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For the last few months, I've been fighting hard against Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and replace it with a TrumpCare proposal that rips health coverage away from millions of Americans. And I don't intend to stop fighting anytime soon.

Getting big money out of politics is the most important reform we can fight for to ensure our nation can live up to the values put forth in our Constitution: that we are a republic of, for and by the people. I have dedicated my career to this cause because I believe our democracy works best when we are all involved and all our voices can be heard.

That's why in every session of Congress since 2013, I've introduced the Government By The People Act. This legislation will take our government back from big money, billionaires and special interest groups and empower the American people to participate more in our elections.

After crafting the bill in secret, House Republicans going to attempt to force a committee vote on this major legislation less than 36 hours after its release with no public hearings or bipartisan input. They are rushing through a proposal that will cause millions to lose health care coverage and do severe economic damage.

This repeal bill represents so much of what is wrong with our government - it’s written not to provide better health coverage for more Americans, but instead to benefit the wealthy and well-connected special interests.

Late last night, the Washington Post reported that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had multiple conversations with Russian officials during Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and lied when asked about it under oath.

He must resign and we need to immediately appoint an independent commission to investigate the Trump campaign’s shady ties to Putin and his cronies.

In order to ensure that American taxpayer dollars aren’t going into the pockets of powerful DC lobbyists, I introduced the No Lobbyists on Presidential Transition Teams Act to prevent president-elects and vice president-elects from paying registered lobbyists to be a part of presidential transition teams. 

Keep up to date with this bill here.

Since the election, a number of you have come up to me and said, “I’m glad you’re there.” I think that means, “Thanks for looking out for us,” and I want you to know I’m going to keep doing the best I can. 

But I want to say the same thing back to you: “I’m glad you’re there.” I’m glad you’re there, holding strong, building a life, and all the while finding time to do things for others. That keeps me going. Thank you!

I wanted to thank you so much for all of your support during this campaign. Yesterday's vote of confidence from the people of Maryland's Third District was truly humbling.  I look forward to continuing to work hard in Congress on behalf of my constituents and our country.    

America has been through a long and hard fought campaign for the presidency and last night's result was a surprise to many.  We must move forward, finding opportunities to work together collaboratively, while recognizing that there will inevitably and justifiably be points of deep disagreement among us. Above all, we must listen to each other in good faith and with an appreciation that our diversity -- of backgrounds, of views, of convictions -- should be and can be the source of our greatest strength. 

-Congressman John Sarbanes 

Restoring Our Republic 
John Sarbanes, The Huffington Post 
September 14, 2016

The story goes that Benjamin Franklin was approached by Elizabeth Powell as he exited Independence Hall in Philadelphia: “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” The 81-year old Franklin replied, “[A] republic... if you can keep it.”

Keeping our republic has become the passion of millions of Americans who are convinced that their government is broken. They see a Congress captured by special interests and frustratingly unresponsive to the needs of everyday Americans. Whatever else they may disagree about, Democrats, Republicans and Independents have all arrived at the same explanation for the rot in our politics: Big Money.

According to a recent Ipsos poll, 7 in 10 respondents agreed that our democracy is at risk if action is not taken to address the undue influence of money in politics. The same poll found that 8 in 10 respondents view that influence to be worse than at any other time in their lives and an overwhelming 93 percent of respondents felt that elected officials listen more to big-money campaign donors than to regular voters.

Click here to continue reading.

Today is the 96th anniversary of women winning the right to vote. While we are on the verge of electing our first female president we need to remember that we still have work to do when it comes to securing equal pay for equal work and electing more women into office!