Friends,
2026 is underway. Unfortunately, thanks to President Trump, we’re off to a rocky start.
- On January 1, new monthly premiums for Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans went into effect, sending health care costs soaring for more than 20 million Americans.
- On January 3, the United States carried out strikes in Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro. While Maduro was an illegitimate dictator who inflicted horrible suffering on Venezuelans, Trump and his administration have yet to explain to the American people how their actions will result in a stable outcome that advances our national interest.
- On January 7, an ICE agent in Minneapolis shot and killed Renee Good, a mother of three, in her car as she began driving away from an ICE operation. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Good committed “an act of domestic terrorism” despite video evidence showing nothing of the sort.
- On January 11, Trump’s Justice Department launched a bogus criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell after the Federal Reserve declined to cut interest rates as quickly as Trump wanted. The Fed has resisted the President’s demands out of concern that faster rate cuts would drive inflation, raising prices for consumers.
This comes after a tumultuous 2025, where the Trump administration and Republicans:
- Launched “DOGE” to conduct mass firings of the federal workforce and cut government spending, including major cuts at the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. However, multiple analyses have found that the initiative produced little to no net savings, while significantly weakening agencies’ ability to deliver services and respond to the public.
- Issued sweeping tariffs that have increased costs on everyday goods Americans depend on. Study after study suggests the tariffs are overwhelmingly being paid by Americans, not foreign countries as Trump has claimed.
- Passed Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which kicks more than 10 million Americans off their health insurance and cut food assistance for 4 million, while providing $1 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of Americans and increasing the national debt by $3.4 trillion.
- Delayed releasing the Epstein files for months despite mounting demands from victims of Epstein’s abuse. Since Congress voted to force the release of the files in November, Trump’s Department of Justice has released only 1% of the files.
- Refused to join Democrats to enact a bill to prevent average premiums from doubling for more than 20 million Americans enrolled in ACA Marketplace health care plans.
Trump promised he would lower costs. Instead, many of his policies, most notably his tariffs, are continuing to raise them.
Pushing Back
In the midst of this chaos, I wanted to hear directly from you about how Trump’s actions are affecting your lives.
That is why I launched a town hall listening tour to hear your concerns, answer your questions, and lay out how my colleagues and I are pushing back against the Trump administration’s reckless, dangerous, and often unlawful actions.
As the minority party in Congress, Democrats generally cannot bring legislation to restrain Trump to the floor without the support of Republican leaders, who control what is considered under regular order.
In response, in limited cases where a few Republicans have been willing to join us, Democrats have used a procedure called a discharge petition to bypass House Republican leadership and force votes on key legislation by simply securing the support of a majority of House members.
- A petition led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and joined by all Democrats and three Republicans forced the House to consider a bill requiring the Department of Justice to release the Epstein Files. The bill passed with near unanimous support.
- A petition led by Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and joined by all Democrats and four Republicans forced a vote on a bill to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years, after Republican leaders let them expire at the end of 2025. The bill passed last Friday with 17 Republicans joining all Democrats.
Additionally, the Trump administration’s actions are being challenged in court—and a number have already been blocked or overturned. Recently federal judges:
- Ordered Trump to end California National Guard troop deployment in Los Angeles.
- Required the Trump administration to fund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency tasked with protecting Americans from financial abuses, after the Trump administration tried to gut its funding.
- Ruled the Trump administration must pay full November SNAP benefits after they refused to use a contingency fund to distribute benefits during the October-November government shutdown.
While court cases move forward, I am continuing to exercise my oversight authority in Congress through my role as Chair of the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, demanding answers from the Trump administration when it fails to carry out its responsibilities to the American people in these areas.
I have also made it a priority to keep constituents like you informed about what is happening in Washington, because protecting our democracy requires all of us to stay engaged.
Fighting for You in 2026
Here’s the truth: There is no telling what the Trump administration will set their sights on doing in 2026.
In addition to using the American military and taxpayer money in Venezuela, Trump has openly threatened to take over Greenland, Cuba, Panama, and Colombia. He’s also continuing to deploy his army of masked ICE agents to cities across the country to terrorize American communities. None of this is helping the American people.
But here’s what I do know: I’m going to stay focused on delivering tangible results to you and your neighbors in the 6th district of South Carolina.
I am working to ensure that federal funds allocated to South Carolina under the Biden administration are spent as Congress intended, such as the more than $550 million allocated to South Carolina by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make high-speed internet accessible and affordable to all.
And as Congress moves forward with bills to fund the government for the rest of this fiscal year, I’m optimistic I can secure critical investments for our communities.
Lastly, I’m going to continue speaking up about what the Trump administration is doing, keeping you informed and holding his administration accountable in Congress.
I spent 2025 listening to people all over South Carolina about the issues they are facing: unaffordable rents, skyrocketing health care costs, increasing energy bills, and ballooning car and credit card payments.
I wish the current administration were focused on issues like these. Instead, Trump is busy renaming buildings after himself and starting costly conflicts overseas that are not in the interest of the United States.
He’s focused on himself and his wealthy friends, when he should be focused on you.
In 2026, I’m going to keep fighting for you.
Sincerely,
Jim