Join My Town Hall Tomorrow! Plus: An Update on My Work to Protect Our Democracy - And a Glimpse Into a Day in the Life!
Hello Folks –
I hope you had a terrific Labor Day weekend!
As regular readers of this newsletter know, it’s been a busy few months in Congress. I’ve helped pass a number of important new laws that are going to make a difference to folks across our region. Just to name a few, we’ve passed:
- The Inflation Reduction Act - to lower health care and prescription drug costs, to lower energy costs and combat the climate crisis, and to reduce our deficit and inflation.
- The PACT Act - to ensure veterans get the benefits they have earned and deserve.
- The Chips and Science Act - to fix supply chains, invest in American manufacturing, and ensure we don’t leave communities behind.
Want to learn more? On Wednesday, September 7, I’ll be holding a telephone town hall to talk about that work, and to answer your questions. Sign-up or listen live HERE to attend or dial-in yourself (866-295-1791) on Wednesday evening. Talk to you then!
Showing Up
As many of you know, Congress holds a district work period each August to enable Members of Congress to spend time visiting with the folks they represent. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been running from pillar to post around our region (and over Zoom!) – meeting with small businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations; attending festivals and fairs; on video conference calls; and making myself available everywhere I can to connect with folks.
It’s an important opportunity for me to learn more about what I can do to lend a hand, and how I can make the federal government work better for folks in our region.
I’m often asked: “When you are home, what does a day look like?” So, I thought I’d give you a sneak peek at a recent day in the district. Without further ado, I give you: Monday, August 22.
5:45am - Wake Up
I get up early to get in some exercise, drink a few cups of coffee, answer a few emails from my team, eat some breakfast, and get ready to hit the road.
7:30am – Head to Suquamish
The district I have the honor of representing includes over 710,000 people and covers just under 7,000 square miles! It’s my responsibility to make sure I am representing people in every corner of the district, and today, I’m off to Kitsap County.
9:00am – Meet with leaders of the Suquamish Tribe
My first stop is meeting with the Suquamish Tribe - one of 11 tribes I have the honor of representing. I’m committed to doing all that I can to ensure the federal government honors its trust and treaty obligations.
We know that across our region, we need more affordable housing – including for Native communities. That’s why I’ve been pushing for federal funding (which has already passed the House) to help support the Tribe’s Enetai Project – which aims to create new affordable housing townhomes. During today’s meeting, I met with Tribal leadership to learn more about how this project will not only be a great opportunity for Tribal citizens to be able to live on their ancestral homelands, but will also help ease housing challenges for non-Tribal citizens that live nearby the reservation. I’m going to keep pushing to get this funding passed signed into law!
10:30am – Drive to Bainbridge Island
11:30am – Town Hall with the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center
As the representative for more than 200,000 seniors, I know how critical it is to protect the benefits seniors have earned – like Social Security and Medicare. I also know that we need to make progress in the effort to reduce costs for health care and prescription drugs. During this town hall at the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center, I was able to share good news about the Inflation Reduction Act, which I voted to support, and which was recently signed into the law by President Biden. This new law will lower prescription drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and cap out-of-pocket costs at $2,000. It will also lower ACA health care premiums for millions and cap the cost of insulin at $35 for Medicare recipients. It’s a big deal. We also discussed the Social Security 2100 Act that I’ve sponsored to increase Social Security benefits and to extend the solvency of this vital program. It was great to visit with those who came in person and those who tuned in virtually!
12:45pm – Meet with the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce
As someone who worked professionally in economic development for over a decade, I believe the federal government should be a strong supporter of small businesses and local artisans. Bainbridge Island was recently named a Creative District by the Washington Arts Commission, and I had the opportunity to sit down with the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce to discuss the rich culture of the island, and how they can turn cultural and artistic ventures into economic growth, and how I can lend a hand and continue to support local jobs!
2:45pm – Kilmer at Your Company Visit to Bainbridge Organic Distillers
One of the small businesses helping to drive the local economy is Bainbridge Organic Distillers. I spoke to the Bainbridge Organic Distillery team about a number of issues – including the challenges facing a small business in this post-pandemic economy. Last year, I co-sponsored – and Congress passed – legislation to establish a Restaurant Revitalization Fund to help restaurants, bars, coffee shops, breweries and other small businesses to help them weather the storm. Unfortunately, when the Small Business Administration rolled out the program, they effectively disqualified distilleries in our state from getting any help. These are important local employers, and they shouldn’t be hosed on a technicality. That’s why I led a successful effort to get the SBA to defer loan repayments to help distillers get back on their feet.
3:45pm – Meeting with the Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network
Since 1960, the Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN) has served the community of Bainbridge Island by offering a variety of classes on book arts, electronic and technological arts, fiber, glass, and kitchen arts, as well as metal fabrication, woodworking, printmaking, writing, and media arts. I enjoyed checking in with Sallie and Jess at BARN to hear how they’ve kept serving their community and making their resources accessible to residents and tourists alike.
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5:30pm – Head Home
7:30pm – Feed my crew!
One of the best parts of the district work period is I get to see (and occasionally have a meal with) my family.
8:30pm – Catch-Up on Emails
10:00pm – Bedtime
That’s a wrap! Time for bed. Up early the next day for another full day!
I could have given plenty of other examples about what a “typical” day looks like for me.
On August 31, I toured local business Cosmo Specialty Fibers, one of the largest employers in Grays Harbor County; tried out some new products at The Home Depot in Aberdeen (and played cornhole with a leaf blower – which should totally be a sport!), met with the Firelands Workers Action (an organization committed to strengthening Washington State’s rural coastal timber region); celebrated the opening of the Quinault Wellness Center which will provide treatment to folks across the region; and met with the Quinault Indian Nation’s council to talk about the work to move to higher ground and other priorities.
Or August 24, when I spoke to the Port Townsend Sunrise Rotary to talk about my work to protect our democracy; toured the facilities at Jefferson Healthcare and learned more about the expansion of the Jefferson Cancer Treatment Program; met with officials from Jefferson County and the City of Port Townsend to discuss recently passed legislation that includes funding I've been pushing for to support two important infrastructure projects in Jefferson County that can help build new housing and service residents at essential community locations; learned about the Jefferson Land Trust’s acquisition efforts to conserve our forests; and, visited with farmers in Jefferson County to learn more about how to support young farmers, invest in research to help farmers grow crops that can withstand climate change, and better connect schools to local foods from local farms (and I got to drive a tractor and feed a sheep)!
In other words, every day is an adventure! And every day it’s an honor to serve you.
Protecting Our Democracy
Last week, President Biden gave a primetime address to the nation from Independence Hall in Philadelphia where he spoke about an incredibly important topic: protecting our democracy.
The President touched on a number of important themes during his speech: the need to work together to protect free and fair elections and protect voting rights; the importance of holding the mob who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6th accountable, and how we can come together as a nation to build a better future.
I was on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol complex on January 6th of last year. What we saw that day was an assault on our democracy. The mob that stormed the United States Capitol at the incitement of former President Trump was not simply seeking to damage a building – it was seeking to upend our very republic. This is not how our system works.
With that in mind, the House established a bipartisan Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack. I strongly support the work of this Committee and agree that this investigation must be conducted in a transparent and non-partisan manner designed to get to the truth. I believe that the committee must leave no stone unturned to understand what happened on that day and to ensure those involved are held accountable. Investigating this unprecedented assault on our democracy – and ensuring nothing like this ever happens again – is critically important for the health of our republic.
Additionally, I believe democracy is strongest when we have open and transparent elections and when every voter is able to make their views known. In a democracy, “We the People” should have the primary say in our government – not deep pockets or special interests.
That’s why I am a proud sponsor of the For the People Act (H.R. 1), which passed in the House last year. The For the People Act is a reform package that takes aim at voter suppression and the role of money in politics. This legislation would directly strengthen voter rights, reform the broken campaign finance system, and create new rules to prevent government corruption
I also believe that our nation needs to take steps to build more unity – and less division. In our neck of the woods, we’ve seen inspiring efforts to counter increased division. After a series of horrific attacks—including assault, vandalism, and arson—against faith-based institutions in our region, we saw an interfaith group rise up to try to foster community understanding and build community cohesion. In response to conflict at a local YMCA, we saw a group of leaders work to bring in some conflict resolution capacity and work to sponsor community events to build understanding across differences. In both cases, we saw inspiring local examples of folks in our region trying to advance civic bridgebuilding. In both cases, when they asked if there were resources available from the federal government to support this vital work, the answer was “Not really. At least, not currently.”
That’s why earlier this year I led 9 Democrats and 9 Republicans in introducing the Building Civic Bridges Act – bipartisan legislation that would lend support to these local civic bridgebuilding efforts in hopes of bridging divides and strengthening democracy. Ultimately, the legislation would empower communities like ours to tackle sources of division while assisting local civic and community organizations with ongoing efforts to foster dialogue, defuse and address sources of conflict, and bridge differences.
We’ve got to make progress on all of these fronts – and as your representative, I’ll keep doing everything I can to protect our democracy.
Working for You
Protecting Reproductive Freedom
Last week, I convened a roundtable with Representative Kim Schrier, Representative Marilyn Strickland, and Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates to speak with patients and providers in Tacoma about reproductive rights and abortion access. Simply put: we cannot - and should not - accept a future in which the next generation of Americans have fewer rights than their parents. That's why I'm fighting to protect reproductive freedom and the right to choose. During the conversation, we heard powerful accounts on the importance of accessing reproductive health care - and how the recent Supreme Court decision is already impacting folks across our region. I'll keep working to protect a woman's right to choose.
Supporting Our First Responders
I had the chance to participate in the joint training exercise between Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue, South Kitsap Fire & Rescue, North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, Bainbridge Fire Department, Poulsbo Fire Department, and Bremerton Fire Department. What these first responders do every day is extraordinary. These members of our community deserve a huge thank you. What an incredible hands-on experience!
OK – that’s it for now, folks. As always, I’m honored to represent you.
Sincerely,
Derek