Dear Neighbor,

Speaker Johnson canceled the House's final two scheduled voting weeks in September. Now he has canceled today’s votes as well. The House is not expected to return until November 9, seven weeks from now. 

That matters because of what Congress is leaving undone.

Families across Fairfax feel the rising cost of living every week, at the grocery store, at the gas pump, when paying the rent or mortgage, and when the electric bill arrives.

New analysis from Democrats on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee estimates that the average American household has paid more than $4,200 in additional costs since President Trump took office. That includes $833 more for housing and $310 more for groceries during his first year, along with nearly $700 more for gas since the war with Iran began.

Those numbers reflect what I hear from neighbors in our region: people are working hard, but their paychecks are not stretching far enough. Lowering costs should be Congress’ top priority. Families cannot put their bills on hold for seven weeks, and the House should not put its work on hold either.

Affordability is not the only issue demanding our attention. You may have also seen alarming headlines this week about artificial intelligence (AI) and the risks posed by this rapidly advancing technology.

For many of us, AI already feels like an ordinary part of life. You might use it to plan a vacation, learn a new skill, identify a plant in the backyard, or make everyday tasks a little easier.

AI has enormous potential to improve public services, develop lifesaving treatments, strengthen national security, and create new opportunities. But as AI becomes more powerful and more widely used, Congress has a responsibility to establish clear rules that protect Americans without holding back responsible innovation.

As a member of the House Artificial Intelligence Caucus, I support bipartisan safeguards that protect consumers, workers, children, and Americans’ privacy, strengthen transparency and accountability for high-risk uses, and keep our country at the forefront of technological progress. We should have mandatory safety testing of new models, protections for personal data, and programs to address potential job loss, among other provisions. 

Congress should be working to lower costs and keep America safe. Speaker Johnson may be sending the House home, but my work will not stop. I will keep working to lower costs, establish responsible AI safeguards, and press Congress to meet this moment instead of walking away from it.

Make sure to follow me on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Threads to stay up-to-date.

Please continue reading below to learn more about how I’ve been serving you. 

Federal workers are our neighbors, friends, and family members. They care for veterans, inspect our food and medicine, process benefits, protect our national security, and provide services Americans rely on every day.

President Trump has proposed freezing pay for most civilian federal employees in 2027 while providing a pay raise for the military. 

Our brave servicemembers deserve a pay raise. But so do the nurses, scientists, cybersecurity professionals, health researchers, claims processors, and other public servants that our government must recruit and retain.

As Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Federal Workforce Caucus, I led a bipartisan push with fellow Caucus Co-Chairs Representative Steny Hoyer and Senator Chris Van Hollen, along with Senator Brian Schatz, urging congressional leaders to reject the pay freeze. Our effort united 110 members of the House and Senate in calling for federal employees to receive a raise of at least 3.8 percent.

At a time when costs continue to rise, freezing federal workers’ pay would be another serious blow to public servants who have already endured workforce reductions, shutdowns, and weakened civil service protections.

I will keep fighting for fair pay and standing up against policies that make it harder for federal workers to serve the American people.

It would also create a public, searchable dashboard using information Medicare already collects, without adding new paperwork or reporting requirements for physicians and other practitioners.

Telehealth has become an important part of our health care system, but Congress should not shape its future in the dark. Better data will help us strengthen what works, address barriers to care, and protect Medicare from fraud, waste, and abuse. I will keep working across the aisle to make health care more accessible while protecting patients and taxpayers.

Nearly twenty months later, these families are still coming to Congress with a clear message: finish the job. They are calling for bipartisan legislation requiring collision-prevention technology that can warn pilots about nearby aircraft, action on the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendations, and greater transparency and accountability for military operations in shared civilian airspace.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy has said this technology could have prevented the collision. These families should not have to keep returning to Washington to demand action on reforms that could save lives.

We must honor the 67 lives lost not only with our words, but through lasting change. I will continue working alongside these families and colleagues in both parties to strengthen aviation safety and help prevent another tragedy.

Our bill would strengthen efforts to locate and return these children, help them recover, preserve evidence of Russia’s crimes, and hold those responsible accountable.

Following the introduction, I hosted the Justice for Ukrainian Children Congressional Briefing with Iryna Suslova, Director of the Analytical Centre Documenting War Crimes Against Ukrainian Children, and Katya Pavlevych, an advisor on children’s issues with Razom for Ukraine. Held alongside the American Coalition for Ukraine’s annual summit, the briefing brought congressional staff and Ukrainian and human rights advocates together to discuss what Congress and the international community can do to reunite these families.

Artwork created by Ukrainian children was displayed during the briefing, offering a powerful reminder of the young lives behind these staggering numbers. As a father, I cannot imagine the anguish of having a child taken and indoctrinated by a foreign government.

The United States cannot look away. I will continue working across the aisle and alongside Ukrainian advocates to advance this legislation, rescue these children, and hold the perpetrators accountable.

Help More Fairfax Neighbors Find a Place to Call Home

The Fairfax Continuum of Care is seeking public feedback on The Way Home Fairfax, a draft strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness from 2026 through 2031.

The plan focuses on helping people find stable housing faster, preventing homelessness before it happens, and improving support for neighbors who have experienced homelessness the longest.

Residents can review the draft and complete an online survey through Friday, September 18. Your feedback will help shape the final strategy and recommendations.

Review the plan and take the survey. 

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