Massachusetts has nine representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives. Each district, representing approximately 710,000 individuals, elects a representative to the House for a two-year term. Representatives are also called congressmen/congresswomen. The base salary for a member of Congress is $174,000.
Presidents should be elected by the popular vote. If the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which Massachusetts joined in 2010, is approved by a sufficient number of states to make it binding, I will work to secure congressional assent for its implementation.
As the youngest Democratic parent in Congress, the responsibility to safeguard clean air, water and energy for future generations is paramount to me. I strongly supported the Inflation Reduction Act-the biggest, boldest climate action in history-to kickstart American leadership on this vital issue.
Two of my priorities related to climate action are (1) housing & transportation policy and (2) fast-tracking permitting for clean-energy generation and transmission. By promoting mixed-use, walkable development and non-car modalities like transit, cycling, and walking, governments at all levels can reduce per capita carbon footprints and knit together our downtowns into more cohesive, vibrant, and sustainable places.
Four in five pregnancy-related deaths in the US are preventable. Access to quality, affordable healthcare, including peri-natal care – is a civil right. I am a sponsor of the Momnibus Act, a series of bills to tackle the maternal health crisis and save the lives of mothers and infants. The Momnibus Act includes investments in factors that affect maternal health, including child care, housing, transportation, and nutrition that affects maternal health. It also increases funding for maternal health care for veterans; and takes steps to improve data collection processes to better understand the causes of the maternal health crisis.
As a Marine officer, I slept, ate, trained, & patrolled with an assault weapon for 4 years. Weapons of war have no place on our streets or near our schools. I have supported 23 gun safety-related bills in Congress. My gun-safety priorities include:
Universal background checks; mandatory safe storage to protect children from their leading cause of death, gun violence; stricter enforcement of ghost guns; red flag laws; assault weapons ban; adequate resourcing for crime-gun tracing & enforcement by the ATF; overturning the 2005 law granting gun manufacturers immunity from liability.
My political action committee-Beyond Thoughts and Prayers-has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to elect pro gun-safety Democratic candidates & incumbents.
America needs comprehensive immigration reform. I cosponsored the DIGNITY Act, a bipartisan bill that affords documentation and dignity to immigrants without legal status in the US, provided that they pay back-taxes and meet other standards.
The DIGNITY Act also upgrades border security and pre-processes migrants in countries of origin. It streamlines and rationalizes asylum and visa pathways, with particular provisions to ensure that Dreamers, who have built lives here in the United States-the only country they've ever known-have a route to citizenship.
I will continue to press for pragmatism and compromise in immigration legislation to ensure due process, secure our border, and keep America true to its ideals as a nation of immigrants.
