Updates

President-elect Trump spent a lot of time on the campaign trail saying he was going to “drain the swamp” in DC. So far, it looks like he is breaking that promise to the American people. 

He is filling his cabinet and advisory roles with Big Money political donors like Betsy DeVos and DC insiders like Reince Priebus. He is also setting a dangerous precedent surrounding his business dealings; putting his assets in a “blind trust” that is operated by his children is not good enough. The American public needs to have confidence that the office of the Presidency isn’t being tainted by President-elect Trump’s business interests. 

The only thing Trump is doing to clean up the swamp is dressing the alligators up in suits and ties. Read more about how President-elect Trump isn’t draining the swamp here.

I was proud to join with 169 of my colleagues in the House of Representatives to call on President-elect Trump to rescind his nomination of Stephen Bannon as White House Chief Strategist. 

Bannon is a leader of the radical right movement and bringing him into the White House inner circle is a flashing red danger sign about where the Trump Administration is headed. 

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!

Back in the day, before Michael Phelps competed in his first Olympics, he and I used to share the pool at Meadowbrook in Mt. Washington.  At 23 years his senior, I used to pace myself by trying to swim one lap for his every two. I couldn't even do that. Anyway, we chose different paths from there. Michael decided to become the greatest Olympian of all time. I went into politics.  Sometimes I think about how different things would have been if I'd been a better swimmer. Oh well ....  Congratulations Michael on making your hometown of Baltimore and Towson High School (where all my kids graduated) so proud!!

- Congressman John Sarbanes