July 2, 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friend,

It’s been another busy and productive week in Washington. I am excited to share some important updates for our district and the Commonwealth.

This week, I successfully secured over $31 million dollars in federal funding for local transportation and infrastructure priorities in our district. In addition, there is some great news regarding a funding surplus in Virginia and additional resources being made available to families thanks to the American Rescue Plan.

As June comes to an end and we close out another Pride Month, I was happy to be able to participate in several events focused on the LGBTQ+ community. My office is planning exciting and helpful events for July – more details below. Finally, I have been hearing about longer-than-expected wait times for passport applications. My office is here to help.

Infrastructure Funding for Our District

This past week was filled with great news regarding funding for infrastructure investment in our district. I am thrilled to have secured over $31 million dollars in funding for local projects that will help modernize our infrastructure, create new jobs, and stimulate our economy!

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to submit up to ten projects to the House Appropriations Committee for funding consideration through a process known as Community Project Funding. This week, I heard back from the committee about the first five projects I submitted, and I am proud to announce that all five were selected for funding. These projects include broadband expansion and revitalization in Charles City County, which will ensure nearly 100% of residents have access to high-speed internet; three crucial water upgrade projects for Prince George, Surry, and Petersburg, which will increase access to safe drinking water for all residents and upgrade existing water systems; and a project to improve pedestrian access and safety in Hopewell. I was able to secure nearly $12 million dollars in federal funding for these important upgrades to our district. The House Appropriations Committee is working quickly to process all of the requests, and I suspect to have an update on the other five projects in the coming weeks.

In addition to the Community Project Funding developments, I joined my House colleagues in passing the INVEST in America Act, a comprehensive surface transportation reauthorization bill that aims to modernize our country’s roads, bridges, transit, and rails. I continuously advocated for our district’s priorities while this bill was being crafted and successfully secured over $19 million dollars for additional transportation projects in the Fourth Congressional District. That funding will go to crucial infrastructure upgrades in several localities, including Richmond, Surry, Chesterfield, Chesapeake, and Prince George, and will help expedite the transportation of people, goods, and services throughout our district and the Commonwealth.

I know these projects will have important impacts in our district. It’s an honor to fight for our communities’ interests in Washington. I will be sure to update you as more information is made available.

Federal Funding Helping Virginia 

Thanks to President Biden’s American Rescue Plan and other important federal resources my colleagues and I have helped pass, Virginia will end its fiscal year this week with a revenue surplus of close to $2 billion. This surplus will be deposited into the Commonwealth’s Rainy-Day Fund, protecting us in the event of weaker economic times and preserving our strong bond rating.

The American Rescue Plan also provides localities with nearly $3 billion to address their needs. So far, over $78 billion has been pumped into the Virginia economy from direct aid, stimulus checks to Virginians, aid to jurisdictions and other COVID relief, making a huge difference for Virginians and helping them withstand the pandemic. 

Pride Activities 

This past week, I was excited to conclude Pride Month by hosting a roundtable on H.R. 5, the Equality Act, and discuss other ways we can eliminate discrimination and prejudice. I also spoke at Suffolk Pride last weekend and appreciated the opportunity to advocate for equality and engage with the community. We all must keep working together to combat bigotry and prejudice. Love is love and people should be able to be who they truly are!

Mobile McEachin – for Help with a Federal Agency

Are you missing benefits? Tax return not arrived? Trying to get a visa? If you are struggling with a federal agency and need help, here is an opportunity for an appointment with one of my experienced and knowledgeable constituent services representatives. Our next Mobile McEachin will be on Wednesday, July 14th 10:30-3pm. Sign up here for an appointment, and my staff will be happy to help with federal agency problems. 

Child Tax Credit

Thanks to President Biden, with the help of my colleagues and I, most American families are entitled to a significant tax credit, of up to $3600 for every qualifying child under age 18.  This year, you may be able to get some of the child tax credit sooner, in the form of monthly advance payments. The first ones are set to go out on July 15th.  

This is a tax credit, which means it reduces your tax bill on a dollar-for-dollar basis. This child tax credit is also refundable - it can potentially reduce your tax bill to zero and you might be able to get a tax refund check for anything left over.

For this year, the child tax credit offers up to $3,000 for each qualifying dependent child who is 17 or younger on Dec. 31, 2021. The credit increases to $3,600 if the child is under 6 on Dec. 31, 2021.

To help make sure everyone has all the information about this much-needed child tax credit, I will be hosting a virtual roundtable on July 12th at 5:30pm with my colleague, good friend and neighbor, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03). We will be joined by childcare providers and families. This is a great opportunity to get all the information you need about this critical tax credit. You can register to attend here. I hope you’ll join us!

Passport Issues

With vaccine uptake curbing COVID-19 transmission rates, many Americans are choosing to travel both domestically and internationally. Unfortunately, this has caused a serious backlog for obtaining and/or renewing passports. What used to be a fairly expeditious task is now often taking three months for renewals and four months for an original passport, because of the overwhelming number of requests in a short timeframe continued problems with mail delivery. Expedited requests for a passport only drop the timeframe from 18 weeks to 12 weeks, unfortunately.  

I want to encourage you, if you are considering travelling for the winter holidays, which may seem far away, please put in your passport request as soon as possible. You can initiate the application process here. I would suggest you send in your passport materials by trackable mail. If your travels are coming up quickly, you may also consider paying the additional $17.56 for 1-2 day return delivery.

Make sure to double check your application to ensure everything is filled out correctly and all supporting materials are enclosed. Please note you can check the status of your application or renewal application at passportstatus.state.gov.  If you call the status line phone, you may have an extensive wait time or even a dropped call. The website is the more efficient method of getting a status report. Please know that it can take up to six weeks for the website to register the status as “In process.”

Previously, people have been able to expedite the process by making an appointment at a passport agency. Unfortunately, because of the inordinately high demand, many appointment requests will not occur now.

If you have put in a renewal and your passport has not arrived and you are within 14 days of your departure date, please feel free to contact my office for assistance. In addition, if you have applied for a passport or a renewal and you have waited significantly longer than the timeframes noted above, please feel free to contact us. We are also happy to help with any issues with obtaining visas needed to visit certainly countries under certain conditions.