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Entering my third term representing the Massachusetts Fourth: On January 3rd, I was sworn into my third term as the Congressman from the Massachusetts Fourth. It’s a privilege to be your voice and vote in the House of Representatives. On behalf of Bay Staters from the 35 cities & towns I represent, I will continue my legislative work on lowering prescription drug costs, dismantling the fentanyl supply chain, holding social media corporations accountable, preventing gun violence, supporting U.S. allies, and addressing housing affordability. I will also support the rule of law, civil rights, and climate action against any efforts by the GOP trifecta to undermine them.
Certifying defeat is an act of patriotism: I grew up with posters of the Founding Fathers on my bedroom wall. Maybe the most important thing that George Washington ever did was hand over his sword to the Continental Congress after winning the War of Independence. The Boston Globe joined me on January 6th to reflect on the significance of the orderly transfer of power, and how the Capitol riot four years ago demonstrated its fragility:
“Dignified and boring,” the Newton Democrat said after the 30-minute exercise before a joint session of Congress presided over by Vice President Kamala Harris. “Just like it should be.” …
“Auchincloss said it was a priority to be at the joint session Monday to show how a democracy should function, even though all lawmakers were not required to attend. His flight to Washington Sunday night was canceled because of the weather, but Auchincloss found a midnight flight to Baltimore and then drove the hour to Washington, getting about two hours of sleep before waking up to do an early morning TV interview.
“For me, it’s important in particular to support Kamala Harris as she certifies her own defeat, a profound act of patriotism that is unimaginable, coming from Donald Trump,” Auchincloss said before the session."
Remembering the life of President Jimmy Carter: ‘Faith without works is dead.’ Jimmy Carter put his faith to work throughout his career in public service. Personally, I look to President Carter’s unwavering devotion to his wife, children, and grandchildren as a model for how to prioritize family as an elected official with young children.
Piercing China’s Great Firewall: The axis of autocracies – China, Russia, and Iran – censor their own media and pump propaganda into other nations. China, in particular, has built a parallel information universe behind the Great Firewall, which it is now extending to other states.
The more freely that people can share ideas and information, the better America can compete for hearts and minds. For that reason, I led members of the China Select Committee in calling on Secretary Blinken to issue an innovation prize for tech that helps punch through internet firewalls. In the letter, I wrote with my bipartisan colleagues:
"Though technology continues to evolve, freedom of accurate, reliable information remains paramount. In October of 2023 Freedom House released its annual “Freedom on the Net” report. The report showed that for the thirteenth year in a row, internet freedom had declined across the globe, with Russia, Iran, and China earning three of the bottom five positions. Losing access to the internet risks the loss of – at the very least – freedom of thought, freedom of movement, and freedom of knowledge.
"A federal prize competition focused on the provision of the internet to repressed citizens of authoritarian nations or countries at war would offer a new way to collaborate and incentivize these projects that promote core democratic values. With ongoing communication and internet connectivity disruptions along with concerning delays to the satellite programs, ensuring internet freedom through satellite technology is more important than ever before."
Advocating for bipartisan border security: Laken Riley’s murder was a horrific tragedy. I would strongly support legislation that I believed would prevent future such crimes. Regrettably, the bill named in her honor does not do that.
I voted NO on H.R. 29 because it undermines the Constitution without improving border security. A criminal conviction already makes someone subject to detention and deportation, as it should. This bill makes an arrest – not a conviction – cause for indefinite detention, which deprives individuals (including DREAMers) of due process.
It is an irony surely lost on Republicans that, in their self-proclaimed defense of 'real' America, they are undermining one of America's most noble tenets: that an individual is innocent until proven guilty, and afforded due process under the impartial application of the law. That tenet applies to new immigrants and old presidents, alike.
Furthermore, H.R. 29 would afford standing to state attorneys general to sue the federal government based solely on policy disagreement. This is contrary to the Supreme Court's ruling that standing is only afforded to injured parties. It is also a recipe for immigration policy even more dysfunctional than the status quo, since going forward state attorneys general of both parties would constantly be seeking injunctions against presidents of the opposing party based on their immigration policy differences.
If House Republicans are serious about border security, they should bring back the bipartisan border security deal that I supported and they torpedoed.
Mourning innocents lost to Putin’s aggression: The Kremlin appears culpable for the downing of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243. President-elect Trump should condemn this atrocity and use it as the break from his both-sidesing of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our ally will win if the West supports it. This is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do.
The American Enterprise Institute recently reported that:
"Maintaining security [if] Russia is victorious over Ukraine could cost the United States an additional $808 billion in defense spending over five years…
"Since 2022, by contrast, the United States Congress has appropriated $112 billion to the Department of Defense to assist Kyiv. That means the aid provided to Ukraine through the Pentagon is less than 14 percent of what it would cost Washington to defend Europe against a victorious Russia. The $112 billion is also spent mostly at home, on domestic weapons production. Put another way, allowing Russia to defeat Ukraine would cost the United States about seven times more than preventing a Russian victory."
Keeping the focus on the fight to defeat Hamas: My position on the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) morally bankrupt decision to target Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant has not changed. It has been 460 days since the hostages were brutally kidnapped into Gaza on October 7th. Hamas’ barbarism must be defeated.
I voted against the GOP’s flawed ICC sanctions legislation for the second time, as it undermines allies, but I condemn the ICC’s ongoing attempts to sanction leaders of a democratic nation defending itself against a terrorist cult. I joined Representative Eugene Vindman (VA-07) and other Members of Congress in urging the ICC to reconsider. We write, in part:
"Issuing arrest warrants against leaders of a democratic nation defending itself against Hamas—a terrorist organization responsible for heinous war crimes—sets a dangerous precedent that emboldens bad actors and delegitimizes the Court.
"The ICC’s decision risks eroding trust in the international justice system. At a time when the Court’s efforts to hold Russia accountable for atrocities in Ukraine require global consensus, this decision diverts attention and resources from prosecuting genuine war criminals. It also sends a chilling message to democracies combating terrorism, potentially endangering broader international cooperation."
Challenging RFK Jr’s vaccine misinformation: In an alternate universe, Senate Republicans would be rejecting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary outright, on principle. Here on Earth, we at least need Senate Democrats to hold the line and make clear that an anti-vax, anti-science conspiracist is not fit to run federal health programs.
No Senate Democrat should be voting to confirm an individual who believes “no vaccine is safe and effective”, despite vaccines saving 146 million lives over the last 50 years; who does not believe AIDS is caused by HIV; and who admitted to sexual assault.
Going everywhere to communicate on PBM reform: Newsmax or MSNBC, I'll go everywhere to talk about lowering Rx drug prices by reforming the drug-pricing middlemen known as Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). The bill is drafted, the bill is bipartisan, and the bill has the votes in the House & Senate. My message to Speaker Johnson: bring up the bill!
How do we house America?: I met with students from the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. These students were part of the Federal Housing Policy DC Trek. We went deep on housing policy, which I maintain is the most pressing economic challenge in America.
The crux of our discussion was about supply-side versus demand-side interventions to make housing more affordable. Expanding the supply of housing, primarily through land-use and zoning reform as well as innovation in offsite construction, is the most effective way to reduce the cost of housing. In particular, America needs vastly more 'missing middle' housing — the 3-to-20-unit housing complexes that provide affordable homes and support walkable density.
Demand-side interventions, like vouchers and mortgage deductions, can be appropriate, too, but only if they are complementary to expanded supply. Otherwise, boosting demand while holding supply fixed will lead to inflation.
The future of TikTok: TikTok is the most influential social media platform in America. It answers to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) – on data privacy, on content moderation, on its duty of care to underage users. The bill I co-led is simple: either TikTok follows U.S. law, or it stops doing business here. Despite the evident and immediate threat posed by TikTok, Trump is now attempting to persuade the Supreme Court to delay the implementation of this law. Here are several critical considerations that highlight why this approach is problematic.
Claim: TikTok supports American consumers & businesses.
Reality: TikTok pumps propaganda into American youth. Even TikTok’s own employees recognize the harm they are doing to children.
Claim: Forcing TikTok to sell to American ownership violates the First Amendment.
Reality: Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach. Individuals can post whatever they want, but the CCP doesn't have a civil right to algorithmically amplify content that undermines Americans' sense of self & society.
Claim: Trump can 'negotiate' a better deal if the Supreme Court suspends the law.
Reality: Removing leverage over your adversary rarely results in a better deal.
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