEEKS IN REVIEW

I’m your representative in Congress and I write to keep you informed.

• Condemning and addressing antisemitism on campus 
• Integrating governance with military operations to defeat Hamas
• Recognizing our Fire Chiefs’ role in fighting the fentanyl crisis 
• Managing curb congestion in the FAA reauthorization
• Holding social media giants accountable for kids' online wellbeing

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• Taking inspiration from an interfaith leader at the American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council
• Visiting Vilna Shul   
• MassHealth receives federal approval to expand services to migrants
• U.S.-Canada cooperation on clean energy
• Good jobs and clean energy in Massachusetts through federal investments
• Join my office for Virtual Service Academy Day

On the Hill

Condemning and addressing antisemitism: I sat down with Kasie Hunt to discuss antisemitism in America. Every American has the right to criticize the Israeli government and lawfully protest its War Cabinet’s actions, but attacking Jews or Zionists is hateful. Jewish and Israeli students at our country’s colleges and universities should be free from harassment.

I sent a letter to the 8 Massachusetts schools that received a “C” or below on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)’s report card on campus antisemitism, requesting that they detail the tangible actions their institution’s leadership will take to ensure the wellbeing of Jewish students and address antisemitism, both explicit and coded, on their campuses. Six universities have responded, and we are reviewing in conjunction with experts, but both Williams and Wellesley failed to meet the May 17th deadline. My office will continue to press these schools for answers and drive them to present meaningful and concrete steps moving forward.  

To complement this advocacy work are two impactful bills that I am co-sponsoring: first, the Countering Antisemitism Act, which would give the force of law to President Biden’s National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism, and second, the Showing Up for Students Act, which would provide the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) with the necessary funding to investigate discrimination expeditiously. Increased Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding – a measure I will continue to push for – is also regrettably essential to ensure safety at places of worship and education. 

I recently voted against another piece of well-intended antisemitism legislation, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, because it runs afoul of the Constitution without presenting a solution to the problem at hand. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism is a critical tool for evaluating reported incidents of antisemitism, but codifying the IHRA as the only definition for the OCR to investigate Title VI allegations would impermissibly constrain academic freedom and open a constitutional can of worms – without actually changing the incentives for faculty and administration at universities. Unfortunately, lawmakers may need to leverage the power of the purse to get universities’ attention and commitment.

Integrating governance with military operations to defeat Hamas: I joined MSNBC’s Way Too Early Show last week and spoke with CNN’s Jessica Dean this weekend to discuss the strategy to defeat Hamas and return the hostages.

• Offers an actionable plan for governance in Gaza that ensures Israeli security and Palestinian humanitarian needs,
• Drives alignment between the United States and Israel during the negotiations for hostage release, and
• Affords Israel the military latitude it requires, consonant with the law of armed conflict, to prevent Hamas from ever again repeating the atrocities of October 7th.

Tension between friends must not become an opening for enemies. I remain committed to using my voice and vote to support an ironclad US–Israel alliance that defeats Hamas and architects governance for Gaza. 

I also reject the International Criminal Court’s recent issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli leadership. Israel is fighting for freedom; Hamas is terrorizing innocents. The ICC’s implication of moral equivalence between them bankrupts the credibility of any other finding in its investigation.

Recognizing our Fire Chiefs’ role in fighting the fentanyl crisis: I spoke with Fire Chiefs from across the Commonwealth, including several from MA-04, at the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts’ annual congressional breakfast. We discussed the devastating impact of fentanyl trafficking on public health and emergency services. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is working with the drug cartels to funnel fentanyl from China through Mexico into the United States, subsidizing the epidemic of opioid overdoses that destroy lives and wreak havoc on families. Our first responders are on the frontlines of this crisis. I am working on bipartisan solutions to target the CCP’s illegal facilitation of fentanyl exports.

Managing curb congestion: I voted to pass the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, which included a win for curb management. This legislation, which President Biden signed into law, will empower the FAA to hire and train more air traffic controllers and provide additional tools to keep the flying public safe. 

This bill also has an important win from my office: empowering airports’ land-side operations to use cameras and other technology to better manage their curbs. In the short run, I expect this will help airports alleviate the double-and-triple-park situations that can be stressful for motorists and pedestrians. In the long run, I am hopeful that best practices in curb management can migrate from airports to downtowns, where they can be applied to balance the trade-offs between parking, transit, outdoor dining, cycling, walking, and stormwater management. The curb is an under-utilized asset to help realize more walkable downtowns.

Holding social media giants accountable for kids’ online wellbeing: I joined CNN to discuss my legislation, the Verifying Kids’ Online Privacy Act, that would raise the age of internet adulthood from 13 to 16. As the youngest parent in the Democratic caucus, with a four-year-old, a three-year-old, and a one-year-old, I am in a race to regulate social media until my four-year-old starts scrolling. 

Screen time has devoured family time, while social media corporations have monetized our children’s attention spans. Families and schools are fed up with the corresponding decline in our kids' mental health, which is why both the National Parents Union and the National Association of Secondary School Principals have endorsed my bill. They agree that Congress must ensure social media corporations are liable for a duty of care to the youth who use their platforms. 

Make your voice heard → I want to hear from you. 

Do you support increased funding for the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights to address antisemitism?

Around the Fourth

Taking inspiration from an interfaith leader: I met with Farhana Khorshed, who serves on the board of the American Muslim and Interfaith Women’s Empowerment Council, about her trip to Israel following the October 7th attacks and her role in founding a new organization of Muslim and Jewish women working to build common ground. “The Collective,” a grassroots organization founded after the October 7th attacks, aims to unite women’s rights activists from both faiths in conversation about the Israel-Hamas war. The group comprises women from several countries, including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, and the United States. 

Farhana and her colleagues were horrified by what took place on October 7th, particularly the violence against women by Hamas terrorists. Farhana spoke to me about what they saw during their visit to Israel; she described the scene, with rockets flying overhead, as akin to a “horror movie set.” I was inspired by their interfaith collaboration and commitment to uplifting humanity and condemning antisemitism and violent extremism.  

Visiting Vilna Shul: I toured Vilna Shul, home to Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture, where I learned more about the rich history of Jewish immigration to Greater Boston. At the turn of the last century, my forebears fled the pogroms in Ukraine, seeking a future where “they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid” [Micah 4:4]. 

Today, our generation must recommit ourselves to that imperative, and I applaud Vilna Shul on their continued work to that end.

MassHealth receives federal waiver to expand services to migrants: I was encouraged to see Governor Healey’s announcement that CMS granted federal approval to expand MassHealth, our Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), to migrants in the Commonwealth’s shelter system. Although these funds are a welcome relief, they only serve as another bandaid without strong, practical border solutions. I remain committed to securing the border and upholding the rule of law, while also allowing asylum seekers to contribute to our country while seeking a better future. 

Fundamentally, America desperately needs comprehensive immigration reform. I am a cosponsor of the DIGNITY Act, which is bipartisan legislation to upgrade border security and rationalize the naturalization process. I also continue to support the bipartisan border security bill agreed in the Senate – the toughest measure in a generation – that was torpedoed by former president Donald Trump for political purposes.

U.S.-Canada cooperation on clean energy: I met with the Canadian Consul General in my Newton office to discuss cross-border clean energy transmission and other important bilateral ties. If the transmission line through Maine is completed, Hydro-Quebec could be an important source of green, affordable, and reliable energy for Bay Staters. More broadly, Canada is the largest supplier of U.S. energy imports and is a top exporter of mineral inputs for electric vehicle batteries. Sharing the longest demilitarized border in the world, Canada and the United States are the closest of allies and a source of mutual strength in a volatile world. 

Good jobs and clean energy in Massachusetts through federal investments: I participated in a workshop with the Mass Building Trades Unions for local leaders on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which have opened a significant influx of federal funding opportunities for our district. I spoke about the historic investments in infrastructure and climate action Congress made last term. $7.1 billion in BIL funding alone is heading to Massachusetts with over 285 specific projects identified for funding. 

I was proud to support both the BIL and the IRA: the investments in infrastructure and clean energy are an opportunity for municipalities to address water, transportation, and energy needs while creating good-paying union jobs here in the Bay State. The inclusion of labor standards in these laws marks a historic moment, and the distribution of funds is an exemplar of local-state-federal-and-labor alignment. My office is here to be the ‘front desk’ for towns and trades as they navigate federal grants. 

Join my office for Virtual Service Academy Night: My office is hosting a virtual event on Tuesday, May 28th, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM for high school students interested in the application process for the five United States Service Academies: West Point, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Marines, and Coast Guard. During Academy Night, students will hear from my staff about the congressional nomination process, which is required for all but the Coast Guard Academy, as well as from representatives from each of the service academies regarding the individual schools’ application processes. Students and parents may register for the webinar here. 

If you have any questions, please contact my Senior District Representative, Jenna Massoud, by email at Jenna.Massoud@mail.house.gov or by phone at (617)-332-3333.

Onwards,

Jake