|
Hello Friends -
It was great seeing so many folks at 4th of July festivities across the region this past weekend. I carbo-loaded at the Kingston Yacht Club’s annual pancake breakfast and then hit THREE parades! It was awesome to see so much energy and patriotism on display. And I made it home in time to light some sparklers with my family!
While I spent this past week running from pillar to post across the region, there’s a lot to report from our nation’s capital. Read on for details!
The Humanitarian Crisis at Our Southern Border
Over the past few weeks, folks across our region have reached out and stood up against the mistreatment of children and families who have been detained near the southern border. I’m grateful for those voices - and I agree. Providing humanitarian assistance and treating people with dignity should be an expectation of our government.
Recent reports emerging about these devastating and inhumane conditions facing many people seeking refuge at our border are completely unacceptable. From cells that are too crowded to lie down in, to women reportedly being told by Border Patrol agents to drink water from a toilet - the situation at the border, and the inadequate response from the Trump Administration, is not acceptable.
Over the last year, I’ve worked to ensure that Congress does what it can to prevent the separation of children from their parents and to deny funding for detention centers with clear records of abuse. I’ve sponsored a bill called the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act - which would establish basic health and medical standards for people in the custody of Customs and Border Patrol. It would require access to emergency care, medications, and medical equipment, and would establish standards for nutrition, sanitation, and shelter in line with international humanitarian norms.
I’ve also sponsored the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, which would end the use of private prisons and county jails to detain immigrants, set humane standards for detention facilities, and protect immigrant detainees from abuse. Importantly, this bill would directly combat the Administration’s efforts to indefinitely detain people.
Our nation can make a difference in addressing the instability in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador that has led to many people coming here. With that in mind, I’ve advocated for a bipartisan proposal to address the root causes of why people seek refuge at our border in the first place. Importantly, that bipartisan bill would also provide a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers.
There’s plenty more to do, and I’m committed to continuing to find ways to address this crisis and provide humanitarian relief. Let me end by just saying thank you to the folks in our region for standing up to ensure the Trump Administration and our federal government upholds our values as a nation and treats every person with the respect and dignity they deserve. I’m with you. Your voices matter and your partnership in working to fix this problem is appreciated. Making Progress on Important Priorities for Our Region
Just before the 4th of July week, Congress passed its second package of spending bills, crafted over the last few months. The bill passed in the House funds the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Justice, Agriculture, Interior, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. In my role on the Appropriations Committee, I’m all about finding ways to create more economic opportunity for more people in more places. I was proud to support the bill, which includes specific provisions that I advocated for to do just that.
Restoring Puget Sound and Recovering Salmon Populations
In our neck of the woods, we understand how important Puget Sound is to our region’s identity and our economy. Generations of our friends and neighbors have built their lives and made livelihoods on the Sound ? so I was proud to take action to protect and restore the Sound. While the Trump Administration had proposed zeroing out all funds for Puget Sound, the bill we passed increased funding by more than 18% above the current funding level. Specifically, the bill includes a $5 million increase in the program that provides grants to state, local, and tribal governments to implement projects that protect jobs and local economies by improving water quality, enhancing fish passage, increasing salmon habitat, and protecting shorelines.
In addition, steelhead and salmon populations are critical natural resources that help maintain economically viable tribal, commercial, and sports fisheries, and provide prey for Southern Resident killer whales. In this bill, I worked to secure funding increases to help recover salmon stocks and support the fisheries that depend on them, including funds to implement the newly ratified Pacific Salmon Treaty and funds for hatchery production. In the House, we rejected the Trump Administration’s proposed cuts to the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, and instead, secured key investments to support efforts that protect and restore salmon habitat and maintain long-term monitoring to track the success of restoration efforts. This program is the primary source of funding dedicated to recovering wild salmon and steelhead populations listed as threatened and endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.
In addition, I helped secure additional funds for the Southern Resident Killer Whales program to increase research and monitoring to improve the recovery of this iconic species we care so deeply about.
Investing in Forest Collaboration Management and Forest Restoration
As many of you know, I grew up in Port Angeles. Living on the Peninsula I developed a deep appreciation for important role our forests play - to our environment and to local economies. With that in mind, a few years ago, I helped launch the Olympic Forest Collaborative to help increase sustainable timber harvests in an environmentally responsible way.
In this bill, I authored a provision to highlight the value of collaborative forest management and direct the U.S. Forest Service to prioritize resources to better leverage support from existing Forest Collaboratives. This provision will help collaboratives, like the Olympic Forest Collaborative on the Peninsula, expedite projects and continue to advance forest treatments that increase harvest levels to create more economic opportunities on the Olympic Peninsula while also achieving much needed environmental benefits like landscape restoration, watershed protection, and habitat conservation.
Improving Quality of Care at the VA
I’m constantly reminded in our community how important it is that we take care of our veterans. I’m working to ensure they receive the benefits they have earned and deserve. In this bill, I secured several provisions that will help to improve the quality of care administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including an investment for the development of an interoperable electronic health record system that will access seamlessly the records of veterans in the VA system, the Department of Defense (DOD), and of community providers. I also fought for a provision for new efforts to improve health outcomes and patient experiences for veterans with complex medical conditions.
Increasing Access to Rural Broadband
Too many rural communities are being left behind in our economy because America’s internet infrastructure doesn’t reach them. Connecting communities to high-speed internet will lead to new jobs and businesses, empower students by placing new information at their fingertips, and help rural communities get in on the economic growth that’s been largely concentrated in America’s cities.
This bill invests over $680 million in the expansion of broadband service to provide economic development opportunities and improved education and healthcare services. I also included a provision urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to explore means to expand high-speed internet deployment in Indian country, and to work with tribal communities to better understand the unique infrastructure challenges they face and ensure that they are not held at a competitive disadvantage when competing for broadband resources.
Combating Climate Change and Investing in Coastal Resiliency
To combat the impacts of climate change, I fought to increase federal funding for programs that protect vulnerable communities from coastal hazards and other consequences of climate change.
I also worked to ensure that our government supports mitigation and relocation efforts of coastal tribal communities that are facing the threat of severe weather storms, rising sea levels, and tsunamis. In addition, the bill includes $15 million for the Tribal Climate Resilience program, which will provide competitive awards to support vulnerable coastal tribal communities.
While the Trump Administration proposed cuts to climate research and the elimination of some of the climate research centers (like the one at the University of Washington), the bill we passed in the House actually increases investments in cutting-edge research on climate, ocean, and fishery science.
OK - that’s a lot on appropriations work - but there’s great progress being made on priorities that help create more economic opportunities in our region.
Restoring Our Parks
Our national parks are our nation’s crown jewels - an extraordinary legacy to be taken care of and shared with future generations. As many readers may know, I am a lead sponsor of a bill in Congress that will help fix the maintenance backlog and address the much-needed repairs at Olympic National Park and throughout the park system, ensuring our parks can continue to provide amazing visitor experiences and serve as economic drivers for rural communities throughout America.
I was excited that in the last week of session, the House Committee on Natural Resources advanced the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act with overwhelming bipartisan support. This is great news! The bill has also managed to garner the co-sponsorship of over 290 Members of Congress. I’m hopeful that the bill will soon pass and be signed into law.
Assessing and Addressing “Deepfake” Videos
Over the last few years, we’ve seen an alarming increase in the emergence of “deepfake” videos - they’re realistic manipulations of real content, that depict events that did not actually occur. These videos look and sound just like the real thing and could be used in all sorts of ways to spread misinformation (check out this interesting Washington Post article for more on the rise of these videos).
Last week, I introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill in Congress that would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to dig into this issue of digital content forgery or “deepfake” technology. Deepfakes pose a serious threat to our national security, homeland security, and the integrity of our elections.
While there is effort underway to counter these videos on social networks and video sites, it is currently being done through a patchwork of policies. Congress should act to ensure that the federal government truly understands the scope of this technology as it takes steps to protect against misinformation.
Working for You
Supporting Our Service Members
It was great to spend a morning last week at Bangor with RDML Gray of Navy Region Northwest and RDML Perry of SubGroup 9 to discuss the critical role that Naval Base Kitsap plays in supporting our community and protecting our national security interests. With the House likely voting on the National Defense Authorization Act later this week, I had the chance to check in with them on some key issues. Later in the day, I had an informative tour of Naval Hospital Bremerton to learn more about the critical services they provide to our military community. I’m pushing back on the Administration’s proposed cuts to military medical services. Thanks to Captain Bitterman and the entire team at Naval Hospital Bremerton for all the work you do.
Visiting with Folks on Bainbridge Island
Some folks can’t come to a town hall meeting, so I try to come to you! Last week, I visited with walk-on commuters at the Bainbridge Island ferry dock. It was a great opportunity to hear what’s on people’s minds. Later that morning, I hosted a seniors’ town hall at the Bainbridge Island Senior and Community Center last week. Among other things, we discussed work I’m doing to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Thanks to all who attended.
Celebrating Samoan Cultural Day
Thanks to everyone who showed up at the Tacoma Dome for the Asia Pacific Cultural Center’s Samoan Cultural Day celebration. Our region’s diversity is one of its strengths, and the APCC team does an extraordinary job of ensuring we celebrate that!
Meeting with Local Employers
I spent time with Automated Systems of Tacoma (AST), a fantastic company doing business in our neck of the woods since 1965.
I also had the chance to stop by the Urban Plant Shop in Bremerton. It was great to speak with the owner, John, about his business and its continued growth! Thank you for investing in Bremerton - we are lucky to have you in our neighborhood.
Ok - that’s it for this week, folks. As always, I’m honored to represent you.
|
