Weekly Update From Rep. Huffman
Hello,
I hope you are staying safe and well. Thank you all for doing your part to stay home and slow the spread. As the state and individual counties begin to ease restrictions, please continue practicing safe social distancing to prevent another spike in infections. We are not out of the woods, and our collective efforts all matter.
My team and I have been hard at work, and I’d like to briefly share with you some of what I’ve been doing as your representative in Congress.
The Heroes Act
Last week, I flew to D.C. to cast my vote for the Heroes Act, a broad and important bill that will help to protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people and the strength of our democracy.
This bill doesn’t include everything I want to see, but it will get relief to tribal, state, and local governments and hospitals and give economic support for many who desperately need it. The bill approved by the House commits?another $75 billion?for the?testing, tracing and treatment?we need – and it also includes direct payments to families, support for essential workers, and relief for renters and homeowners. I know that much more needs to be done, and I will keep calling on the Senate to work with us to put people first, protect American lives, and revive the economy.
Continuing the Climate Conversation
Climate change is continuing to impact the planet, and our work to act on climate can’t take a break. Last Thursday, I joined Sierra Club's Redwood Chapter for an online presentation with chair Randy Macdonald and expert Linda Brown to discuss climate science, national climate policies, what lies ahead, and how we can take action on climate at the local level.
On Tuesday, I led an interactive virtual town hall with The Nature Conservancy California Director of External Affairs and Policy Jay Ziegler for a conversation about California’s environmental priorities against the backdrop of the global pandemic. We had a great conversation about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for our state, country, and planet.
A New Wave of Virtual Hearings
This Monday, I led an unofficial ‘virtual hearing’ in my subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife to explore how American fisheries and the seafood industry are being impacted by the pandemic and economic crisis. This was a fruitful first step in continuing our important committee work to examine how the federal government can support industries and communities hurt by the pandemic.
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| Rep. Huffman gives opening remarks during ‘virtual hearing’ on May 18, 2020. Click here to view the full hearing. |
Weekly Virtual Office Hours
I have been holding virtual “office hours” on Facebook Live every week since March, which have given me the chance to engage with folks on my work and answer live questions from viewers. I always look forward to the thoughtful questions and important topics that we cover, and hope you can join me each week on my Facebook page.
My district staff has been working around the clock to help my constituents with questions about economic impact payments, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, accessing small business programs like PPP and EIDL, repatriation of citizens in foreign countries, and other concerns at the federal level.
Please don’t hesitate to contact my office for assistance if you are in need. You can find your local district office contact on my website here, where you can also find resources to help you and your family access unemployment, housing, food, educational resources, and more.
This is just some of the work I’ve been doing in my role as your representative. If you would like to keep up with what I am doing, please subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Thank you, and stay well,
Jared Huffman
Member of Congress
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