Friend,

I have good news and bad news.

First the good news: The House finally has a new speaker. Like you and so many folks across our district, I’m fed up with the failure of Republican leadership we’ve had to watch over the past three weeks. With a new speaker now in place, Congress can finally get back to work passing laws, holding hearings, and delivering for the hardworking families we represent.

Now, the bad news: The new speaker is Mike Johnson. It’s important for folks to know how Republicans got to this point – electing Speaker Mike Johnson on a party line vote. Rather than House Democrats to find a bipartisan path forward – one we offered countless times over the past 22 days – the GOP cycled through multiple losing candidates before picking Mike Johnson, a Congressman from Louisiana.

If you’re wondering who Mike Johnson is, you’re not alone. During his seven years in office, Speaker Johnson has supported some of the most extreme policies put forward by hardline Republicans, but done so in a way that is apparently more palatable to the so-called moderates in his own party.

• The Economy: Within the last month, Speaker Johnson voted to force a catastrophic government shutdown that would’ve hurt working families and devastated our economy.

• Seniors: Speaker Johnson supports steep cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits that millions of seniors depend on to make ends meet.

• Women’s Rights: Speaker Johnson wants to pass a nationwide ban on abortion care, including in cases of rape or incest.

• Same-Sex Marriage: Speaker Johnson opposed a bipartisan bill to enshrine the right of same-sex and interracial couples to get married.

• Overturning Elections: Speaker Johnson pushed bogus election fraud claims that led to the attack on the Capitol on January 6th and defended Donald Trump’s actions during his subsequent impeachment.

Each of these positions from Speaker Johnson are dangerous. They’re the opposite of what the American people want, which is for Republicans and Democrats to come together to find bipartisan solutions to the problems they face – problems that transcend partisan politics.

I’m committed to working in a bipartisan way to solve those challenges, and Speaker Johnson now has an opportunity to uphold Republicans’ obligation to do the same.

Sincerely,