Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Congressman Auchincloss; An Update From Your Congressman for the past 2 weeks

LAST 2 WEEKS IN REVIEW

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

Updates from the Select Committee on China
Bipartisan border deal
Celebrating science and scientists
Bipartisan tax package
Advocating for "Complete Streets"

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Social Services roundtable
Learning alongside the next generation at Southeastern Regional VoTech High School
Supporting families living with Alzheimer's
New Hope groundbreaking for domestic violence survivors
Brookline Muslim Friends and Congregation Beth El-Atereth Israel

On the Hill

Updates from the Select Committee on China: I asked former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who described January 6th as a "peaceful transfer of power," to testify that President Biden was duly elected in a free and fair election. While under oath, Secretary Pompeo refused to assert that the 2020 election was "free and fair". The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party should not take a lecture on democracy from an election denier.

America cannot defend democracy overseas if we do not protect it at home.

I joined Select Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi in introducing the BIOSECURE Act, a bill to ensure foreign adversary biotech companies of U.S. national security concern do not gain access to U.S. taxpayer dollars.

Innovation must be guided by values. The Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated biomedical corporations are operating unethically in the collection of genetic information without consent, and U.S. taxpayers should not be helping to fund those or other nefarious practices. American tax dollars should instead be directed towards basic research that unlocks more cures.

Bipartisan Border Deal: I joined CNN to discuss the bipartisan national security proposal that offers tough and fair policy on the border – improving due process, upgrading security and curtailing the surge of fentanyl – while providing necessary aid to our allies in Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The Senate's comprehensive national security bill is the right way to defend our allies and to strengthen our border security. Speaker Johnson should put this bill on the floor after Senate passage instead of handing Putin and the drug cartels a win by calling it "dead on arrival." I would vote "Yes" on the current version.

Celebrating science and scientists: I joined Dr. Monica Bertagnolli to celebrate her confirmation as Director of the National Institutes of Health. I look forward to working with Director Bertagnolli to advance biomedical research through federal engagement. The NIH is in good hands with an MA-04 resident at the helm!

Bipartisan Tax Package: I voted to pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, bipartisan legislation that would expand the Child Tax Credit, making the credit available to an additional 15,000 children in MA-04 and 182,000 across Massachusetts. This tax package will increase the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) by 12.5% from 2023-2025, an expansion I advocated for in a recent letter to the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee. Expanding the successful LIHTC Program will allow Massachusetts to allocate more credits for affordable housing projects. Additionally, the bill restores preferential tax treatment for corporate R&D, which especially helps biotech companies.

I spoke to the Boston Globe about the impact this tax deal would have on Massachusetts, which may be the state in the union that would most benefit if this bill passed the Senate and became law. Support for families, more affordable housing, and more biotech R&D are three big wins for the Bay State.

Advocating for "Complete Streets": With Representative Cohen and Senator Markey, I introduced an improved version of our Complete Streets Act, which would make roads safer and more accessible by ensuring states direct a portion of their federal highway funding towards the creation of a Complete Streets Program. A "complete street" provides safe and accessible transportation options for children, seniors, and people with disabilities by prioritizing infrastructure for pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transit users. Under the Complete Streets Act, eligible local and regional entities can use funds from their state's Complete Streets Program for technical assistance and capital funding to build safe street projects such as sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, and bus stops.

Walking shouldn't be dangerous. Pedestrian deaths are surging in the United States, and Congress must respond. Promoting Complete Streets helps ensure that pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists operate safely. And the design and infrastructure of Complete Streets is not just safer – it's also better for ambience, the environment, and retail.

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

Do you support federal engagement to move away from car-centric infrastructure?

Around the Fourth

Social Services roundtable: I hosted a virtual roundtable discussion with social service providers and non profit organizations in Newton, Brookline, Wellesley, and Needham. I provided an update on expansions of the Child Tax Credit and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit passed by the House, shared resources for constituents to engage with federal agencies, and engaged in a dialogue about the needs of residents who face the steepest economic challenges.

Longtime Newton affordable housing advocate and Executive Director of CAN-DO, Josephine McNeil, provided information about the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which offers free tax preparation services for qualifying taxpayers. The VITA program has operated for over 50 years and offers free tax help to people who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns, including:

People who generally make $64,000 or less
Persons with disabilities; and
Limited English-speaking taxpayers

There are five VITA locations in our district: CAN-DO in Newton, Citizens for Citizens in Fall River, Franklin Public Library in Franklin, and High Street Veterans Family Learning Center and Trustman Family Learning Center in Brookline. You can find the one nearest to you using the IRS locator tool: Find a Location for Free Tax Prep | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov).

Learning alongside the next generation: Students from the Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, in Easton, took me on a tour of their school and moderated a Q&A session with their classmates. I watched medical assistants-in-training conduct clinical tests while I peppered them and their teacher with questions about the curriculum and their career goals. A repeated refrain was their desire to help people by working in health care.

In my conversation with students, I spoke about gun violence prevention legislation, social media regulation, and – my favorite point with students – the importance of taking smart risks early on to pursue your passion, even when you're afraid to fail.

Living with the effects of Alzheimer's: Adelaide of Newton Centre hosted a conversation on Alzheimer's with caregivers. I listened to their stories and learned more about bed shortages, training for first responders, and caregiver burnout. We also discussed how Americans need to better insure for long-term care, and my commitment to supporting biomedical research and – when the cures do come – patient access to therapies without risk of medical debt.

New Hope groundbreaking: I joined New Hope to break ground on their new confidential shelter project, House of Hope, which will expand New Hope's mission to serve victims of domestic violence and sexual assault by providing the capacity to support an additional 20 families per year. Survivors of sexual and domestic violence deserve a place in our community where they can go for protection, care, and safety. People looking to flee bad situations, whether by themselves or with family, shouldn't have to worry about finding a safe place to stay as they begin to rebuild their lives.

When I first visited New Hope, I listened to stories from survivors about fleeing sexual and domestic violence with no money and no idea where to go next. New Hope is that 'next' – and with support from a federal earmark I designated, it will soon have a facility worthy of its mission. Despite this local win, we are not doing enough at the federal level. Right now, Congress is debating the 2024 federal appropriations. The Crime Victims Fund, created by the Victim of Crimes Act, which helps fund emergency shelters facing cuts. Protecting survivors of domestic and sexual violence should not be a partisan issue, and we should not be cutting funds that are designated to help the most vulnerable.

Brookline Muslim Friends and Congregation Beth El-Atereth Israel: I met with members of Brookline Muslim Friends, a group of MA-04 residents who have lived and raised their families in Brookline for decades. We spoke about the need to protect civilians in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war, while making sure that our neighbors feel safe in their communities here at home. On the same day, I met with members of an Orthodox temple in Newton where we discussed the hostages held by Hamas, the Biden Administration's response to aggression by Iranian-backed proxy groups, and the prospects of a two-state solution.

As I continue to have important and difficult conversations across the district with Muslim and Jewish constituents, I am encouraged by the commonality of our desire and our work for welcoming, pluralist communities where everyone can raise their children to believe in the promise of America for equal dignity and justice for all.