Hello Friends,
My heart is heavy this week following the horrific mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old with an assault weapon murdered 19 children and two teachers in their elementary school classroom while injuring more than a dozen others.
While I strongly support the Second Amendment, we simply must ensure that parents in New Hampshire and across the country have the right to send their kids to school knowing they will be safe.
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The majority of Americans support commonsense measures to prevent gun violence — measures I have been proud to help pass in the House of Representatives. |
Gun violence is a public health epidemic. I have voted over and over for common-sense legislation to prevent gun violence, but time and again, Senate Republicans have failed to act. There is more that we can and must do, and in the coming weeks, I will proudly vote for legislation to help prevent tragedies by ensuring those who are in crisis or pose a serious threat to the public are temporarily prevented from owning a firearm.
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The 19 children and two educators who were ripped from their families far too soon will never be forgotten. |
No one should know the pain of losing a loved one to a senseless act of gun violence. My heart is with the parents and families of the victims of this week’s horrific mass murder. Nineteen parents are preparing to bury their 10-year-old children, and that is not something we can or should accept in this country. Let’s take a moment to remember them. - Eva Mireles, 44
- Irma Garcia, 48
- Xavier Lopez, 10
- Uziyah Garcia, 9
- Alexandria Aniyah Rubio, 10
- Jose Flores, 10
- Tess Mata, 10
- Amerie Jo Garza, 10
- Jayce Luevanos, 10
- Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10
- Miranda Mathis, 11
- Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10
- Jackie Cazares, 10
- Ellie Garcia, 10
- Alithia Ramirez, 10
- Rojelio Torres, 10
- Makenna Lee Elrod, 10
- Nevaeh Bravo, 10
- Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, 10
- Eliahana 'Elijah' Cruz Torres, 10
- Layla Salazar, 10
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I will continue working to protect our children and our communities from senseless gun violence. |
This week, I pressed Biden administration officials and our nation’s largest infant formula producers about the shortages. |
Granite Staters and families across this country are scrambling to find infant formula. They are driving miles across state lines, forming local donation pools, and even falling victim to scams and counterfeit products out of desperation. On Wednesday, I questioned officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and major infant formula manufacturers about the nation’s formula shortage, steps that have been taken to increase supply, and what further action is necessary to ensure families’ access to safe formula across the country.
While Abbott bears responsibility for why its product recalls were necessary at all, it was ultimately the safe thing to do to ensure the health of infants. However, it is going to take industry-wide dedication to increase production so that retailers can keep their shelves stocked. I was glad to see the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and President Biden take crucial steps — including invoking the Defense Production Act — to address this shortage, but we must do more. I am committed to working with my colleagues to help ensure formula makes it back onto the shelves as safely and quickly as possible and prevent future shortages.
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I will continue working to ensure survivors have the support they need to get back on their feet. |
On Tuesday, I questioned communications safety experts during a legislative hearing in the Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee entitled, “Strengthening our Communications Networks: Legislation to Connect and Protect.” My line of questioning focused on my bipartisan legislation, the Safe Connections Act, which would help survivors of domestic violence and other crimes cut ties with their abusers and separate from shared wireless service plans, which can be exploited to monitor, stalk, or control victims.
Survivors of domestic violence face countless challenges as they move forward to rebuild their lives, and the process of separating their phone lines from a wireless plan controlled by their abusers is a critical but often overlooked step. This bill is a common-sense solution that will make a significant difference for survivors. I look forward to advancing this bill to implement these critical measures to ensure the safety of survivors and help them quickly cut ties with their abusers. I will continue working to prevent domestic and sexual violence and support survivors.
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At-home COVID-19 testing can help stop the spread in our communities. |
U.S. households are now able to order an additional eight free at-home COVID tests — bringing the total number of free tests available to each household since the start of the program to 16. To order your tests, visit http://COVIDTests.gov.
Our country has worked tirelessly to push back against COVID-19 — vaccines and booster shots are a key tool toward maintaining and building on this progress. Late last week, the CDC officially recommended COVID-19 vaccine boosters for children ages 5 to 11 to help our students stay in school and get back to their lives, safely.
Learn more about eligibility for this new booster and find a shot near you: https://www.vaccines.gov/
As always, the CDC and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services are the best resources to turn to for information about COVID-19. If you are sick, stay home and call your health care provider.
To stay updated on my work in Congress and around the Granite State and for important information and resources, like my page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.
I hope you have a safe and fun weekend!
Sincerely,
Annie
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