Taking care of our friends, neighbors, and community
Presidents Trump and Musk have been sowing chaos and confusion into every area of our lives. I am working hard to protect the values of Northwest Washington, and keeping an eye on all that Trump and Musk are doing to push forward their Republican Rip-Off.
President Trump and his Republican Rip-Off are directly putting the lives of Northwest Washingtonians at risk. A healthy environment is vital to Washingtonians' way of life and the regional economy, but Trump's indiscriminate budget cuts are putting our beautiful environment at risk.
This month I joined several representatives from Washington to write a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, and U.S. Forest Service Chief, Tom Schultz. In the letter, we urged them to reinstate all the fired workers who are critical to taking care of forests in Northwest Washington, responding to wildfires, and ensuring responsible timber harvesting.
I am committed to standing up for Northwest Washington and our values - and that includes protecting our beautiful environment.
And if the Republican Rip-Off attacks on our beautiful public lands in Northwest Washington are not enough, they are also trying to make major cuts that will impact my work as the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. My work includes addressing aviation safety and protecting essential infrastructure funding for local projects which are now all under threat because of the Republican Rip-Off.
After the tragic aviation accident above the Potomac River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to work tirelessly and investigate the accident. Earlier this month, the NTSB released a preliminary report on the accident, and in response, I released a joint statement with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders. The Committee will continue to review reports as more information is released, and I am committed to working in a bipartisan manner to strengthen the safety of our aviation system.
Additionally, the Republican Rip-Off budget cuts are aiming to claw back previously awarded funding for investments in biking and walking and electric vehicle infrastructure. The Trump Administration's attempt to ignore Congress and the law by slashing grants for bike and pedestrian infrastructure and EV charging is a direct attack on communities who were awarded funding to invest in safer, cleaner mobility solutions. This decision by the U.S. Department of Transportation is halting four years' worth of awarded projects and undermines many critical infrastructure projects underway in Northwest Washington.
You cannot have a big league economy with a little league infrastructure. I work hard to bring home federal money for critical transportation projects, and I will continue to stand up against the Republican Rip-Off that aims to take away this funding.
I have heard from many of you personally how Trump's indiscriminate and chaotic cuts are already impacting you, and we need to continue to speak out against these cuts and the Republican Rip-Off. Together, we can push back against the Republican Rip-Off and protect our friends and neighbors in Northwest Washington.
More soon,
Rick
