January 9, 2021
Dear Friends,
This week, as Congress gathered to undertake one of our most solemn duties—counting electoral votes and confirming the will of the people in the Presidential election—a violent mob broke through the doors of the U.S. Capitol.
As rioters forced their way inside, the doors to our House chamber were locked and my colleagues and I were asked to hide under chairs to prevent being struck by stray bullets. When we were able to evacuate the House gallery, we did so by jumping over rows of chairs while wearing gas masks as officers barricaded the doors with guns drawn.
This violent assault on the seat of our American government caused dozens of injuries and five deaths so far, including that of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick who died defending us and the very foundations of our republic.
This disgraceful incursion—incited by President Trump as he revved up the crowd and set our Capitol as its target—was nothing less than an attempted coup.
The violence that took place on January 6th was not isolated. At every turn, Trump has undermined our rule of law and the safety and security of the American people. This was just the latest escalation following years of fanning the flames of suspicion, conspiracy and division for his own political gain.
For our republic and all it stands for, President Trump must be removed from office immediately.
Despite this assault, and despite the continuation of baseless electoral fraud claims, the will of the American people prevailed. Democracy prevailed. We swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and that’s exactly what we did, working through the night and into Thursday morning to complete our appointed role and send a clear message: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be our next President and Vice President of the United States. And they will be sworn in, by the expressed will of the American people, at noon on January 20th.
As we pick up the pieces and work to restore justice and the faith of the American people, we must find that path of rebuilding our nation, our credibility, our laws and our spirit of liberty, unity and justice for all.
And we must do it while addressing some of the greatest challenges America has ever faced. I stand ready to work with you, our leaders at every level of government, and the many leaders and public servants in the Biden-Harris Administration as we tackle these challenges and fight to ensure liberty, justice and a brighter future for all.
And, as always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
Throughout this pandemic, my office and I have worked to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations on any and all COVID-19 related topics. With that in mind here is some information from the IRS that may be of interest to you:
- On December 29, the IRS and the Treasury Department began delivering a second round of Economic Impact Payments as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 to millions of Americans who received the first round of payments earlier this year.
- The initial direct deposit payments began arriving as of Dec. 29 for some and will continue into next week. Paper checks were beginning to be mailed on Dec. 30.
- No action required by eligible individuals to receive this second payment.
- Anyone who received the first round of payments earlier this year but doesn’t receive a payment via direct deposit will generally receive a check or, in some instances, a debit card.
- Direct deposits. For those who have not yet received direct deposits, they should continue to watch their bank accounts for a deposit in coming days.
- Mail. Some people will receive their second Economic Impact Payment by mail, either as a paper check or in the form of a debit card. For people in this group, the IRS urges people to carefully watch their mail for either of these during January. Additional information is available on IRS.gov.
- Tax returns. Eligible taxpayers who don’t receive a payment – or the full amount – can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit when they file their 2020 tax return. Taxpayers in this situation are urged to file electronically with direct deposit to ensure their tax refund – and their stimulus payment – reach them as soon as possible.
- Additional information on Get My Payment. The IRS reassures taxpayers who do not recognize the bank account number displayed in the Get My Payment tool that deposits were not made to the wrong account; this is not an indicator of fraud. If you do not recognize the account number, it may be an issue related to how information is displayed in the tool tied to temporary accounts used for refund loans/banking products. The IRS is working to address this. People do not need to complete Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, or contact the IRS.
- A Frequently Asked Questions page on the second round of Economic Impact Payments is now available HERE.
