ICYMI: Pelosi Joins Congressional Efforts to Protect Federal Services and Uphold Americans’ Rights

Washington, D.C. - Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined Congressional Democratic colleagues in a series of recent letters, legislative proposals and court briefs addressing federal policies affecting San Franciscans. The efforts include calls to release housing and energy assistance funding, maintain Medicare and Head Start protections, preserve public lands and access to historical records, and protect voting rights and student survivors of sexual assault.

Protecting health care and essential services for children and families:
Pelosi joined colleagues in urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reverse its decision to end the Medicare Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration, which has helped lower prescription drug coverage premiums for nearly 25 million seniors and people with disabilities. Ending the program without a plan to maintain lower costs would increase out of pocket costs for the most vulnerable San Franciscans.

Read the full letter here.(link is external)

To defend early childhood education, Pelosi joined 190 of her colleagues in a bicameral letter demanding that the Department of Health and Human Services withdraw its proposal to remove more than 90 percent of Head Start's federal performance standards. Members warned that the proposal would weaken classroom safety protections, diminish the already struggling child care workforce and reduce critical health screenings and essential services. Members warned the Administration that these changes would undermine critical childhood development and leave working families without reliable child care.

Read the full letter here.(link is external)

Keeping San Franciscans housed and helping them afford their energy bills:
Pelosi joined colleagues in urging the Department of Housing and Urban Development to release overdue guidance on preventing Emergency Housing Voucher funding shortfalls, warning that delays put families at risk of losing their critical rental assistance and becoming unhoused. With more than 44,000 vouchers still in use, including 920 in San Francisco, Members demanded answers from HUD to prevent interruptions in housing assistance.

Read the full letter here.(link is external)

Pelosi also joined colleagues in urging the Department of Housing and Urban Development to immediately release the delayed funding notice for Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS grants and expedite renewal awards. As a proud author of HOPWA, the only federal program dedicated to the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, this initiative supports housing development and provides critical rental assistance and resources for individuals and their families. Any disruptions to HOPWA, including expiring grants and uncertainty over renewals, threatens to interrupt these critical services and put people at risk of homelessness.

Read the full letter here.(link is external)

Pelosi joined 116 of her colleagues in a bipartisan letter urging the Department of Health and Human Services to distribute Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding as soon as possible, which impacts 3,052 households in San Francisco. Members warned the Administration that repeated funding delays and high energy costs could leave families without heat or force them to choose between heating their homes and paying for food, medication or rent.

Read the full letter here.(link is external)

Defending California's public lands:
Pelosi joined 156 of her colleagues in a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to abandon a proposed transfer of land within Yosemite National Park to provide access to a privately owned ranch. Members argued that the unprecedented transaction would brazenly benefit a private landowner and diminish public access to the historic, world-renowned park, and vigorously opposed the misuse use of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Read the full letter here.(link is external)

Pelosi joined colleagues in overwhelmingly opposing the Administration's shameless actions with the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, which removed nearly three million acres from protection. Members warned that opening these lands to mining and drilling threatens sacred Tribal sites, wildlife habitats, scientific resources and local recreation economies. The letter also condemns the dissolution of the Bears Ears Commission and the lack of meaningful Tribal consultation.

Read the full letter here.(link is external)

Preserving San Francisco's history:
Pelosi joined a bipartisan, bicameral letter led by Representatives Kevin Mullin and Judy Chu urging the National Archives and Records Administration to oppose closure of its San Bruno facility. Members warned the Archives that dispersing its records to six facilities across the country would make it harder for families and researchers to access California's history, including records related to the Chinese Exclusion Act and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Read the full letter here.(link is external)

Pelosi also cosponsored the National Archives Protection Act, which would require congressional approval before the National Archives and Records Administration could close or significantly restrict access to existing regional facilities. The legislation would protect access to historical and personal records, many of which have not been digitized and can only be viewed in person, helping families and ensure researchers easily explore our history.

Read the full bill here(link is external).

Safeguarding voting rights and Americans' personal information:
Pelosi joined a bipartisan group of current and former Members of Congress in urging the Supreme Court to sustain an injunction blocking the Administration's new Postal Service restrictions on mail-in voting in place. The brief argues that the Administration cannot unilaterally impose mail-ballot requirements on states or bar election officials from using the Postal Service to send ballots. Members emphasized that the Constitution assigns authority over federal election rules to states and Congress, and that Congress has not authorized the Postal Service to exercise the powers claimed by the Administration.

Read the full brief here.(link is external)

Pelosi joined a bipartisan group of current and former Members of Congress in urging the Supreme Court to reject the Administration's emergency request to implement a federal citizenship verification database that risks disenfranchising voters. The brief argues that linking Social Security records to a government-wide system for bulk searches of sensitive personal information is illegal This action is another overt effort by this Administration to undermine the Congress and violate the separation of powers as envisioned by our Founders.

Read the full brief here.(link is external)

Protecting students from sexual harassment and assault:
Pelosi joined colleagues in calling for an immediate investigation by the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General into the Department's failure to adequately enforce Title IX protections for student survivors. The letter urges investigators to examine whether staffing cuts, regional office closures and changes in enforcement priorities have delayed investigations and undermined accountability for campus sexual harassment and assault.

Read the full letter here(link is external).