News from Washington, D.C.

Inflation Reduction Act

Congresswoman Kathy Manning voted to pass the historic Inflation Reduction Act - legislation that will benefit Sixth District residents by lowering the cost of health care and prescription drug prices, reducing home energy costs, investing in domestic manufacturing, and addressing the country’s deficit. 

President Biden signed this legislation into law. 

Specifically, the Inflation Reduction Act:

• Lowers prescription drug prices and enables Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs. It also prevents excessive price hikes and caps out-of-pocket costs to $2,000, and caps the cost of Insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare.
• Lowers the cost of health care for millions by extending Affordable Care Act subsidies for an additional three years, locking in lower health care premiums. The Inflation Reduction Act will save an average middle class family of four in North Carolina $9,137 on their yearly premiums.
• Lowers energy costs and tackles climate change by investing in domestic energy production and manufacturing, while reducing carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030 with historic investments in energy security.
• Lowers the deficit and helps fight inflation by making a historic down payment of approximately $300 billion in deficit reduction to fight inflation. 

Lowering the Cost of Hearing Aids 

This month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) moved to make over the counter hearing aids available to millions of Americans. The FDA created a new category of over the counter hearing aids. Rep. Manning was pleased to see this action making hearing aids more accessible and affordable for millions of Americans. 

Student Loan Forgiveness for Low- to- Middle Class Americans 

On August 24, 2022, President Biden announced a student loan forgiveness plan. Specifically, the President’s action:

• Forgives $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers with federal loans if they earn less than $125,000/year individually, or $250,000/year for married couples who file taxes jointly.
• Forgives $20,000 under the same conditions if the borrower attended college on Pell Grants.
• Extends the student loan pause one final time through December 31, 2022. Student loan payments resume in January 2023.

A fact sheet on the President's action can be found here.

Manning Secures Funding for NC-06

$23.7 Million to North Carolina A&T to Create Workforce Development Program

This month, Congresswoman Kathy Manning (NC-06) and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced a $23.7 million American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge grant to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to create STEPs4GROWTH, a clean energy workforce training program in North Carolina. 

“Workforce development and apprenticeship programs are the building blocks of a strong economy. With the rise of new technologies and clean-energy manufacturing in North Carolina, it’s more important than ever that our workforce has the tools, skills, and training they need to excel in these industries,” said Congresswoman Kathy Manning (NC-06). “I proudly supported North Carolina A&T’s application to the Department of Commerce earlier this year to implement their STEPS4GROWTH program. I’m thrilled to see the Department now leveraging the American Rescue Plan to give A&T funding to build a workforce development program centered around clean energy jobs."

Congresswoman Manning voted to pass the American Rescue Plan in March of 2021 and, in 2022, has advocated in favor of NC A&T’s application.  Read Rep. Manning’s letter of support here.

$6 Million to Winston-Salem to Connect Downtown with North Winston-Salem

In July, Rep. Manning sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation advocating for Winston-Salem to receive a RAISE Grant to implement a project to extend the Long Branch Trail.

Following Rep. Manning's advocacy, Winston-Salem was awarded $6 million through the RAISE grant to construct an extension of the Long Branch Trail from downtown Winston-Salem to north Winston-Salem

Guilford County Students get Tutoring Through Funding Rep. Manning Secured 

Through Community Funding Projects, and funding through the American Rescue Plan which Rep. Manning helped to pass, Guilford County Schools was able to create and implement an individualized tutoring program. 

Thanks to the funding Rep. Manning secured, and to the work of Guilford County Schools, over 5,200 students received one-on-one tutoring. Additionally, the tutors of this program are primarily students attending college in the Triad, and many now report that they are interested in becoming teachers. 

NC-06 Visits

COVID-19 Information Center 

COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility for Children

The CDC announced that the COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for ages 6 months to 4 years of age.  

Read more about COVID-19 vaccine eligibility for teens and children here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/children-teens.html 

COVID.gov

The Biden Administration launched COVID.gov, a one-stop website for all COVID-19 health needs. Visit COVID.gov to find information regarding vaccines, COVID-19 treatments, mask guidance, and testing. 

Vaccine Booster Shot Eligibility

The CDC has expanded the eligibility of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses to include everyone 5 years of age and older. 

Eligible for the 1st Booster Shot:

• Everyone ages 5 years and older can get 1 booster after completing their COVID-19 vaccine primary series.

Eligible for the 2nd Booster Shot:

• Adults ages 50 years and older
• People ages 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised
• People who got 2 doses (1 primary dose and 1 booster) of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

Congressional App Challenge

Congresswoman Manning's office is participating in the 2022 Congressional App Challenge.

Students are encouraged to register online by September 10th, before submitting their app by November 1st. Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, this nationwide effort allows students to compete against their peers by creating an application for desktop/PC, web, tablet, mobile, raspberry Pi or other devices.

Taking place every fall, the Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school students in Sixth Congressional District of North Carolina. Students entering the competition must submit their app to the Congressional App Challenge website at congressionalappchallenge.us by  November 1st. A panel of individuals within the academic, software and entrepreneurial fields will just the submissions.

The winning student's app will be featured on the U.S. House of Representative's websites, as well as on a display in a U.S. Capitol exhibit and on the Congressional App Challenge website. The winning student will also be honored at #HouseofCode, a celebration where they will be able to connect with other coders from around the country and exhibit their apps in front of their Representative. Additional prizes are to be announced.

Visit Congresswoman Manning's website for more information here.

Military Service Academy Nominations

Applications for Military Service Academy Nominations are now open through Congresswoman Manning's website. 

As a member of Congress, Congresswoman Manning may nominate candidates for appointment to four of the five U.S. service academies: U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY; the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, MD; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY. The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), New London, CT, does not require a congressional nomination for appointment. Congresswoman Manning may nominate up to ten individuals for each vacant academy slot allotted to our district.

To request a Military Academy Nomination from our office, please visit the website here: https://manning.house.gov/services/military-academy-nominations 

For more information about Military Academy Nominations, please review the page of Frequently Asked Questions for those seeking a Military Academy Nomination.

Constituent Services

Congresswoman Manning's Constituent Services Liaisons can assist you with troubles you may have regarding federal agencies. Cases our local office handles include but are not limited to: 

• Help receiving medical care at the VA
• Questions about Social Security checks
• Immigration services
• Passports
• IRS questions

If you are requiring help from the Constituent Services office, please contact them at (336) 333-5005, or submit a casework claim through our website here.