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Backing the Blue, except for officers defending democracy: Donald Trump pardoned or commuted sentences for all January 6 rioters, including those who admitted to tasering and assaulting Capitol Police Officers, leading to death and injury. Congressional Republicans are ducking and dodging questions about whether they agree. I don’t want to hear them claim to ‘Back the Blue’ ever again.
Last Congress, the GOP attempted to defund the FBI on Trump’s behalf. Now, they are working to weaken regulation for ghost guns—firearms that can evade detection by metal detectors. This is not a party that is serious about supporting law enforcement.
Nothing from Trump to lower costs: On Monday, Americans heard two intertwined inauguration speeches. One thread was authentically Trump, filled with vindictiveness and megalomania. The second thread, written by staff and read by him in a monotone, aimed to present Trump as presidential and unifying, portraying America as a great nation with even brighter days ahead. Neither speech discussed an economic strategy to lower costs for Americans.
The typical American family spends more than half its wallet on housing, healthcare, and child care. Tax cuts, tariffs, and reducing the labor-force participation of immigrants are all inflationary. That's Trump's plan to raise costs. The question we should all be asking of the new administration: what is the plan to lower them? Trump has conveyed no coherent policies regarding housing, healthcare, or child care.
Why Trump's target should be China, not Panama: Donald Trump is threatening to invade Panama. Chinese influence over the Canal Zone, he argues, undermines U.S. security. Ten years ago, I commanded a 60-man counter-narcotics training mission for the Marines to the Panama Canal Zone. Here is a segment of my Fox News op-ed detailing why Trump should focus on countering China’s influence rather than bullying our allies:
“Beyond maritime operations, China has been muscling its way into telecommunications and data infrastructure; local politics and media, including TikTok; and energy and resources. Policymakers in both parties recognize that Washington should do more to uphold the Monroe Doctrine for the G2 era.
“The right way to flex the doctrine is to get tougher on both defense and offense against China. On defense, America should push out Chinese firms from the Western Hemisphere by strengthening our own economic, diplomatic, and cultural ties with countries like Panama. The Chinese come to their capitals bearing trade deals and infrastructure investments. Americans show up rarely.
“An offense-defense approach to the Monroe Doctrine would put Xi Jinping on his heels. The Chinese president’s mercantilist strategy, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, relies upon state support and direction. Hamstrung by a weak economy at home, Xi would not be able to go deal-for-deal against a booming American economy doing business everywhere. Trump should be dialing up these tough tactics against a big, belligerent country, not bullying a small ally.
Hostage release: every life saved is a whole world: Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher have been freed and are now reunited with their families. These three young women were released from captivity, mobbed by hundreds of masked, armed men screaming at them. Hamas thinks this video makes it look strong. Instead, it reveals a cult of terrorism, torture, and sexual violence.
This release brings joy to people of conscience around the world, and it’s a testament to the bravery of the hostages and their families, and to the strength of the Israeli people. Support from the United States has been crucial.
Judaism teaches that saving one life is as if saving an entire world. Yet, there are still many more worlds to save—both for the hostages still in captivity and for the children of Gaza, who live under the brutal rule of Hamas. Palestinians deserve a reconstruction process that can deliver governance and opportunity, aligned with Israel’s security needs, free of Hamas control.
I am committed to working with Republicans to continue bipartisan support for Israel as this accord moves forward. Only through strength can Israel secure its future, and regional peace, against those who seek to destroy it.
Reclaiming the digital town square: As a dad, I am outmatched by the tech executives who get richer each minute my children spend staring at a screen. However, as a Member of the congressional committee with jurisdiction over social media, I am fighting back hard. Last week, I authored an op-ed in The Boston Globe on how the future of TikTok will shape our digital town square:
“The oral arguments before the Supreme Court on TikTok made clear that the social media app is skating on thin legal ice. Last term, I cosponsored the bipartisan bill it is challenging. This term, Congress must follow through on forcing TikTok’s divestment from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. That will require muscling past President Donald Trump’s inner circle, who want to put his China policy up for sale. Then lawmakers must stand up to the entire Big Tech lobby by establishing a duty of care for children. To reclaim the digital town square, Congress must fight both Chinese Communist and American corporate power…
“Trillion-dollar social media corporations are attention-fracking Americans. Over the past 15 years, as smartphones with social media apps became ubiquitous, civil discourse coarsened and mental health deteriorated. Children are particularly harmed. Yet Congress has passed no relevant legislation this century…
“I have filed two bills that would revamp Section 230, which currently immunizes social media corporations from liability. These bills raise the age of Internet adulthood to 16, affording younger users significant protections, while establishing a duty of care for all users that requires platforms to address cyber-harassment and deepfake abuse. For example, a recent study found that 98 percent of online deepfake videos are nonconsensual pornographic content of women. Yet companies like Instagram are not liable for hosting these deepfake privacy violations. My legislation would make it a board-level problem for their CEOs…
“TikTok’s forced sale would be an opportunity for this better version of social media, if Congress is willing to fight back against both Chinese Communist and American corporate control of the digital town square.”
Debating with TikTokers: I joined the Cooney's Show at TD Garden to discuss TikTok policy with Kevin and Ashley. These Boston parents-to-be have built their livelihood through TikTok, and they are concerned about what comes next now that the Supreme Court has upheld the law I co-led, forcing a sale (if Trump obeys the law.) I believe that both users and creators have been poorly served by Web 2.0.
Users have been monetized by corporations, both Chinese and American, for the benefit of advertisers. When you're scrolling, you're not the customer, you're the product. This attention-fracking has made us angrier, lonelier, and sadder.
Creators, meanwhile, are subject to capricious algorithms and audience lock-ups. They are intermediated by corporations that extract, rather than build. Creators, whether hosts or musicians or comedians, deserve more security and less rent-seeking from platforms in the relationships they develop with their fans. I believe a new and better version of social media is possible, where creators like the Cooneys can build with confidence and connect with community.
Ending double taxation on Taiwanese investment: Last week, the House voted to approve a deal to end double taxation on Taiwanese investment in the United States. This is a vote for good jobs and to strengthen an important alliance. The Senate should follow suit. Below is an excerpt from my speech in support:
“Taiwan’s vibrant democracy and strong economy represent opportunity in the Indo-Pacific. In 2024, the United States was Taiwan’s largest destination for its direct foreign investment, totaling more than $14 billion.
To date, the U.S. has signed double taxation agreements with over 60 countries, including the People’s Republic of China. It does not have one with Taiwan.
The scope and severity of the threat from the Chinese Communist Party is crystallized in the Taiwan Strait, which is under constant harassment. The United States and Taiwan should help support each other’s democracies through collaboration on countering disinformation and propaganda. We should go further to strengthen one another’s economies through increased flows of trade and investment, by negotiating expanded market access, common rules, and the end of this double taxation on Taiwanese investment in the United States.”
Going after Putin’s petrostate: For three years, I have been pressing for tougher oil sanctions on Russia, including building bipartisan pressure on the Kremlin’s corporate and state oil partners. At the end of President Biden’s term, he significantly toughened the sanctions on Putin’s petrostate, including by prohibiting the provision of U.S. petroleum services to persons located in Russia starting February 27. This move came after I led a letter in October with 50 bipartisan lawmakers urging the Biden administration to tighten sanctions on the U.S.-based company Schlumberger (SLB), for supporting nearly $18 million in oilfield services since the invasion of Ukraine.
SLB has supplied equipment to some of Russia’s largest oil companies and provided resources to support Russian fossil fuel exploration. Of the nearly $18 million in equipment SLB imported into Russia between August and December 2023, $3.3 million falls into categories that could be subject to controls if exported from the U.S. or E.U. to Russia.
It is unacceptable that SLB, an American company, is helping Russia produce and export its oil to fund Putin’s brutal invasion. SLB must comply with U.S. law and cease operations in Russia.
New committee assignment for healthcare: I will be serving on the Health, Energy, and Environment subcommittees on the House Committee on Energy & Commerce. These subcommittees have jurisdiction over a range of issues critical to Bay Staters, such as drug pricing, clean energy, and PFAS remediation. I am excited to work to lower healthcare costs; to protect and support Democratic gains on clean energy and climate action; and to address environmental toxins.
Reducing traffic for Bay Staters: Last week, I re-introduced the bipartisan Supporting Transit Commutes Act (STCA) with Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY, 17) to encourage employers to subsidize transit for their employees. Public transit ridership is down post-Covid, and traffic is getting worse. Providing transit benefits lowers transit costs for commuters and reduces traffic by shifting commutes from cars to transit.
Prior to 2018, employers did not pay corporate or payroll taxes on transit benefits. The 2018 tax law requires employers to be taxed for providing their employees with transit benefits. Federal policy should encourage employers to provide their employees with affordable transit options and get cars off the road.
Investments in transit & walkability make for cleaner, more vibrant downtowns and better commutes for riders. Legislation like this can help kickstart a virtuous cycle of more riders, reduced traffic, and enhanced investment in walkable downtowns.
Make your voice heard → I want to hear from you. |
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Trump unravels jobs & clean energy at Brayton Point: Prysmian's decision to walk away from its planned submarine cables factory at Brayton Point is disappointing and discouraging. The factory, on the site of a decommissioned coal-fired power plant, would have created hundreds of good jobs producing the submarine cables that plug offshore wind turbines into the electrical grid.
Alongside dozens of stakeholders, including state and local officials and union representatives, I have worked hard to make Brayton Point an exemplar of the clean-energy economy. Donald Trump has unraveled that promise of good jobs by issuing a moratorium on offshore wind, generating so much uncertainty that companies have pulled back investment. Despite this setback, I remain committed to Brayton Point's redevelopment in partnership with the town of Somerset.
Going “On the Record” with WCVB about Pete Hegseth: Always fun to be in the studio with Sharman & Ben for On the Record. We talked TikTok, Trump, and what might get done this term in Congress. They also asked about the potential confirmation of Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary.
A Pentagon chief must be a manager, a leader, and a diplomat. Hegseth has driven two veterans' nonprofits into the ground; failed to uphold the ‘Officer & Gentleman’ military standards of a leader according to his own mother, and demonstrated an egregious lack of foreign policy knowledge in his confirmation hearing. He is unqualified and unfit for such a critical role to national security and the rule of law.
2025 Congressional App Challenge: Every year, middle and high schoolers can submit apps to the Congressional App Challenge. We hosted the students and their parents at the Newton district office to see demos and announce the winner.
I was heartened this year to see many of the apps focus on building community, including one that brokered civil discourse on political issues and another that coached young people on how to socialize better. The next generation knows that Web 2.0's version of social media, which foments tribalism, does not need to remain the status quo. Seeing students build better on the same day that TikTok lost oral arguments at the Supreme Court felt like an inflection point to me.
Congratulations to the winner, Sophia Evans of Norfolk, who built an app that allows users to post and find environmental clean-up events in their neighborhood. It’s a wonderful way to improve our towns and meet our neighbors.
Empowering Americans with intellectual disabilities: I met with leaders of The Arc of Massachusetts, which serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Maura Sullivan, the CEO, and Michael Andrade, president of The Arc of Bristol County, explained their programming for home-and-community-based care as well as the role of intermediate care facilities.
I share The Arc's seven-decade commitment to care and dignity for the IDD community, and I'll continue working with health providers and families on the funding and policy that support lives of love and meaning for IDD individuals. For this reason, I have supported full funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which supports early intervention and preschool special education.
Visit to Temple Sinai of Sharon: Temple Sinai of Sharon welcomed me to its Shabbat service on Friday to speak with the congregation on current events. I explained where I might find common cause with Trump – Iran, fentanyl, border security – and where I'm ready to hit back hard: anti-vax attempts, debasing the rule of law, undermining Ukraine, blowing up the deficit with tax cuts for people who don't need them.
I appreciated the warm hospitality and the terrific questions, ranging from opportunities in bipartisan healthcare policy (PBM reform!) to reducing tribalism in politics by ending partisan primaries and gerrymandering. States like Alaska and New Jersey have made progress in this area.
Welcoming the Chinese New Year: The Chinese Friends of Needham were kind enough to invite me to their Chinese New Year's celebration and talent show. I presented them with a certificate of recognition for 15 years of service to the Chinese community in Needham, and enjoyed the songs and dances, particularly by the kids. I wish all my Chinese-American constituents a happy Year of the Snake, marked by happiness, health, and prosperity! |
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Ask Your Congressman:
Question: “Why did you vote against the Laken Riley Act? Do you not support deporting criminal illegals? Why would you protect illegals instead of citizens who are afraid to walk the Boston Common for fear of violence?”
- Karen, Franklin
Answer: 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.
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.
Question: "Thank you for the excellent newsletter. I am concerned about the announcement that Meta will drop fact-checking intervention on its social media platforms. This is a serious concern, given the major reason for the results of the last national election were hugely influenced by the plethora of lies promulgated by media forms. What can the federal government do to address the problem?”
- Martha, Chestnut Hill
Answer: I share your concern about social media corporations’ irresponsible governance of the digital town square. At the core, it’s about financial incentives: they don’t get paid to platform healthy civic discourse, they get paid to peddle the Seven Deadly Sins, because that’s what keeps people scrolling.
There can be good-faith debate about whether fact-checking (as Meta did) or community notes (as X does) is a better way to build shared awareness of facts. The former is more top-down, the latter more bottom-up, and both approaches have reasonable merits and demerits. I do believe there should be strong consensus, though, that actions that are illegal in the real world should also be de-platformed online. Examples include defamation, harassment, and intimate privacy violations. These are not protected by the First Amendment; they are legally defined torts that are prosecuted when they happen in real life. Yet, they are mostly ignored when they happen online, because the social media platforms have immunity from prosecution granted by the 1990s-era Section 230 law. I have legislation to revamp Section 230 to hold these corporations accountable.
I am often pressed on how viable these bills are, because the tech lobby is so strong and because over the last decade, Americans have resigned themselves that the status quo of toxicity on social media is permanent. But as a parent of young children, I ask: why? Just like society adapted to TV, radio, the telegraph, and the printing press, laws and norms need to update for the social media era. We don’t need to accept untrammeled corporate power over our discourse. For those interested in a deep-dive into what the future of digital democracy might hold, I recommend this resource, co-authored by Taiwan’s digital minister.
You can submit a question for a future newsletter here. Please note that casework inquiries for federal agencies must be submitted to my website here. My casework team will respond to these in a timely manner. |