Thursday, December 21, 2023

Congressman Auchincloss: An Update from the last two weeks (12/19/23)

LAST 2 WEEKS IN REVIEW

I'm your representative in Congress and I write to keep you informed.

On the Hill

Congressman Auchincloss

National Defense Authorization Act: I support a strong U.S. military, especially in this more dangerous world for democracy. I voted 'No' on the NDAA because the Pentagon, as the world's biggest bureaucracy, should do 10% more with 10% less. As I said this summer, after my previous 'No' vote, the 10% savings would be enough to fund Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

Following the vote, I spoke on the House floor to call attention to Congress' failure to deliver for our democratic allies abroad before leaving Washington for the holidays. I asked that the House return to vote as soon as possible to approve the separate funding package that President Biden is requesting for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and humanitarian support for Gaza.

Republicans' Incoherent Impeachment Inquiry: Last week, House Republicans voted to launch a baseless impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

Instead of working to lower costs and defend democracy, the House GOP is manufacturing this stunt to distract the American people from their party's inability to govern. The first year of this 118th Congress has been the least productive, in terms of laws passed, of any in recent history.

Washington Bridge Closure: During the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's recent hearing with the Federal Highway Administration, I asked about the closure of the Washington Bridge in Providence and called for it to be reopened with the same sense of urgency that Americans saw in recent closures in Pennsylvania and California. The closure of the bridge on I-195 is a major disruption for Bay Staters traveling to Providence, making commutes longer and limiting access to one of the biggest cities in New England.

I visited the bridge to see the state of congestion for myself and will continue to work with the U.S. Department of Transportation to get the bridge reopened ASAP.

Make your voice heard → I want to hear from you.

Have you been affected by the Washington Bridge closure?

Around the Fourth

Discussing Competition with China: Congressman Ro Khanna of California and I serve on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. I always benefit from intellectual sparring with him to sharpen my own thinking about trade and industrial strategy. Two weeks ago, Ro and I dug deep on where we agree – manufacturing has importance to the U.S. political economy that is greater than just its share of GDP – and where we diverge: Ro subscribes to tariffs and industrial policy to compete with China; whereas I am skeptical of Washington's wisdom in directing the economy and would prefer policy-makers focus on getting the basics right.

Investing in infrastructure, science, and education and strengthening the rule of law is the best industrial strategy. One example: American 15-year-olds have slid backward on math scores since 2018, according to the most recent Program for International Student Assessment. Bipartisan commitment to excellence in math education would do more for U.S. economic dynamism in the 21st century than the sum consequence of all tariffs and subsidies.

Antisemitism on College Campuses: Antisemitism is a crisis on college campuses that has worsened since October 7th. After a recent Education and Workforce Committee hearing on campus antisemitism with the leaders of Harvard and MIT, I joined Representative Seth Moulton, a fellow Harvard alum, in making the following statement: "Harvard ranks last out of 248 universities for support of free speech. But when it comes to denouncing antisemitism, suddenly the university has anxieties about the First Amendment. It rings hollow."

Universities must divorce themselves from double standards and instead lay down clear commitments to free & open discourse, with consistently enforced standards to prevent harassment.

The Boards of Harvard and MIT have made their decision about who can lead their universities toward this higher ground of truth-seeking and pluralism. They now own those decisions and are accountable for meaningful & urgent progress.

LigerBots STEAM Expo: Teddy and Grace got a huge thrill from playing with robots at the annual LigerBots STEAM Expo at Newton North High School. And I got a kick out of speaking with student engineers from across the district, including Newton, North Attleboro, and Franklin.

When we got home, Teddy insisted that we build and program his own robot. His dad did his best but I'm not winning the Eastern Mass Championships any time soon...

Happy Holidays: Wishing everyone a happy holiday season! I hope you're able to spend them with your family, friends, and loved ones.

Onwards,