Civil and Human Rights
Our government is founded on the belief that individuals have a number of "inalienable rights" enshrined in the Constitution. I believe that the protection of those rights is a fundamental obligation for each member of Congress, and I take that duty very seriously. It is important that we work to end discrimination and human rights abuses wherever they occur.
In my work in the House of Representatives, where I was previously a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and Vice Chair of the Human Rights Commission, I do my best to make sure a proper balance between security and liberty is maintained, and that government's reach into our private lives is kept to a minimum.
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I am sorry that I am not writing to you with better news, but Congress remains at a standstill. We are now only 10 days away from the September 30th deadline to pass our federal funding bills. House Republicans continue to make extreme demands and are still plotting a government shutdown unless they can inflict their radical agenda on the American people.
As a longtime consumer advocate, I have worked very closely with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which is tasked with keeping the public safe from consumer products that pose an unreasonable risk of injury or death.
This past week, I had the immense privilege of traveling to Nairobi, Kenya on a bipartisan trip with 17 of my Congressional colleagues. Africa’s unprecedented population growth will impact geopolitics, global trade, migration, and almost every aspect of life. By 2050, 1 in 4 people on Earth will be African.
Last week, I voted against another ridiculous, xenophobic bill put forward by the House Republicans. The Schools Not Shelters Act is designed to bar schools and universities from giving shelter to asylum seekers, and it is a thinly veiled attempt to demonize immigrants seeking a better life in the United States.
Last week, the Supreme Court handed down a series of misguided rulings that will make it harder for individuals to achieve the American dream.
After seven straight weeks in Washington, I wish I could tell you that Congress passed legislation to better the lives of everyday Americans. Unfortunately, I cannot. House Republicans spent the majority of the time putting forward legislation that has no chance of becoming law. Last week was a perfect example. In a partisan power grab, House Republicans voted to censure Rep.
The United States is now on track to set a record in 2023 for mass killings. Just last week, a neo-Nazi with an arsenal of firearms killed eight people and wounded seven others at a Dallas-area shopping mall. These tragic mass shootings are in addition to the everyday shootings that we continue to see. We need action now.
On Friday, the Supreme Court granted the Department of Justice’s emergency stay application in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, preventing a lower court decision from going into effect that would have put women’s health at risk and undermined FDA’s medical judgment. For now, Mifepristone, which is used in 54% of all abortions, remains safe, legal, and available.
As I am sure you are aware, former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a New York grand jury and will be arraigned on Tuesday. According to reports, Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud for allegedly concealing hush money payments to Stormy Daniels in order to cover-up their extramarital affair from voters during the closing days of his presidential campaign.