So powerful and so emotional. Thanks to Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA10) for her courage, and thanks to Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) for reading her friend’s words on the U.S. House floor today. Truly “an incredible moment,” as Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08)’s Deputy Chief of Staff Aaron Fritschner said.
I have never cried in the House gallery before, but to everything there is a season. A little hard to tell in the video but @JennMcClellanVA delivered the speech written by @RepWexton, who was sitting next to her. It was an incredible moment https://t.co/RDlK63sZEo
— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) December 13, 2023
WATCH: Rep. Wexton Shares Emotional Message on House Floor as Democrats and Republicans Come Together to Support National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act
Washington, DC – Today, in a show of bipartisan unity and recognition of the urgency to take action for greater research of treatments and cures for Parkinson’s and atypical Parkinson’s diseases, Democrats and Republicans came together and shared messages of support on the House floor for the “Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act.”
Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), who was diagnosed this past summer with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a form of atypical Parkinson’s, shared an emotional plea for the bipartisan bill in a floor speech delivered by her friend and Virginia colleague, Representative Jennifer McClellan (D-VA). Wexton shared the challenges she has faced with PSP, from inhibited mobility to impaired speech to the impacts on her family.
You can watch Rep. Wexton’s remarks, delivered by Rep. McClellan, here.
The sponsors of the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Paul Tonko (D-NY), also shared remarks on the House floor, mentioning Wexton’s advocacy and the power of her sharing her personal story.
The full House floor debate on the legislation can be viewed here.
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