March 21, 2022
Dear Friend:
Over the weekend, Congress and America suffered the loss of Dean of the House, Don Young from Alaska. Mr. Young was a legend and he will be truly missed. My prayers are with his family and the people of Alaska he so loved and served faithfully for nearly 50 years.
Last week, Congress heard an address from Ukraine's President Zelensky. The tragic war happening in Ukraine is still top of mind for me, as I'm sure it is for you. We continue to work for find new ways to help Ukraine as they defend themselves from Putin's horrifying attack on their country. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish so far - suspending trade and energy imports from Russia and supplying military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. My colleagues and I will continue to find new ways to support the Ukrainian people.
If you or someone you know is being directly impacted by the conflict, here are a few resources that may be helpful:
The Rules Committee also held a debate on the House Floor to discuss arbitration. You can see my full opening remarks here. During the debate, I urged my colleagues to take up the American Energy Independence from Russia Act, legislation I have cosponsored. Since President Biden took office, energy prices have been skyrocketing and my colleagues implore House Democrats to reverse this trend by becoming energy independent, like we were just a few years ago. You can see those remarks here.
Additionally, last week, 5 months into fiscal year 2022, Congress finally funded the government. I was proud to support funding Ukraine relief and funding to ensure out national defense, but I could not vote support the $750 billion in discretionary spending largely focused on progressive pipedreams. Our country is on a disastrous budgetary path, and these spending levels would only exacerbate the unacceptable national debt. |