News
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In the News: Sarbanes Prepares for Elevated Role as Leading Reformer in Congress
September 18, 2018
Sarbanes Prepares for Elevated Role as Leading Reformer in Congress
Josh Kurtz, MARYLAND MATTERSAs Democrats push to retake the U.S. House of Representatives in November, government ethics and political reform have become an increasingly important part of their message. And that means an elevated role for Maryland Congressman John P. Sarbanes (D).
Sarbanes is House Democrats’ apostle of political reform, the chairman of the Democracy Reform Task Force. He’s the architect of the party’s multi-pronged good government agenda. If the Democrats seize the majority, he will play a leading role in shaping the suite of reform bills that Democrats will try to advance through Congress.
“I’m focused on trying to map out what a reform package would look like,” Sarbanes said in a recent interview in the Capitol, a few steps away from the House chamber, where votes were taking place.
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In the News: House Democrats’ top priority if they win in November is a sweeping anti-corruption bill
September 11, 2018
House Democrats’ top priority if they win in November is a sweeping anti-corruption bill
Ella Nilsen, Vox“I’m hoping that it’s the first or second bill this fall. It’s just that important.”
If Democrats win back the House in 2018, a consensus is emerging on what they need to do first: Pass a sweeping anti-corruption bill.
One specific legislative package has emerged, largely crafted and sponsored by the chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD). The agenda — recently formalized by a House resolution — is designed to rein in the influence of money and lobbying in Washington, expand voting rights in the United States, and increase public financing of campaigns. Democrats are prepping a final version of a bill to be ready to go if they are in charge by January 2019.
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In the News: House Democrat: here are 8 scandals Congress should investigate instead of Twitter bias
September 5, 2018
House Democrat: here are 8 scandals Congress should investigate instead of Twitter bias
Tara Golshan, VoxTwitter’s Jack Dorsey is testifying in Congress. Democrats think it’s a waste of his time.
Congress is wasting Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s time when it should be investigating the Trump administration’s wrongdoing, Maryland Democrat Rep. John Sarbanes told Dorsey at one of his two congressional testimonies Wednesday.
Dorsey spent Wednesday fielding questions in the House about how Twitter’s efforts to combat dangerous information and misinformation shared on the social media platform is actually censoring conservative voices.
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Sarbanes, House Democrats Call on Congressional Negotiators to Protect Fair Access to SNAP
September 4, 2018
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) joined more than 100 Democratic Members of Congress today in calling on Congressional negotiators to reject harsh and unfair work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
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Sarbanes, House Democrats Urge Secretary DeVos to Back Away from Plan to Put More Guns in Schools
September 4, 2018
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined more than 170 House Democrats in demanding that Secretary Betsy DeVos prohibit the use of federal education funding to buy guns for teachers and school staff. The letter comes in the wake of a New York Times report that revealed the administration’s plan to allow schools to redirect federal education funding intended for services like mental health counseling in order to purchase firearms or firearms training.
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Sarbanes Announces More Than $6 Million in Federal Grants for Baltimore City Fire Department
September 4, 2018
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) announced that the Baltimore City Fire Department will receive more than $6 million in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help hire, train and retain city firefighters.
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Sarbanes Announces Federal Grants for Howard County and Annapolis Fire Departments
September 4, 2018
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) announced that the Howard County Department of Fire Rescue Service and the City of Annapolis Fire Department will receive a total of more than $100,000 in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to improve fire prevention and safety efforts in Maryland communities.
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Sarbanes Statement on Trump Administration’s Latest Attack on Federal Workers
September 4, 2018
President Trump’s latest assault on our nation’s civil servants is part of an ongoing and longstanding attack on the federal workforce. By effectively reducing federal pay, the President will hamper efforts to retain and attract talented and qualified candidates to fill the ranks of America’s civil service. If the Trump Administration can afford a $1.5 trillion tax cut for millionaires, billionaires and wealthy corporations, then it can certainly afford a modest and hard-earned pay bump for the women and men who honorably serve our country.
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In the News: Trump’s Corrupt Inner Circle Won’t Be Democrats’ New Midterm Focus
August 22, 2018
Trump’s Corrupt Inner Circle Won’t Be Democrats’ New Midterm Focus
Kevin Robillard, The Huffington PostThe party will focus on a culture of corruption, not the Trump administration’s wrongdoing.
The nearly simultaneous, split-screen convictions of President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and one-time campaign chairman on Tuesday seemed designed to give the Democratic Party a powerful message heading into the 2018 elections, the same one Trump successfully deployed in 2016: “Drain the swamp.”
The narrative builds itself: The number of close Trump associates linked to criminal wrongdoing is growing, the first two members of Congress to endorse him are both under indictment, his cabinet has already seen two members resign over corruption allegations and Trump has never separated himself from his businesses, turning Mar-a-Lago into an invitation for bribery. And for armies of armchair campaign strategists, railing against the Trump administration’s corruption is a message Democrats can ride to victory in 2018 and 2020.
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In the News: Trump, Republican corruption issues give Democrats opening for midterm elections
August 22, 2018
Trump, Republican corruption issues give Democrats opening for midterm elections
Fredreka Schouten and Eliza Collins, USA TodayWASHINGTON – Leading Democrats in Congress are seizing on the tidal wave of legal troubles hitting President Donald Trump's allies to cast the Republican Party as deeply corrupt ahead of the fast-approaching midterm elections.
Democratic leaders say they plan to make ethics a key pillar of their push to take the House majority this fall, arguing their party will serve as a check on what House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., calls the Trump administration's "brazen corruption, cronyism and incompetence."
Trump and his allies suffered a triple hit Tuesday: The conviction of Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort on bank and tax fraud, a guilty plea by his former attorney Michael Cohen that implicated the president in violating campaign-finance laws and the federal indictment of one of Trump's earliest congressional supporters, California Rep. Duncan Hunter. Prosecutors say Hunter and his wife used $250,000 in campaign funds for family vacations, private-school tuition and other personal expenses.
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In the News: In fallout from Trump controversies, Republicans warn Democrats will seek his impeachment. Democratic candidates are avoiding the word.
August 22, 2018
In fallout from Trump controversies, Republicans warn Democrats will seek his impeachment. Democratic candidates are avoiding the word.
Michael Scherer, The Washington PostA day after President Trump’s former lawyer implicated him in directing a crime, Democratic leaders sharpened their election-year attack on the GOP as the party of corruption. But in an effort to keep the electoral focus on bread-and-butter issues, they largely steered clear of any discussion of impeachment.
Party leaders encouraged candidates and elected members to talk instead about demanding protection for the ongoing Justice Department investigations of Trump and his allies, offering a clear sign that they feel confident that grass-roots energy against Trump will show up at the polls without the need for a divisive rallying cry from the stump.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sent a letter to her caucus members asking them to keep speaking about economic issues, while also urging them to call out what she described as the “cesspool of self-enrichment, secret money and ethical blindness” that exists in Washington under unified Republican rule.
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In the News: Pelosi seizes on anti-corruption message against GOP
August 14, 2018
Pelosi seizes on anti-corruption message against GOP
Melanie Zanona, The HillHouse Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) is moving full steam ahead on a Democratic strategy to paint the GOP as corrupt ahead of the midterm elections, a case that got new legs after the arrest of Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) on insider trading charges last week.
Pelosi has decided to make ethics a core pillar of House Democrats’ push for the majority this fall, seizing on Collins’s arrest in a way she hasn’t done with past GOP scandals involving Trump administration officials.
But with Collins, a sitting member of Congress and Trump's earliest congressional backer, Pelosi believes that Democrats have a ripe opportunity to draw a connection between the president and House Republicans who are on the ballot this November.
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Statement on the One-Year Anniversary of White Supremacist Violence in Charlottesville
August 14, 2018
With the recent one-year anniversary of the white nationalist march in Charlottesville those same hateful elements tried to rally again. In the face of this, we must stand in solidarity for a different vision of America. The vile ideology embraced by white nationalists and neo-Nazis will not win the day as long as people of good will work together to build a more caring, tolerant and just society. That must be our relentless pursuit.
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Statement on the Capital Gazette shooting
June 29, 2018
I am devastated by the violent events that took place at The Capital Gazette. Annapolis is a closely knit community and this tragedy is heart wrenching.
Over the years, I’ve known many reporters at The Capital Gazette. I’ve always admired their commitment and service to our community, along with their outstanding professionalism.
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2018 Democratic Primary
June 27, 2018
Tuesday marked an end to Maryland’s primary election season! Thank you so much to all the voters of Maryland’s Third Congressional District for your support. I’m excited to advance to the general election as the Democratic nominee. Onto November!
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John Sarbanes Receives Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction
June 20, 2018
I am proud to have been given the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction. Thank you Moms Demand Action for your unwavering dedication to putting an end to the senseless gun violence in our country. This issue affects all Americans, and we need to make sure it is front and center during this election cycle. -
Standing with Students for #NationalWalkoutDay
March 14, 2018
A month ago today, Americans watched in horror as another deadly school shooting unfolded before us, this time, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people lost their life that day, the majority of whom were high school students.
Once again, the Republicans are full of thoughts and prayers, but don’t have anything to say when it comes to real reform. Thankfully, the students at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida have other ideas. They are turning their grief into anger and their anger into a cause.
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I'm Running for Re-Election
February 14, 2018
Last month, I made it official - I’m running for re-election.
But it’s not worth doing unless I do it on my own terms. First and foremost, that means sticking with my pledge to not take a dime of PAC money. I’m the longest-serving PAC-free member of Congress in the country - this will be my fourth consecutive campaign where I say “no” to the PACs because I want to power my re-election with grassroots donors, not special interests.
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October in Review
October 24, 2017
It's been a very busy October here in Maryland's Third District. Here are a few photos from just a handful of events I've attended in a terrific first month of fall:
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Statement on Las Vegas
October 3, 2017
Like all Americans, I am shocked by the violence that occurred in Las Vegas on Sunday night. My heart goes out to the victims of this despicable act, and I offer my sincerest condolences to their loved ones. We are so grateful for the countless individuals—both first responders and everyday citizens—who sacrificed their own safety to rescue others. They represent the best of who we are.