Consumer Protection

Last week was another busy week in Washington! After 24 years in Congress, I am finally moving to an office in the Rayburn House Office Building that has a beautiful view of the United States Capitol. I look forward to welcoming you to my incredible new space!

I had a big week in Washington! I am thrilled that my bill, the bipartisan TICKET Act, unanimously passed 45-0 out of the Energy & Commerce Committee. This bill will transform the experience of buying event tickets online. It ends practices that frustrate people who simply want to enjoy a concert, show, or sporting event and will restore fairness and transparency to the ticketing marketplace. This bipartisan achievement is the result of months of hard work and I will continue my efforts to ensure that it is signed into law.

This week, I was excited to begin welcoming guests to my new office in the Rayburn House Office Building. Now, I have a magnificent view of the United States Capitol. I am so appreciative to my staff who worked so hard to make this move happen. If you are ever in Washington, please come by and check out my wonderful new space!

To finish out the legislative year in Washington, the House of Representatives voted on the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill authorizes a staggering $886 billion in new spending for the Department of Defense. Our greatest security threats have no military solutions, and it is time our budget reflected that. Therefore, I could not, in good faith, support its final passage.

On Friday, I voted in favor of the Fiscal Year 2023 government funding legislation. This monumental funding package will have major implications for generations to come.

In all my years as a Member of Congress, I have never experienced a year quite like this. From Kevin McCarthy's rise and fall from the speakership to averting two government shutdowns which would have had disastrous consequences for everyday Americans, the past year was historic and unprecedented to say the least.

Despite holding 724 votes this year, only 27 pieces of legislation were signed into law, the lowest tally since the Great Depression. House Republicans’ inability to govern was on full display.

This past week, we held leadership elections for the 118^th Congress. I would like to congratulate Minority Leader-designate Hakeem Jeffries, Whip-designate Katherine Clark, and Chairman-designate Pete Aguilar. I have the utmost confidence in our new leaders, who truly epitomize the great diversity of our nation.

Last week, Republicans on the House Budget Committee hosted a hearing centered around the idea of creating a so-called “fiscal commission.” The hearing made it crystal clear what their real goal is: decimate Social Security and Medicare behind closed doors. Over a decade ago, I served on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, better known as the Bowles-Simpson Commission. That commission failed, but not before its co-chairs tried to make deep cuts to the American people’s hard-earned Social Security and Medicare benefits.