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Dear City of,
After the inter-faith MLK service at Montview on Sunday and the Marade on Monday, I was fired up. In the spirit of Dr. King and with the words of my dear friend, Congressman John Lewis in my mind, I came back to Washington to continue fighting for you.
The Trump administration has weaponized ICE and Border Patrol, turning those agencies into masked, hostile police forces that are terrorizing the American people. ICE has become a rogue agency that has gone far beyond its original mandate, and it should be immediately dismantled. That’s why I voted against funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Anything less would be unjust.
I also voted YES on a resolution to assert Congress’ war powers authority and rein in the administration’s actions in Venezuela. Every single Democrat showed up and voted YES. We were united in our effort to rein in this White House — but only two Republicans joined us, so the resolution failed. This what happens when we don't hold the majority.
In a Health Subcommittee hearing this week, I confronted health insurance CEOs about the lack of affordable health care. Picture this: a table filled with wealthy CEOs sitting next to an actual patient, Ellen Allen, whose premiums skyrocketed over 300% this year, to nearly $2,000 a month. I helped negotiate the original Affordable Care Act, and I know how much it's meant to Americans who finally gained the security of health insurance. But insurance means nothing when you're drowning in huge deductibles and skyrocketing premiums. As I told the CEOs directly: the only way out of this is universal health care.
In an Energy and Commerce Committee markup this week, Republicans offered a bill that would create more loopholes to allow polluters, like Suncor, to get exceptions for violations of the Clean Air Act. Denverites who live and work near the Suncor plant breathe toxic pollution 365 days a year while the company breaks the law. The last thing we need to do is make it easier for refineries to pollute the air.
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This week also marked the 53rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade—the fourth year since it was overturned by an extreme Supreme Court. I spoke with Alexis McGill Johnson, the CEO of Planned Parenthood, and members of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus about how we can support doctors, medical residents, and women seeking care in our districts. As co-chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, I will keep fighting until every American has the freedom to make their own health care decisions, without political interference.
As always, if you have any questions about my work or any issue, please call my office at 303-844-4988, or visit my website at DeGette.House.Gov where you can learn more about how my staff is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
Diana DeGette
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