LAST 2 WEEKS IN REVIEW

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

Authorizing Ukraine to strike back against Russia
A spark of joy in the rescue of four hostages
Supporting Israel and a diplomatic response to the ICC’s actions
Welcoming Somerset Middle School to Washington
Ensuring safety in the skies

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PFAS Clean Water conference
MBTA secures federal transit accessibility improvement funding
Touring the Boston Harbor Islands with Senator Markey and Boston Harbor Now
Welcoming new American citizens to the MA-04
Joining John Hancock for a discussion on public-private partnership
Busting the “crisis pregnancy centers” myth
Spending a Saturday in the Blackstone River Valley

On the Hill

Authorizing Ukraine to strike back against Russia: I joined MSNBC to discuss President Biden’s decision to grant Ukraine’s military the authority to use U.S. weapons to strike targets inside Russia. However, hitting Russian territory near Kharkiv will not sufficiently undermine the industrial base of Russia’s total war. The Biden Administration should authorize Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike any site in Russia with military application. This includes energy infrastructure, troop-staging & weapons-launching zones, and industrial sites. As evidenced by Ukrainian success in the Black Sea, when Ukraine is equipped and empowered in its military operations, it outfights the Russians.

I also spoke with Semafor on why this authorization is necessary for Ukraine to win, which I define as (1) a secure Eastern border, (2) freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, and (3) accession to the European Union. Russia’s oil & gas exports provide it the hard currency to sustain its war economy. Striking those oil & gas fields will be a military complement to Western energy sanctions, impairing the Kremlin’s capacity to fund this barbaric invasion.

I was also encouraged to see the recent G7 announcement that the United States and Europe will loan Ukraine $50 billion, backed by the interest from the $300 billion in frozen Russian assets, for Ukrainian infrastructure rebuilding and economic development.

A spark of joy in the rescue of four hostages: I spoke with NewsNation’s Hena Doba this weekend to discuss President Biden’s ceasefire proposal and securing the hostages’ safe return. I was asked which goal in the Israel-Hamas war is more important — rescuing the hostages, or defeating Hamas. My answer: they are equally vital; because unless Hamas is defeated, there will be more hostages in the future. That is what the charter of Hamas demands.

After eight long months in brutal captivity, it was a spark of joy that Noa, Almog, Andrey, and Shlomi were reunited with their families through a daring IDF operation. Through military pressure from Israel and arm-twisting from Arab states, Hamas must be made to accept a version of President Biden’s phase 1 deal so that more hostages may come home.

Supporting Israel and a diplomatic response to the ICC’s actions: Last week, I voted against H.R. 8282, the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, because it is an overly broad and inappropriate response to the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s request for warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant. I condemn the ICC’s seeking of arrest warrants for Israeli leadership. As I have previously said, the ICC’s implication of moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas bankrupts the credibility of any other finding in its investigation. Israel is an ally and fellow democracy fighting for its security and for the release of the hostages, including eight Americans. Hamas is evil and must be defeated.

This bill, however, would not advance these aims. It would impede U.S. efforts to hold Russia to account for its brutal war against Ukraine and could expose U.S. allies to potential sanctions. This would undermine multilateral efforts to fight back against the axis of Russia, China, and Islamist extremists like Iran and Hamas.

Welcoming Somerset Middle School to Washington: I greeted a group of middle schoolers from Somerset on the Capitol steps during their annual trip to D.C., where they heard from me about a day-in-the-life of a Congressman, the imperative for social media accountability to clean up their sites, and the legislative process. I took thoughtful questions on TikTok and encouraged them – and their parents – to think of my office as their ‘front desk’ for Washington and ‘concierge’ for dealing with federal agencies.

Ensuring safety in the skies: Last week, I met with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Whitaker to discuss safety for the flying public. The FAA’s 38-plane monthly cap on Boeing’s 737 Max production is important leverage for the regulator to ensure the uptake of a safety management system. The FAA and the airlines will have inspectors on-site at Boeing’s plants, as well, for third-party verification of that safety management system.

I also pressed the FAA to quickly and thoroughly complete and share its investigation into two near-misses that recently occurred on tarmacs for Boston-bound flights.

Around the Fourth

Eliminating ‘forever chemicals’ in our water supply: I hosted a clean water summit at Boston College for local officials and interested citizens. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just released the first national clean-water drinking standard, which, when combined with the Massachusetts standard, will set extremely low thresholds for eight perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – known as ‘PFAS’ – in public water supplies.

PFAS chemicals have been used in a variety of household and industrial products for 70 years due to their efficacy in oil-, stain-, and water-resistance applications. However, they are carcinogenic and also linked to other detrimental health impacts–including ovarian cancer, Because of their chemical composition, PFAS break down extremely slowly – making them ‘forever chemicals’.

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I voted for, Congress appropriated $21 billion that will support public water supplies in meeting the EPA’s new strict standard. My conference helped bridge understanding between regulators and water utilities by bringing in the EPA’s Regional Administrator David Cash, the state Department of Environmental Protection, municipal compliance experts, and analysts in new technology to help local officials understand the rules, the funding, and the commercial products that they might adopt.

I was left with two key takeaways from the conference:

First, Congress should ban the use of these eight PFAS chemicals, as well as their 300+ other, less-studied and less-common chemical cousins. Waivers might be granted for exceptional cases where no alternative is available for a critical product and where remediation is well regulated, but otherwise, manufacturers must stop using compounds that are demonstrably bad for our health and environment. Non-toxic alternatives are already available. Stain-resistant carpets aren’t worth it!
Second, more public-private partnerships and innovation are necessary to commercially scale the process of electrochemical oxidation, which destroys PFAS as opposed to flushing it through the water cycle via capture or dilution.

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

Should Congress ban PFAS?

MBTA secures federal transit accessibility improvement funding: I was encouraged to hear the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announce Massachusetts as a recipient of the 2024 All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) grant. As one of only eight awardees in the United States, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) will receive $67 million for Green Line “B” and “C” branch improvements to make fourteen stops on these lines completely accessible for people with mobility issues.

The Green Line upgrades are another example that what happens in Washington matters: This Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will improve the commutes for my Brookline and Newton constituents. Next up: The Newton commuter rail stations, which require the same attention from the MBTA as the Green Line Stations.

Touring the Boston Harbor Islands: I joined Boston Harbor Now with Senator Markey for a tour of the Boston Harbor Islands to celebrate fifty years of successful partnerships to clean up the harbor, once a national disgrace and now a national park, and to renew our cross-sectoral commitment to a healthy habitat. Boston Harbor and its islands are foundational to Eastern Massachusetts: for our economy, ecology, recreation, and resilience.

Welcoming new American citizens to MA-04: I had the great pleasure of addressing 100 new citizens during a naturalization ceremony at the JFK National Historic Site, alongside my predecessor, Joe Kennedy, who now serves as the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. Joe eloquently relayed the vital role of immigrants in our national story, and I thanked them for their patriotism and urged them to –

“not let anyone, ever, make you feel less American because you were not born in America. That small-minded concept is a perversion of our founding ideals.

The United States is not a blood and soil country. It does not matter where you were born. It matters what ideas you subscribe to: freedom, hard work, rule of law, meritocracy, and the dignity of the individual.

Congratulations on becoming citizens of the United States. I wish you and your children the full fruits of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Busting the “crisis pregnancy centers” myth: I joined Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robert Goldstein, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, and reproductive rights advocates for a press conference for the launch of the Healey Administration's “Avoid Anti-Abortion Centers” campaign – the first of its kind in the United States.

Anti-abortion centers are a risk to maternal health, targeting women with misinformation about abortion timelines, sexual health, and pregnancy. They often masquerade as legitimate abortion service providers without the privacy protections of abortion clinics. The Governor’s campaign will empower the public to identify and call out the deceptive tactics used by these centers.

Women in the Bay State deserve to have confidence that when they move forward with a deeply personal choice, they will receive legitimate and objective medical information – free of an agenda. There is no place for extremism in healthcare.

Joining John Hancock for a discussion on public-private partnerships: At a John Hancock employee town hall, I discussed my own path in public service – from Marines to city council to Congress – as well as the state of national politics and the potential for partnership between government and the life insurance sector.

I asked employees to consider two political ideas together, even though there is tension between them:

First, the state of national politics is not as dire as cable news and social media would have you believe. There is a deep reservoir of common sense and decency in the American body politic.
Second, Trump is a clear and present threat to democracy. We should vote as though our core values are at risk.

I also discussed the alignment between government and life insurance: both sectors consider health, long-term care, and retirement security at population scale over long time horizons. They share incentives to invest in and encourage the adoption of diagnostics, therapeutics, caregiving supports, and financial planning tools that hold the promise to match healthspans with lifespans.

Spending a Saturday in the Blackstone River Valley: I took Teddy, Grace, and Audrey to the Hopedale Fairy Walk and Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon while my wife, Michelle, enjoyed a rare Saturday to herself. First, we strolled along the Hopedale Parklands’ enchanted forest, which was organized by Friends of Historic Hopedale and the Hopedale Park Commission. Next, we explored Southwick’s, New England’s largest zoo. Then, Mom heard stories of fairies, warthogs, and lions from our exhausted toddlers over dinner!

Onwards,

Jake