Issues

It is an honor to represent the 2nd District. Our shared values – working hard, caring for each other, and serving the community – guide my work in Congress to serve the people of Northwest Washington.

I am committed to lowering costs, bringing investments home to Northwest Washington, holding the administration & ICE accountable, combatting fentanyl in our communities, protecting reproductive freedom, and supporting our veterans.

Affordability and Cost of Living

Our economy should work for everyone, but right now, too many hard-working people are struggling to make ends meet and cannot cover basic needs. Costs like groceries, health care, housing, gas, and energy are far too high. I oppose policies that raise prices on families, like sweeping tariffs and reckless foreign wars, and I support practical steps that reduce costs, strengthen supply chains, lower utility bills through clean energy and efficiency and invest in transportation choices that save people money.

Health Care

I believe health care is a right, and I support universal, affordable coverage. That is why I am fighting to reduce health care costs and expand access to high-quality health care that fits families’ budgets. I voted to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs for working families and seniors: by letting Medicare negotiate drug prices, capping out-of-pocket costs for seniors, and capping the price of insulin at $35 per month. I also voted to restore the ACA tax credits for 26,000 people in Northwest Washington, as Republicans and the Trump administration removed their coverage.

I have long been committed to supporting care for our seniors and to strengthening Social Security and Medicare. I voted to close a longstanding coverage gap in Medicaid that locks out 4 million people nationwide, to expand Medicare to cover hearing benefits, and to lower out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. I oppose the privatization of Medicare and have called for stricter accountability for private Medicare Advantage plans. I also oppose the privatization of Social Security and sponsored “Scrap the Cap” legislation, which would no longer exempt income earned above $147,000 from Social Security taxes to strengthen the Social Security fund.

Immigration

I will not vote for any full-year funding for the Department of Homeland Security and ICE that fails to create oversight and accountability. I am demanding that ICE follow the same rules as every other law enforcement agency – including higher training standards for officers, and requiring a visible ID and body cameras.

I support legislation to end child and family detention and prohibit DHS from using private, for-profit facilities for immigration detention. I also support legislation that will require DHS to provide detained individuals with in-person medical exams, safe drinking water, adequate meals, private and sanitary restrooms, basic personal hygiene products, and provide individuals in immigration detention with unlimited communication with legal counsel.

Housing

Families in Northwest Washington are struggling to afford their skyrocketing rent and don’t know if they will ever be able to buy a house of their own. Increasing the supply of affordable homes, supporting first-time homebuyers and renters, strengthening housing tax incentives, and investing in local infrastructure are essential to tackling the rising costs of housing.

Recently, I supported efforts to expand affordable housing options and have continued to work with local leaders to bring federal resources back for affordable housing priorities. This will help our communities build the housing they need.

Economy and Jobs

For many in Northwest Washington, a job is not just an occupation – it is a source of dignity. That is why, in addition to supporting our local economy, we must expand access to affordable childcare so working families can succeed. We must support our local workers, which includes raising the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour, guaranteeing equal pay for equal work, providing skills training across sectors, especially for our youth, and growing the strength of organized labor.

Creating good-paying jobs and expanding skills training are critical in addressing rising costs. I believe that transportation investment, domestic manufacturing, apprenticeship pathways, community and technical colleges, and strong labor protections are essential to long-term affordability because the best antidote to rising costs is a good job with decent pay and benefits.

Fentanyl

We have made progress in the fight against the opioid epidemic in recent years, but there is more work to be done. I believe that addiction is a disease, and I am working to bring funding to local prevention and recovery services. I am also working to strengthen law enforcement’s ability to hold accountable those who bring these drugs into our communities.

My office released a report in 2024: The Opioid Crisis in Washington’s Second Congressional District and a Comprehensive Solution (PDF). Congress and the Biden administration can and must do more to coordinate with local governments, Tribal communities, law enforcement, health care providers and community partners to tackle the opioid epidemic and help individuals suffering from opioid addiction – and I will lead that work.

Reproductive Freedom

I will always fight for the right to choose reproductive health care. I support suspending the filibuster to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would re-establish a nationwide right to abortion and enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law. I also support protecting a doctor’s ability to prescribe medication abortion via telehealth to reach patients across the country, including in rural communities, and protecting a woman’s right to travel across state lines to receive abortion care.

In 2022, I was outraged by the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. This backward ruling struck a blow to our basic constitutional rights of liberty, privacy, and equality, which is why the American people overwhelmingly oppose the decision. Since the overturning of Roe, reproductive rights have continued to be attacked all across the country, and their attempts continue. As a member of Congress with a 100% voting record on choice, I will fight to codify abortion rights nationwide in federal law.

Veterans

The 2nd District is home to nearly 51,000 veterans, including many veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am committed to ensuring that the women and men who have served our country in uniform get the resources and services they need – whether it be health care, housing, or career training. My office released a report last year: Listening to Veterans in Northwest Washington, reporting veterans' most pressing challenges and outlining policy recommendations for Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

I am working to expand fertility and family-building services that are covered under servicemembers’ and veterans’ health care to include in vitro fertilization (IVF) and adoption assistance, for servicemembers and veterans who are unable to conceive without assistance, and the option for individuals to freeze their eggs or sperm ahead of deployment to a combat zone. I have also fought for bills to provide all veterans with job-skills training and to expand veterans’ access to breast cancer screenings.

I have also fought for bills to provide all veterans with job-skills training, to provide business owners a tax credit to hire veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and to get more homeless veterans into permanent housing.I have worked to pass a bipartisan measure that extends a popular transportation program to help veterans travel to see their doctors.

Environment

A healthy environment is vital to Washingtonians’ way of life and the regional economy – and that is why mitigating climate change must be a top priority. I helped draft and pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which continues to invest federal dollars into green jobs, provides Washingtonians with more transportation options, eases congestion in local communities, and reduces carbon pollution across the state.

I introduced and helped pass the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act, a bipartisan bill that will help protect these diverse bird populations and their habitats in the Pacific Northwest and provide a significant boost to the outdoor economy. I also introduced and helped pass a bill to reauthorize the Northwest Straits Commission, ensuring the Commission can continue its work to restore the marine ecosystem of the Northwest Straits region to increase the overall health of the Puget Sound.

Transportation and Infrastructure

In Washington state, transportation means jobs. You cannot have a big league economy with a little league infrastructure. As the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have worked hard to bring home federal money and make investments in our roads, bridges, highways and transit to relieve congestion, improve safety and spur economic growth in local communities.

The Pacific Northwest is the aerospace capital of the world, and I am committed to ensuring the United States invests in our aviation future. Aviation manufacturing and maintenance are powerful economic engines, and mean jobs in Northwest Washington. I will continue to support the growth and safety of our country’s aviation industry.

The administration’s freeze and clawback of transportation grants has put billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of jobs and tens of thousands of projects at risk. I will continue standing up for families who depend on safe and reliable transportation every day and for communities who depend on infrastructure investments to create jobs.

Voting Rights

I am committed to protecting the right to vote and defending our democratic institutions, values, and norms. I have proudly voted for landmark legislation to end partisan gerrymandering, require disclosure of dark money, expand opportunities to vote, and restore voting rights protections.