Dear Neighbor,

It was another eventful week in Houston and Washington.  On Monday, I met with Consul General of Ukraine in Houston Vitali Tarasiuk at his office in our district to express my support for the people of Ukraine and to hear directly from him about how the United States can assist. 

Dozens of neighbors from across our community have called and written to me this week to ask that the United States do all we can to assist the people of Ukraine from Russia’s unprovoked and unconscionable war. 

On Saturday morning, I participated in a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and members of Congress.  We are committed to providing military equipment and support for our allies who are supplying airplanes to Ukraine, to helping Ukrainian refugees, which the United Nations has said is the “fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II,” and further isolating Russia from the global economy.  I will report back next week on the steps we have taken in Congress on these matters.

You may have seen that the Biden Administration has requested $10 billion in humanitarian, military, and economic support for Ukraine from the Congress, and the Speaker of the House has confirmed that the Congress intends to enact this emergency funding this week. 

With these issues very much in mind, this week I introduced the American Energy for Europe Act with Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) to establish a program at the Department of Energy to assist our European partners in replacing Russian natural gas, oil, and nuclear supplies with American energy.  In this historic moment, the United States and our allies and partners must respond to Russia’s aggression in many ways.  Reducing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy—now and in the future—is an important part of that effort. The American Energy for Europe Act is an important part of our response in this moment, and in securing our energy future.

The American Energy for Europe Act establishes a program at the Department of Energy to reduce European reliance on Russian natural gas, petroleum, and nuclear supplies by:

• Authorizing $500,000,000 to carry out the program; and, should the operation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline be permanently discontinued, an additional $1,000,000,000 would be authorized;
• Developing, producing, and procuring resources, materials, or equipment necessary to increase European energy independence; 
• Issuing grants, loans, and loan guarantees to carry out projects that reduce dependence on Russian energy; and 
• Providing technical assistance to allied European countries, as the Secretary of Energy determines necessary.

I also joined my colleagues in sending several letters relating to the situation in Ukraine and on other issues important to our community, including: 

• A letter to President Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Administration to immediately designate Temporary Protected Status for Ukraine, grant Deferred Enforced Departure for Ukrainian nationals, and Special Student Relief for Ukrainian students.
• A letter to President Biden and Secretary Blinken urging the Administration to work with international partners to provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees. 
• A letter to President Biden urging the Administration to bar Russia’s participation in international sport and cultural events.
• A letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and Department of the Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging enforcement of the Affordable Care Act's Birth Control Coverage Requirement and improved outreach and education to providers and patients to understand their lawful rights to $0-copay birth control and recourse available if plans do not comply.
• A letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon and Assistant Army Secretary Michael Connor asking USACE for a significant amount of discretionary navigation operations and maintenance funds to assist in maintaining the existing Houston Ship Channel to its authorized width and depth. 

On Tuesday, I attended President Biden’s first State of the Union where he spoke not only to the Congress but to all of the American people about his vision to build a better America.  I hope you had a chance to see the speech, where he spoke of how and why we must demonstrate that democracy prevails over autocracy, rallying us and the world to stand up for democracy against Russian aggression.

He also shared his vision to grow the economy from the bottom up & middle out and lower costs for American families.  During his first year in office, the economy achieved its fastest job growth in American history and the fastest economic growth in nearly 40 years, but there is more to do to lower costs for American families, by making more things in America; by reducing costs of everyday expenses; promoting fair competition; and eliminating barriers to better-paying jobs for workers.

He also reminded us of the progress we have made, progress fighting COVID over the last year.  Because of the investments we have made as a country, hundreds of millions of Americans have been vaccinated and 99% of schools across the country are open, as we resume our normal routines safely, with preparation for the future in mind.

President Biden also urged us to unite around issues we agree on, asking the Congress to come together to send bills to his desk to beat the opioid crisis; take on the mental health crisis; support our veterans; and end cancer as we know it.

Before the address, I gathered with Members of Congress in the office of the Speaker of the House.  Following the updated CDC mask guidance, masks are now optional in the Capitol.  This was the first time I have been in the Capitol without a mask in two years!

During the State of the Union Address, President Biden called on Congress to pass a law to make sure veterans devastated by toxic exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they deserve. The House did exactly that when we passed the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, H.R. 3967, a comprehensive bill to expand access to care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances and airborne hazards (including from burn pits) during their service to our country who are experiencing cancer and illnesses tied to toxic exposure. 

When we send our servicemembers into harm’s way, we do so with the promise that we will take care of them when they come home, and this bill fulfills that promise to our veterans. 

Also this week, the House overwhelmingly passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, H.R. 55, by a vote of 422–3. If signed into law, this bill would—for the first time in history, and after many attempts—designate lynching as a federal hate crime.  I was proud to co-sponsor this bill introduced by my colleague Bobby Rush of Illinois, and to vote in favor of it this week. 

The House also passed several other bills on a bipartisan basis, including:

• The Six Triple Eight Congressional Gold Medal Act, S.321, to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (commonly known as the ‘Six Triple Eight’) in recognition of their pioneering military service as the only African American Women’s Army Corp unit to serve overseas during World War II and for their contributions to increasing morale by ensuring that no mail went undelivered to  personnel stationed in the European theater of operations. The medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution and made available for display and research.

• The STANDUP Act of 2021, S. 1543, to require state and local educational agencies that receive grant funding for priority mental-health needs, including through the Project AWARE State Education Agency Grant Program, to establish and implement evidence-based suicide awareness and prevention training policies. 

On Wednesday, I participated in a virtual hearing for the Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on the Environment on nature-based infrastructure—titled  “From Gray to Green, Advancing the Science of Nature-Based Infrastructure”—where I asked Dr. Todd Bridges with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about long-term planning for the Texas Coastal Spine Project. To watch the subcommittee hearing, you can click here. 

This week, Team Fletcher met with the American Association for Cancer Research to discuss support for funding for cancer research at the National Cancer Institute within the National Institutes of Health. 

I was glad to announce this week that two TX-07 arts organizations, The Aurora Picture Show and the Young Audiences, have been awarded $65,000 in combined grants through the National Endowment for the Arts’ program, Grants for Arts Projects.  The Aurora Picture Show received $15,000 to support a year-round series of experimental media art works and related public programming and Young Audiences, Inc. of Houston (Houston Arts Partners) received $50,000 to support arts-integration residencies for elementary school students in underserved communities. 

The arts are a powerful and important part of our community, inspiring and uniting us.  I am glad to see these federal funds come to our community to help with this important work.

In addition to the calls and letters about the tragic events in Ukraine, I heard from many constituents this election week about congressional redistricting.  As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the Texas Legislature drew new districts last fall and Governor Abbott signed the new maps into law last November.  With new lines, many of our neighbors will find their homes in new districts in the next Congress, which begins in January 2023.  Current residents may be in districts 7, 8, 9, 22, and 38.  The Texas Tribune has a useful tool to see how redistricting in the state affects you.  Just type in your address to see relevant information.  (The site was last updated on February 14).  

Of course, I am still your representative in this 117th Congress, and I am still here to help you in every way I can.

I will head back to Washington this week.  After many months of negotiations between the House and the Senate, the House is expected to vote on congressional appropriations for fiscal year 2022.  These appropriations are vital to the functioning of our government and I am looking forward to sending you a report next week on the overall funding as well as community projects that will be funded through this legislation. 

Each year, our district team and I meet with many neighbors from across our community who want to be sure certain programs get continued funding in this process—like the meeting with the American Association for Cancer Research mentioned above.  I look forward to many of those meetings in the coming weeks and months, and to working to make sure our community’s priorities are reflected in our annual federal spending bill.

I am honored to represent you and I am here to help you.  Please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email me at fletcher.house.gov/contact at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts.  My team and I are here to help.

With best wishes,