E-Newsletters

Dear Friend,

In recent weeks, our country has seen devastating hurricanes across the Gulf, catastrophic flooding across the Northeast, and dangerous wildfires across the West Coast. Climate change is happening right before our eyes.

As part of my mission to further understand how climate change is already impacting our nation, I have led six climate change tours of our National Parks. These climate change tours have given me the chance to see firsthand the devastating impacts our world is experiencing and the ways park staff are working to combat it.

Juneteenth celebrates the date that the last enslaved people were freed in the United States, finally ending one of the original sins of our democracy. On June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and shared news of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, more than two years after the proclamation was signed.

Since January, I have heard from close to 1,000 of my constituents who have been receiving mail only a few times per week. Often, households are going a week or more without any mail delivery at all. Although there has been sporadic mail delivery in our communities before, this is the worst it has been in years.

As the global pandemic continues, millions of Americans are facing new health concerns and also remain underinsured or uninsured and still need affordable health coverage. Thats why President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for a Special Enrollment Period so you and your families can apply and enroll in the coverage you need.

Beginning today, February 15, 2021, through August 15, 2021, you can purchase, change, or renew your health care plans under the Affordable Care Act for coverage starting on the 1st of the next month.

First and foremost, I want to thank each and every one of you who have reached out in recent days to offer your support and check on the well-being of my staff and I. While I am fortunate enough to have come through last Wednesday's events unscathed, I remain shocked and appalled by what took place.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am writing to you about the difficult decisions we all find ourselves facing.

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year filled with joyous and cherished traditions. At this time of year, we're always reminded of what's truly important in life—our family, friends, and loved ones. And this holiday season, keeping those dearest to us safe should be of the utmost importance to us all.

Each year, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year, we pause as a nation to honor all those who have served in our armed forces.

I so wish that we could all be together today. In any other year, we would be celebrating our veterans at parades and festivals and thanking veterans in person. This year, we honor our veterans – and particularly our elderly veterans – by staying home instead.