Spanberger Marks 100 Days in the U.S. House, Works to Pursue Bipartisan Healthcare, Infrastructure, & Campaign Finance Reform Legislation

HENRICO, V.A. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today marked her 100th day serving the people of Central Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Since her swearing-in day on January 3, Spanberger has worked to advance priorities important to the people of Virginia’s Seventh District—such as lowering prescription drug costs, expanding access to rural high-speed broadband internet access, and passing campaign finance and ethics reform.

In a statement marking the 100th day of the new Congress, Spanberger thanked Central Virginians for working closely with her office to advance legislation—and she called on Democrats and Republicans to work together in the coming months to fix challenges in the U.S. healthcare system and to pursue wide-ranging infrastructure legislation.

“As we hit the 100-day mark of the new Congress, I’m proud of our efforts to address rising healthcare costs, connect rural families and businesses to high-speed internet, and keep our communities strong, safe, and healthy,” said Spanberger. “Our landmark campaign finance reform package—which included my amendment to help protect the security of U.S. elections—put the public interest ahead of the special interests. Our bill to protect the healthcare coverage of Central Virginians with pre-existing conditions showed our commitment to working families and the vulnerable. And with the passage of bipartisan bills to prevent gun violence, strengthen the Violence Against Women Act, and restore Net Neutrality provisions, we saw genuine glimpses of bipartisan progress in Congress.

“In the coming months, we must continue this commitment to bipartisanship by addressing the shared challenges presented by our nation’s infrastructure and healthcare systems. We need to seriously review how we can maintain and repair our nation’s crumbling roads, bridges, tunnels, and electrical infrastructure. And as we discuss how we expand affordable healthcare coverage to all Americans, I look forward to advancing my bill to lower drug costs and hold third-party prescription drug intermediaries accountable—because the status quo is forcing our district’s seniors to choose between food and medicine. Over the past 100 days, I’ve had the honor of fighting for all Central Virginians on a wide array of issues. It’s a tremendous honor, and I’d like to thank them for keeping me informed, accountable, and inspired.”

Earlier this year, Spanberger pressed House leadership to prioritize smart, bipartisan infrastructure legislation.

Since arriving in the U.S. House, Spanberger has been working to improve access to affordable healthcare for all Americans, expand educational and economic opportunities across Central Virginia’s rural communities, and listen to the concerns and ideas of her constituents.

During her first 100 days in office, Spanberger has prioritized fighting for the issues most important to the people of Central Virginia by:

• Hearing directly from Central Virginians. Since her swearing-in, Rep. Spanberger has held three town halls across Virginia’s Seventh District—and she has announced seven additional town halls to be held in the coming months. Rep. Spanberger has held town halls in Goochland County, Spotsylvania County, and Nottoway County. Spanberger held informal “Coffee with Your Congressperson” events in Amelia and Culpeper. Since January 3, Spanberger has attended 110 events and meetings with constituents across Central Virginia.

• Tackling skyrocketing prescription drug prices. Earlier this week, Spanberger’s bipartisan bill to help tackle the rising cost of prescription drugs passed unanimously out of a key U.S. House committee. And in January, Spanberger helped introduce the legislation to authorize HHS to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical providers within Medicare Part D.

• Protecting Central Virginians with pre-existing conditions. Spanberger helped introduce legislation to lower health insurance premiums and worked to protect Central Virginians with pre-existing conditions. In March, she urged committee leaders to prioritize legislation to stabilize the existing healthcare law. And she has consistently spoken out against the U.S. Department of Justice’s renewed efforts to undermine the U.S. healthcare system.

• Pushing for expanded access to high-speed broadband internet in Central Virginia’s rural communities. Spanberger introduced and helped pass an amendment to improve broadband internet mapping data, and she led a bipartisan effort to increase funding for broadband infrastructure development across rural America. During her first House Agriculture Committee hearing, Spanberger asked U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue about his thoughts on expanding rural broadband internet access.

• Introducing and passing landmark campaign finance and ethics reform. Spanberger helped pass legislation to strengthen transparency in the U.S. political system and limit the influence of special interests and undisclosed donors in the democratic process. The legislation includes a bipartisan amendment Spanberger successfully introduced and helped pass to assess and prevent future foreign threats to U.S. election infrastructure. During a House Democratic Caucus press conference focused on the For the People Act (H.R.1), she outlined her support for campaign finance reform and its implications for the people of Central Virginia.

• Building a platform to advance the priorities of Central Virginia’s farmers and cattlemen. In January, Spanberger was selected to serve as Chair of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry. Last week, Spanberger joined a bipartisan effort to ease trucking regulations on livestock haulers—an effort she pursued following feedback from a meeting with Central Virginia livestock producers last month.

• Introducing and passing bipartisan background checks legislation. Earlier this year, Spanberger helped introduce and pass the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which would require background checks on all gun sales or transfers, with a few exceptions. Spanberger is a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, which was established in Congress following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

• Reaffirming the importance of a smart U.S. foreign policy and global leadership. A Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Spanberger was one of a handful of lawmakers to cosponsor the NATO Support Act, which passed on a strongly bipartisan vote of the U.S. House. In addition, she helped introduce climate change-related legislation that would require the administration to remain in the Paris Climate Accord. Earlier this month, Rep. Spanberger called on the administration to further examine how U.S. isolation in the fight against climate change could hamper international progress on reducing emissions. 

• Fighting for an end to the record-long government shutdown. During the government shutdown, Spanberger went to the White House to meet directly with President Trump as part of a bipartisan group of House Members to discuss border security and the shutdown’s harmful impacts on federal workers. And Spanberger worked to protect pay for service members and law enforcement personnel by introducing legislation that would protect their compensation during lapses in government funding. Upon the reopening of the government, Spanberger led and introduced her first bill, which would help prevent future government shutdowns.

• Fighting for the equal rights of all. Spanberger helped reintroduce and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would push to make sure U.S. women are paid the same amount for the same amount of labor. She also joined onto bipartisan legislation to reaffirm and expand protections for LGBTQ Americans. Additionally, Spanberger worked to restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act by cosponsoring legislation that would protect voter equality and ensure voter access in Virginia and across the country.

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