At the end of his third — and most contentious — year in Congress, Rep. Jake Auchincloss can claim some bi-partisan achievements. The capping out-of-pocket Medicare costs at $2000 and insulin prices at $35 was a feature of the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, however. Congressman Auchincloss is working on a bi-partisan initiative to “cut out” the amount of money that the three largest health-care companies make as “middlemen” in negotiating out-of-pocket drug costs for consumers. The companies “capture $250 billion in revenue. How are they providing $250 billion in benefits?”, he asks. His goal is to put the benefits in the patients’ pockets. Curbing drug pricing and the benefits reaped by the health care companies will continue to be on his political agenda.
Similarly, Rep. Auchincloss expressed concern with, and his commitment to, increasing gun law enforcement by funding more personnel in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A supporter of the Safer Communities Act, Red Flag Law, and background checks, he nonetheless cites ghost guns as a threat even in Massachusetts, which has among the strictest gun laws in the country. Ghost guns are increasingly available and difficult to trace, hence the need for increased personnel.
Locally, Rep. Auchincloss says that his constituents worry about border security and the migrant crisis. Massachusetts passed a $3.1 billion dollar spending bill to expand its emergency shelter system because of the influx of migrants to the Commonwealth. He is negotiating with Republicans to secure the borders, which are not sufficiently secure and allow large numbers of people looking for work to enter the country. The Congressman is a cosponsor of the Dignity Act, which involves the accommodation of immigrants.
While some constituents have been pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza, others are equally ardent in urging the United States to stand with Israel. The Congressman explained that prior to Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel, he heard from people who were concerned about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Now, he says that people want the United States to support Israel, but not the Prime Minister. “This is a well-informed district,” he said, adding that people here care about issues. The Congressman was one of two Democrats not voting for the Continuing Resolution to fund the government because it did not contain money for Israel (see press release).
High among the issues people care about is the current Congressional dysfunction, according to Rep. Auchincloss. Mike Johnson, the current Speaker of the House, was instrumental in leading the effort to invalidate the 2020 election, Rep. Auchincloss observed, adding that Johnson “caters to the far right” and is “no go-along-to-get-along guy.”
Looking ahead to 2024, the Congressman is pledged to work for President Biden’s re-election. Acknowledging that ”the country is in a bad mood,” he points to signs that the economy is improving, with lower gas prices, significant infrastructure spending (which voters have not noted yet), and wage growth — all on top of curbing health care costs. He will be campaigning on the President’s foreign policy achievements as well. “We should be anxious about a few thousand votes in purple swing districts,” he said. But he predicted that “Democrats will come home. The choice, he said, is between someone who has had a successful first term and someone who is a threat to the Constitution.”
