Washington, D.C. — Today, New Democrat Coalition leaders, including NDC Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02) and New Dem Reps. Nikki Budzinksi (IL-13), Angie Craig (MN-02), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), and Emilia Sykes (OH-13) led a press conference calling on House Republican Leadership to join Democrats in funding the Affordable Connectivity Program, which will expire on April 30th without additional Congressional action.

Ahead of the press conference, 95 New Dem Members – led by Reps. Craig and Budzinski – sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson calling on him to deliver for the American people and bring legislation to the floor that provides the ACP with the funding it needs without delay.

You can read the full transcript of the press conference below and read the letter to Speaker Johnson here:

Chair Annie Kuster: 

Good afternoon everyone. I’m Annie Kuster, Chair of the New Democrat Coalition and I’m proud to stand here with my fellow New Dems in calling on Speaker Johnson and House Republicans to join us in saving the Affordable Connectivity Program. 

Our Members were instrumental in securing this legislation as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2022. But now, if Congress doesn’t act, American households across the country could lose the ACP benefit and potentially lose internet access altogether. The ACP currently empowers 23 million American households across the country to access affordable broadband. 

In my home state of New Hampshire alone, it has benefitted nearly 40 thousand households. These New Hampshire households are using this access to grow their small business operations online, access medical care through telehealth services, while some rural communities are getting this level of access for the first time.  

Unfortunately, despite this being a bipartisan effort just two years ago, House Republican Leadership has blocked any consideration of funding for this program, pushing the ACP towards extinction. It’s no coincidence that Republicans don’t want to renew one of the most popular programs passed under a Democratic President during an election year. 

But this isn’t a red-state or blue-state issue, this program benefits all Americans by ensuring everyone can participate in our modern, digital economy, regardless of where they live. A lapse in funding, which is expected at the end of April, will lead to a direct increase in broadband costs for consumers, internet disruptions, and lapses in coverage. 

We all know how important the internet is to every generation. It enables children to complete their schoolwork, parents and adults to do their jobs, and grandparents and seniors to stay in touch with their family and friends. From ordering groceries to telehealth appointments and more, the internet is critical to participating fully in a 21st-century America. 

That’s why our Coalition is here today, calling on Republicans to put aside their partisan politics and work with Democrats to secure this lifeline for American households once and for all. Now, I’m thrilled to turn it over to New Dem Angie Craig, who led the letter from New Dems with Nikki Budzinski. 

Rep. Angie Craig:

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being here today. We are here to urge Republican leaders to extend funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program – funding that is set to partially run out this month if nothing is done.

The fact that we – here on Capitol Hill – are debating whether or not this program should exist is just another one of the unbelievable things here on Capitol Hill.

Our entire world revolves around receiving and disseminating information, emails and messages quickly. No one at this press conference – or in this building – none of them could do their job without internet access.

So how can we stand here – living in a world with unfettered access to the internet and all the benefits that come with it – and expect our rural communities to navigate the 21^st century without internet access, when we never could?

Today, I ask every Member to recognize the importance that high-speed internet access offers you, your family, your staff – and just try and picture your life without it, even for just one day. If you can’t live without internet, how could we ever ask rural Americans to?

Cutting funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program will have devastating consequences. It would mean again that children are forced to sit in McDonalds’ parking lots just to do their homework, farmers unable to access online marketplaces for their products and rural Minnesotans left without access to telehealth resources.

We cannot accept that reality for rural America – and I’m joining my New Dem colleagues and urging Republican leadership to step up to the plate and extend the funding for this critical program. Thank you so much, and now I’d like to turn it over to Representative Shontel Brown.

Rep. Shontel Brown:

Hello everyone, I’m Congresswoman Shontel Brown, representing Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. I’m proud to join my colleagues in urging Speaker Johnson to bring Congresswoman Clarke’s legislation to extend the ACP to the floor.

Let’s be very clear. Killing the ACP is irresponsible… illogical… and inequitable. Killing the ACP is a conscious decision to deepen the digital divide.

New Dems and members across our Caucus have been sounding the alarm on this for months – and Republican leadership is not budging. It saddens me that this is not a bigger story – because it shows how invisible lower-income people can be.

In my district 46%... 46% of households have enrolled in the ACP. Nearly half. That’s one of the highest figures in the country. We’re talking about 135,000 households in my district. That should tell you about the level of need we have. And a very large percentage of these households are Black and Brown.

And this mirrors what has taken place nationally… where over 5 million Black households have enrolled in the ACP. And these are people who literally just signed up.

And now we’re pulling the plug and cutting the cord. The ACP is the difference between having high-speed internet or not, for lots of those households. That means access to telehealth, digital learning, job opportunities, entrepreneurship… and so much more.

So often the other side of the aisle talks about self-empowerment and self-improvement. Well, this is one of the most necessary components to empowerment – and we need to extend it, not end it. 

Finally, the digital divide is not new.

It’s not something we just started talking about in 2020. The Department of Commerce identified racial and other disparities in internet access as a problem in 1995. And now here we are 30 years later …with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the ACP… we made the most significant investment to date in closing the digital divide ever.

We should not just throw away this progress. We cannot pull the plug on our constituents. It’s time for the Speaker to do the right thing and extend the ACP. And with that it is my privilege to turn it over the gentlewoman from Illinois, Nikki Budzinski.

Rep. Nikki Budzinski:

Good afternoon. My name is Nikki Budzinski. I represent the 13^th District of Illinois – communities in Central and Southern Illinois. When I flipped this seat last year from red to blue, in 2022, voters tasked me with coming to Washington to bring down costs – the costs of everyday services to help working families at home. And that’s what the Affordable Connectivity Program is all about. 

The ACP ensures that lower-income households can afford access to high-speed internet for work, school, health care and a lot more. In 2024, access to internet isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. Since the ACP was launched, more than 17 million households across the country have received support from this program. In the district I serve, I have more than 75,000 households that have subscribed to the Affordable Connectivity Program. And it’s saving families in my district nearly $40 million a year. 

I held a roundtable in East St. Louis where nearly every household – exactly 95 percent of the residents in East St. Louis are reliant on the Affordable Connectivity Program in order to get internet access. In this one community in my district, I heard about what this program has meant for students, for families, for workers, for patients in East St. Louis during this roundtable. And this is quite frankly all at risk if the ACP expires at the end of this month. 

My office has heard from more than 9,000 constituents who would be hurt by the disruption of this program. If Congress allows the ACP to lapse, internet services for millions of Americans will be disrupted. And that’s why I’m so proud to stand with the New Democrats and the colleagues behind me to urge the GOP leadership to maintain this critical program for families in my district and working families all across this country where it truly makes a very big difference. Thank you so much.” 

Rep. Gabe Vasquez:

Good afternoon, buenos tardes, my name is Gabe Vasquez. I proudly represent the second district of New Mexico, and I stand with my colleagues here today to advocate for common sense programs that help keep our low income and rural communities connected. 

I understand how critical it is for my district in New Mexico to have affordable Internet access. Similar to my colleagues who represent these rural and low income districts, 40% of households in my district lack access to high speed internet. 180,000 families benefit from this program across the state. But these are more than just numbers. They're more than just statistics. This program represents the potential and the future of our families in New Mexico, whose lives are profoundly impacted by the continuation of this program.

I've heard from constituents in the most rural parts of my district – in fact, they are conservative communities – where their livelihood depends on maintaining something like a website for their hunting and guiding businesses. I've listened to seniors in places like Deming and Truth or Consequences, who rely on internet services to stay connected with their families and have access to essential services, like tele-health and medication management. And I received messages for mothers, moms in my district. 

We've shared how the ACP has allowed them to better manage their budget so that they can buy an extra $50 worth of groceries that month. This program makes a real tangible difference in the lives of everyday Americans from New Mexico to Ohio. But come April 30, without congressional action, we will be responsible for taking away one of the most vital resources that low income families across our nation have to access health care, education, information, and their own ability and independence to shape their own future. 

We cannot in good conscience allow that to happen. That's why we must extend the Affordable Connectivity Program. Let our children be educated. Let their parents work. Let our seniors and our veterans access the health care that they deserve. Let small businesses thrive in rural America. That's what we're asking collectively here today. Let's keep America united and connected. Thank you. I'll now yield to my colleague from the great state of Ohio, Emilia Sykes.

Rep. Emilia Sykes:

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you Congressman Vasquez, and thank you, Congresswoman Kuster and Congresswoman Budzinski for organizing today's press conference. My name is Amelia Sykes and I proudly represent Ohio's 13th congressional district in Northeast Ohio. 

I'm glad to join my New Dem colleagues today to help call on House Republican leadership to take immediate action to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program, which 84,755 households in my district rely on for affordable internet services. In today's age, access to the internet is not a luxury – it is a necessity. In Northeast Ohio, and in my district, urban, rural and suburban communities alike rely on internet access to learn, work, seek medical care, and explore new opportunities. 

The Affordable Connectivity Program has helped to close the digital divide in Ohio, and it provides critical resources to people in my district that depend on this for their livelihoods. In fact, this is the number one issue of concern for my constituents. I'll say that again. This is the number one issue of concern for constituents in my district. 

My office has received thousands of emails from concerned constituents throughout my district from across the political spectrum, all worried about how they will afford connectivity if ACP runs out. Without this program, the cost of broadband for people in Ohio's 13th district and across the country will simply increase. My constituents and other Americans across the country cannot afford higher costs because of Republican inaction. 

I promised the people in Ohio’s 13th district that I would fight to lower costs. And that's exactly what I intend to do by fighting to keep the Affordable Connectivity Program going. I hope my House Republican colleagues can put politics aside, join us in working for the people of our districts, and extend this vital program.

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