LAST 2 WEEKS IN REVIEW

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

• Unlocking federal funding for Mass schools – and pressing for changes to address learning loss

• Trade gravity, not trade deficits: describing an alternative to Trump’s tariffs approach

• The GOP’s ‘crypto week’ on Capitol Hill: how I voted and why

• Taking a stand on gun safety

• Meeting with constituents on healthcare, Gaza, and more

• Defending access to vaccines & reproductive health care against RFK Jr.’s actions

• Supporting the National Institutes of Health

• Permitting reform is key to building more clean energy

• Support for sanitation workers

Unlocking federal funding for Mass schools – and pressing for changes to address learning loss

In my last newsletter, I shared that President Trump was illegally withholding more than $6 billion in education funding, including $108 million intended for Massachusetts schools. I pushed back against these harmful cuts in letters to the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Education, demanding the immediate release of the funds.

On July 25, the Trump Administration announced it would unfreeze the funds. I will continue to monitor compliance. This was yet another chapter in an unacceptable pattern of using essential public funding as a political bargaining chip. I appreciate the parents, educators, and advocates who have raised their voices against this attack on public education.

Reckoning with the disaster of the Covid-19 school closures: After election in the fall of 2020, my day-one issue was helping to re-open the schools. Despite expert guidance as early as May 2020 that the schools could safely re-open, too many blue states and cities were far too slow in re-opening. That reluctance to re-open has proven catastrophic. Twenty-five million American schoolchildren are now behind grade level on reading and mathematics. On CNN News Central, I called on policy-makers of all stripes to meet this challenge head-on—with 1:1 tutoring, expanded access to trade schools, phone-free classrooms, and more.

Trade gravity, not trade deficits: describing an alternative to Trump’s tariffs approach

Outlining a Democratic position on trade: I spoke with the National Foreign Trade Council about how Democrats should approach trade policy. That policy cannot be set in reflexive opposition to the president's impulsive tariffs. Rather, we should have clear principles about trade:

• Free trade with free people lowers prices, encourages enterprise, and makes the United States a more compelling ally and partner to the Global South in competition with China.

• Tariffs can be an appropriate tool to correct for environmental, labor, or (narrow) security considerations, but they should be set by Congress in a predictable format. Uncertainty is toxic for business.

• Most manufacturing jobs of the future will not be taken from other countries through tariffs, but rather taken from the service sector through innovation. Turning services into products, and then manufacturing those products at scale, will keep America at the hub of valuable supply chains while lowering prices and creating good jobs. Examples include factory-built housing, small-modular nuclear reactors, and medical devices for hospital-at-home care.

The GOP’s ‘crypto week’ on Capitol Hill: how I voted and why

This month, Congress voted on three crypto bills. Below I explain each of my votes in detail, as the legislation for this emerging and controversial sector is complicated.

Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act: I voted with Democrats NO on the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act. This legislation would prohibit the Federal Reserve from researching, testing, or issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). At this time, I do not support the Federal Reserve issuing a retail CBDC. However, the Federal Reserve should be allowed to research the issue. 

There are 137 countries and currency unions, representing 98% of global GDP, that are exploring a CBDC. Seventy-two of them are in advanced stages. China already has a CBDC, the e-CNY, which has reached nearly $1 trillion in transaction volume. The Federal Reserve must not be caught flat-footed in international monetary policy, which requires rigorous research and experimentation that this bill would prohibit.

My bill, the Power of the Mint Act, makes clear that the Federal Reserve cannot issue a CBDC without explicit authorization from Congress. This is consistent with Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, which gives Congress the sole authority to coin money and regulate its value. Unfortunately, House Republican leadership rejected my bipartisan, narrowly tailored proposal in favor of a partisan and overly broad alternative.

The Federal Reserve should research, experiment, and collaborate with partners on CBDCs, but only Congress can authorize the issuance of either a wholesale or retail CBDC.



CLARITY ACT: I voted YES on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (CLARITY Act). This bipartisan legislation establishes a new framework to regulate the issuance and trading of crypto assets, which is now a nearly $4 trillion global industry that engages more than 40 million Americans. The CLARITY Act is the successor to last term’s Financial Innovation & Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21), for which I also voted, but which did not become law. Whether one is a bull or bear, crypto is an economic reality that demands federal regulation. 

The CLARITY Act provides protections for customers of trading platforms; outlines specific criteria for whether a digital asset is to be regulated as a security by the Securities & Exchange Commission or as a commodity by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and makes wide-ranging upgrades to FIT21, including retail customer protections, that demonstrate that the debate within Congress is improving market-structure legislation at each iteration. 

I supported Democratic amendments to the CLARITY Act aimed at accelerating this cycle of improvement, including one that would prohibit federal officials, including the sitting president, from issuing, sponsoring, or endorsing any security, future, commodity, or digital asset. Unfortunately, Republicans rejected this amendment. I expect the Senate to revise CLARITY further as Congress continues to debate how to provide clear rules for the industry and protections for consumers and investors.

GENIUS ACT: Unlike most Democrats, I voted NO on the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act of 2025 (GENIUS Act). This bill, signed into law by President Trump, establishes a regime to regulate payment stablecoins. I am receptive to the argument that stablecoins can reduce fees and friction for consumers while unlocking financial innovation. I also believe that the GENIUS Act provides sound regulations for financial institutions that issue stablecoins. 

However, the GENIUS Act also extends permission to issue stablecoins to non-financial institutions. This includes Meta, which previously tried to issue its own currency. I could not support legislation that would permit Meta or other social media corporations, already using artificial intelligence to entrench their monopolies, to use yet another means to batter competition and take advantage of users. Congress must be reining in these unaccountable social media corporations, not granting them greater power.

The CLARITY Act contains a provision that would nullify the GENIUS Act’s grant of permission to non-financial institutions. If this CLARITY provision were set to become law, I would have been inclined to support GENIUS. However, even when considering GENIUS on its own terms and acknowledging its many merits, those strengths are ultimately outweighed by a fundamental flaw: the braiding together of banking and commerce to the benefit of social media corporations.

Should social media companies be able to issue their own digital currency? 

Taking a stand on gun safety

Dads standing up to the Trump Administration: Dads standing up to the Trump Administration: As a Member of the Congressional Dads Caucus, my colleagues and I have worked together on policies affecting affordability, social media, and public safety. In the recently passed Medicaid-cuts legislation, one extraneous section was particularly painful to me as a parent. The law afforded tax breaks for silencers and sawed-off shotguns. Children are gunned down every day in America. Gun violence is their leading cause of death. Silencers and shotguns make mass-casualty events more likely and more deadly. Republicans actually spent taxpayer money to make mass murder easier.

As a Member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I am engaged on several tracks to pass gun-safety legislation; support the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives against DOGE cuts; and generally communicate as a parent & former Marine officer about the imperative to pass sensible gun policy. I will also strongly support efforts to sustain Massachusetts’ strong state gun-safety laws against attempts to repeal them via ballot measures. 

Meeting with constituents on healthcare, Gaza, and more

Newton Congressional Update and Q&A: Thank you to the hundreds of constituents who joined my town hall at Newton North High School on Wednesday night. I conveyed ways that I'm working to defend the Constitution & Bill of Rights while reinvigorating the Democratic Party with big ideas. I also answered a range of questions, from healthcare to Gaza.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is unconscionable. Children are starving. Hamas has the singular power to end this catastrophe. Instead, it rejected the latest ceasefire offer from Israel. Hamas would rather hold onto hostages than feed the children of Gaza.

Israel is right to deny Hamas any role in the governance of Gaza. This denial, though, places upon Israel the de facto responsibility to help architect an alternative. Urgently, that responsibility includes humanitarian logistics.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s (GHF) distribution of aid has been chaotic and uncoordinated. The GHF and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) need to improve access to aid by adding distribution sites (including in central and northern Gaza), expanding the range of supplies, improving communication to civilians, and better coordinating between the IDF and humanitarian access missions. Without doubt, Hamas will make each of these efforts harder and more dangerous. It does not care about Palestinian children. Israel does, and must do more.

Meeting with seniors in Newton & Needham: This week, I spoke with seniors at Lasell Village (Newton) and North Hill (Needham). The rule of law was top of mind for residents. This president threatens Congress' power of the purse; an independent judiciary & Federal Reserve; and the apolitical posture of the military. Republicans in Congress, and the Supreme Court itself, are content to rubber-stamp his imperial presidency. We discussed both the policies and politics of the Democratic opposition.

I grew up reading American history and often turn to it for guidance. In the 1830s and 1840s, the Whig Party faced a similar challenge to today’s Democrats. The Whigs were up against (ironically) the populist Democratic Party, forged by Andrew Jackson, sometimes derided as “King Andrew." Jackson and the antebellum Democrats executed a playbook that foreshadows MAGA’s. The Whigs found electoral success when they were able to sustain national, ideological opposition to executive abuse with local, specific programs for economic development. The Whigs were at their strongest not as a monolith but as a coalition: respecting regional differences in economic policy while maintaining national cohesion on principles of union, rule of law, and public morality.

The Medicaid-cuts bill will raise health insurance premiums: Joined by 500 constituents, I held a district-wide Zoom Q&A to talk about health care. Dr. Michael Curry, the CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, joined me to review the policy of MAGA's just-passed Medicaid-cuts bill; the impact on Massachusetts; and the path forward.

The Medicaid-cuts bill is bad for Massachusetts. It could kick 300,000+ Bay Staters off Medicaid, cut funding for safety-net hospitals & health centers, threaten home-and-community-based care, and increase health premiums for everyone who gets insurance through their employer. Our state's health care community is working closely with MassHealth (our Medicaid agency) to brace for impact and plan for mitigation.

More than ever, Massachusetts must come together to innovate under pressure in delivering lower-cost, higher-quality health care. This includes adopting technology and telehealth flexibilities in home- and community-based care, supporting and expanding community health centers, and pursuing waivers from the federal Center for Medicaid that allow MassHealth more flexibility in alternative payment models, behavioral addiction care, and more.

Defending access to vaccines & reproductive health care against RFK Jr.’s actions

Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act: On July 22, I cosponsored Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act. This bill would repeal the Hyde Amendment and require federal health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, to provide coverage for abortion services widely. Currently, the Hyde Amendment blocks federal funding for abortion services except in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment. The bill would also prohibit the federal government from interfering with decisions by private health insurance companies to offer coverage for abortion care, including in the insurance marketplaces.

I am also an original cosponsor of the Right to Contraception Act. This bill would guarantee the legal right for individuals to use contraception and prohibit the federal government, or any state, from restricting the sale or use of contraception. As states pass laws to block the mailing and transport of mifepristone across state lines, this legislation is urgently needed to protect access to a medication proven safe and effective for more than two decades.

Safeguarding vaccine access under RFK Jr.: I signed onto a letter to major health insurers to address concerns about coverage for vaccines when the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) deviates from standard science-based recommendations. The Secretary has turned ACIP into a front for anti-vax conspiracists, as part of his plan to claim that the aluminum in vaccines causes autism.

Our message was clear: insurers should continue to cover all currently recommended vaccines and ensure that their coverage decisions are guided by science, not politics. Public health depends on reliable access to vaccines, and we must protect that access.

New CBO analysis shows cuts to R&D programs will harm the U.S. economy: As the Trump Administration continues to attack federal research and development (R&D) investments, new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirms that these investments spur economic growth and reduce federal deficits.

I requested this new analysis to show the Trump White House that increasing federal investment in nondefense R&D over the next 10 years would boost the nation’s real economic output over the next three decades due to increased innovation and higher productivity. The increased federal investment would also reduce the cumulative federal deficit over the next 30 years. Not surprisingly, CBO’s analysis also indicates that cutting federal R&D investments – as the president proposes to do – would have the opposite effect, reducing economic growth.

Funding science is a good investment. Every dollar spent returns multiples from which all Americans benefit, through higher standard of living, healthier families, and national defense. I am encouraged that the CBO is quantifying the bounty of science, as it will support Congress in investing in our future.

Encouraging U.S. leadership in biomedical research: I cosponsored a resolution that recognizes the federal government’s responsibility to lead the world in biomedical research. The Recognizing the Duty of the Federal Government to Lead the World in Biomedical Research resolution outlines a clear roadmap to build on our nation’s legacy of innovation by strengthening biomedical research, funding curiosity-driven basic science, elevating peer review over politics, and protecting intellectual property. Congress either renews these commitments—or hands over biomedical leadership to China.

Citizens' Climate Lobby: I always appreciate advocacy by constituents from the Citizens' Climate Lobby, which was on Capitol Hill last month to support bipartisan clean energy permitting reform. Congress should pass permitting reform that is faster, not lower. Federal and state protections for clean water, air, and soil must remain high & enforceable – but the process to prove compliance needs to be faster. America cannot build the clean energy infrastructure we need if every project takes more than a decade.

Republic Services owes its drivers a fair contract: I joined my Massachusetts colleagues in a letter urging Republic Services to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract with Teamsters Local 25. Over 400 workers have been on strike for weeks, fighting for fair wages, affordable health care, and safe working conditions. These workers provide essential sanitation and waste disposal services that keep our communities clean and functioning. 

Question: “National Service in the United States is currently in crisis. In April 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) entered and proceeded to gut the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps agencies, effectively dismantling volunteerism efforts across the nation. How can we begin to address the loss of these programs to ensure that our communities have the support that they need during this critical time?”

 - Ian, Norton

Answer: America needs a resurgence of volunteerism and civic engagement. From American Legion posts to houses of worship, PTOs to the League of Women Voters, one of the strengths of America has always been the thickness of its civil society. That thick fabric is fraying and thinning in recent decades, as chronicled by sociologists like Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone and his more recent The Upswing.

Government can’t fix that, almost by definition. But there are government programs that can be tailwinds for volunteerism. One example that may retain bipartisan backing is the Federal Work-Study program for students on financial aid. This program allows students to pay for tuition through part-time employment, organized through the college. I support efforts to expand eligible employment to include forms of civic engagement, like helping to register voters or serve as election monitors.

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. 

Onwards,

Jake