Dear Friends,   Never before has a President faced the sheer number of crises that Joe Biden did when he was elected.   Yet what congressional Democrats have done in collaboration with Biden-Harris administration in the past year is truly extraordinary.   First and foremost, we have left the crisis phase of COVID-19. We alleviated the most devastating impacts of this virus on our communities: our schools have reopened, our hospitals are not overwhelmed, our economy is rebounding, and we are able to safely gather once more. We have gotten more than a half a billion shots in arms and greatly reduced the most life-threatening impacts of this pandemic.   And by just about every metric available, the economy is strong.  More than six million jobs were created in 2021—the fastest job growth in American history.  The unemployment rate has declined more than any year on record, household incomes are up, and child poverty and hunger are down.  The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden will continue to provide state and local governments with the resources necessary to rebuild and renew America. This law replaces millions of lead pipes that are poisoning out children, includes my provision to reinstate the Superfund tax to clean up toxic waste and make polluters pay, and expands broadband access to underserved communities across America, connecting them to a vital lifeline to work, healthcare, and education.  All of this is being implemented with sustainability and the climate crisis top of mind.  Crucially, President Biden has also regained the trust of our international allies to effectively counter Putin’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine. Our allies in Europe have joined us in imposing exacting and painful sanctions against Russia. I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for using every tool at our disposal, short of armed conflict, to condemn Putin’s ruthless and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and support the people of Ukraine during this horrific time. As chair of the powerful Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, I am working to advance legislation to end Russia’s “most-favored nation” trading relationship, which the United States last did against those committing genocide in the Bosnia and Herzegovina three decades ago.  I was especially heartened to hear the President talk about the importance of addressing America’s mental health crisis, an issue that affects all of us. This message comes on the same day that the University of Oregon announced their plan to repurpose the former Concordia campus into a children’s behavioral health campus in the heart of Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District. I applaud the President for recognizing this urgent need and look forward to supporting the University of Oregon and other regional educational institutions to advance research and training of clinicians to address children’s behavioral health.  But as the President said tonight, we are not done yet. I am looking forward to continuing working with the President to build a better America, lower costs for American families, address the full scope of the climate crisis, and defend our democracy.