If you want to understand what's broken about federal climate policy, don't start in Washington. Start at a table in a town recreation center, with a room full of neighbors, a map of your coastline, and a stack of post it notes.

This spring, Hampton finished its first Coastal Resilience Roadmap, the product of seven months of forums, surveys, and community listening sessions.

Energy prices are high. There are short term reasons for this, like Trump’s disastrous war in Iran. There are also long term reasons for this including failure to make consistent and predictable investments in renewable energy. But, one decades-old reason for sky-high energy prices is clear and infuriating: political corruption.

Today is Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day in the Marshall Islands, honoring the victims of U.S. nuclear testing there. The U.S. must continue to ensure survivors receive the support and health care they need. We must also work to end nuclear testing once and for all and work to rid the world of the existential threat of nuclear war.

A few weeks ago, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists issued a dire warning. They moved the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds until midnight; closer than we have ever been to catastrophe. Our country and our planet have never faced a moment as dangerous as this one, and we all must wake up to the danger and act to prevent disaster. These weapons have shaped our past and present, and if we don’t act now, they could end our future. I am honored to share these stories with my community in the hopes that one day, we will all live in a world free from these horrible instruments of destruction.

I support policies that don’t yet have universal backing within the party, like Medicare for All and “back-from-the-brink” legislation that would ensure no single person, including President Donald Trump, has unilateral authority to launch nuclear weapons. When you listen to people across the district, you don’t start by asking what party they belong to. You ask what they care about. People want to be safe, afford to live here and cool down the tone of our politics.

A recent study led by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that living closer to a nuclear power plant is associated with higher cancer rates, with risk increasing with age and decreasing the farther from these plants people live. The study examined data from seven nuclear power plants located within 120km of Massachusetts zip codes, including Seabrook Station in New Hampshire. 

Federal laws like the Clean Air Act have driven major improvements by setting tough vehicle emissions standards, encouraging cleaner technologies, and holding states accountable. Real progress depends on electing leaders who will stand up for these protections.

When I get to Washington, I will:

• fight to defend and strengthen our air quality and emissions standards,

• advocate for policies that address the public health problems stemming from air pollution,

• hold auto companies accountable,

• and keep the public informed.