So great to be back with my good buddy Evan Rothholz from Harleysville today! Evan is a 9th grader in the Souderton Area School District, Nationals super fan, and one of the most thoughtful, joyful, and wise people I know. We may never agree on baseball, but when it comes to making a difference, we are always on the same team. Evan is in town for the @NDSS Advocacy Conference, doing what he does best—leading with positivity and purpose. Since we first met in 2017, he has become more than a friend, he is my Chief Advisor in our mission to uplift our Down syndrome and broader disability community. Together, we have championed inclusion, expanded access to education and employment opportunities, and pushed for stronger support, research, and policies that truly change lives. Our focus today was two, deeply connected urgent priorities: the ability to build a secure life and the opportunity to reach one’s full potential. That means modernizing SSI through my bipartisan, bicameral SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act, so low-income seniors and people with disabilities are no longer punished for saving responsibly or planning for a more secure future. And it means finally fulfilling America’s promise under IDEA. For generations, IDEA has helped open classroom doors for students with disabilities, but Washington has never met its commitment to cover 40% of special education costs. My IDEA Full Funding Act would require steady annual increases until that promise is kept. To our special needs families, educators, and disability community: we are in this together. I will never stop fighting for Evan, families like his, and the brighter future he inspires every single day.