What’s Next for Chapel Hill: Congresswoman Valerie Foushee’s Legislative Priorities and Their Impact
Congresswoman Valerie Foushee represents North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, including Chapel Hill. Source: Foushee for Congress
In their 2025 legislative policy agenda, The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro outlines a few key areas they are looking to prioritize, many of which align with the efforts of Representative Valerie Foushee.
Foushee, who assumed office on January 3rd, 2024, acts as Chapel Hill’s current voice in Washington, representing North Carolina’s 4th congressional district. Compared to other nearby cities, Chapel Hill voters tend to lean more liberal, aligning with Foushee’s role as a Democratic House Representative. As a woman of color and Chapel Hill native, Foushee is best known for championing and amplifying causes such as protecting minority rights and education reform, among many others. When it comes to her vision for the future of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, there are a few key legislative issues she seeks to prioritize through the remainder of her term.
One such cause that Foushee has supported and that the Chamber is pushing for is closing the childcare facility funding gap. In Chapel Hill, childcare facilities and programs largely lack federal funding, stunting economic stability for working families. Currently, North Carolina’s average childcare cost is approximately $13,000 annually, with the number being even higher in Orange County, according to research director Neil Harrington at the nonprofit N.C. Child. Furthermore, the economic loss resulting from lack of childcare resources has cost North Carolina around $5.65 million per year in lost output, according to a study conducted by the N.C. Chamber of Commerce. Many parents in recent years have dropped out of the workforce to care for their kids, since child care facilities are being filled to capacity and unable to serve more families due to the inability to hire more caretakers.
To tackle this issue, on February 23 Foushee sponsored H.R. Bill 1296, which seeks to establish a refundable credit for child care company start-up expenses. This increased funding can help more child care businesses to emerge, better meeting the needs of families in Orange County and beyond.
This initiative is supplemented by the task force initiated by N.C. Governor Josh Stein meant to address the childcare crisis, which was set into action in early March. These initiatives, along with the calls for action being made by other N.C. lawmakers, are a promising step in the right direction toward closing the funding gap and greater childcare accessibility for the broader population.
While there is not strong opposition to these measures for North Carolina specifically, some prominent voices from the Republican Party propose a different policy approach to the childcare crisis on a national scale. The plan outlined in Project 2025, which is spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, states that funding for home-based childcare, as opposed to external daycare, should be prioritized, allowing parents the ability to either stay home with their children or hire in-house help. These competing ideologies from the right and the left might initiate some potential challenges in taking swift, efficient action to solve this issue.
Another focus area which the Chamber highlighted is ongoing relief efforts from Hurricane Helene, which Foushee has made substantial efforts to support so far. She has pushed back against Trump’s plans to cut staff within federal agencies, specifically the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in light of the recent devastation in Western North Carolina. In collaboration with N.C. District 2 representative Deborah K. Ross and District 12 representative Alma Adams, Foushee wrote a statement to the Trump administration to reconsider making this change. This effort was largely driven by the crucial role HUD employees within the Office of Community Development and Planning play in supporting long-term recovery from natural disasters.
In addition to the issues outlined in the Chamber’s agenda, education reform is a key priority for Foushee, with a particular emphasis on addressing education disparities. Her major educational initiative as of now is H.R. Bill 1409, known as the College Thriving Act, which she introduced to the House floor with Rep. Adams in February. The act calls for the Department of Education to create a new federal grant to fund college skills-for-success programs for first-year students. Within this, the funding is meant to specifically prioritize institutions where 50% or more of the students are Pell Grant recipients. This targeted focus on supporting low-income students aligns with her overall platform of ensuring equal opportunities for marginalized communities. However, this aspect of the bill could likely face difficulties given the Trump administration’s recent crackdowns on DEI initiatives. If passed, the College Thriving Act may encounter resistance to being implemented. Some institutions might be hesitant to adopt its provisions if prioritizing Pell Grant recipients could draw scrutiny or be perceived as a DEI-related initiative.
Finally, Foushee is a strong advocate for gun violence prevention amidst the ongoing debates over Second Amendment rights in Congress. This is reflected through a number of House bills which she has sponsored so far, including H.R. Bill 1307, which proposes required reporting of firearms to law enforcement if they have been lost or stolen after 48 hours. Another is H.R. Bill 1674, which proposes stricter regulation of large ammunition feeding devices. Her stance has garnered support from other Democrats and gun control advocacy groups like Giffords, though they face strong opposition from Republican lawmakers.
These legislative goals, while not exhaustive, reflect some main initiatives Foushee is looking to advance on the Hill. With these policies, Foushee makes strides to secure a future of security and equality for Chapel Hill/Carrboro residents. However, challenges with implementation and political opposition might shape how these plans unfold. Ultimately, the impacts of her efforts will be determined by the dynamics of legislative negotiations and public support in the months and years to come.