Updates

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.

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.

Trump’s Corrupt Inner Circle Won’t Be Democrats’ New Midterm Focus 
Kevin Robillard, The Huffington Post

The 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 fallout from Trump controversies, Republicans warn Democrats will seek his impeachment. Democratic candidates are avoiding the word. 
Michael Scherer, The Washington Post

A 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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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.

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!

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.

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:

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.