Updates

For their next trick, Department of Ed will make 550,000 student loans disappear
Susanna Vogel, Morning Brew

When the federal government’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) started in 2007, the intention was presumably not to make qualification as exclusive as the Met gala. Unfortunately for the Department of Education, less than 1% of eligible borrowers have been approved. This year, a staggering 98% of PSLF applications were rejected.

PSLF is FUBAR: In 2007, the federal government struck a deal with students: commit to ten years of public service, make 120 loan payments on time, then, when the clock strikes midnight, watch your remaining student debt disappear like your clearly marked leftovers in the communal work fridge.

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Today, Congressman John Sarbanes and the full Maryland congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, Kweisi Mfume, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone, urged President Joe Biden to approve the State of Maryland’s request for a presidential disaster declaration due to damage from the Sept. 1 tornadoes and flash flooding from Tropical Depression Ida.

Maryland Congressman weighs in on Infrastructure Plan & averting the Government Shutdown
WBFF-TV (FOX)

On Capitol Hill, Congress is working to pass President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion government overhaul.

Meanwhile, President Biden did sign a last minute deal to avert a government shutdown. That deal passed by the House and Senate is a temporary funding bill to prevent a shutdown until December 3rd.

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Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.), a co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, joined Congressman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) in introducing the bipartisan Enhancing Military Base Resilience and Conserving Ecosystems through Stormwater Management (EMBRACE Stormwater Management) Act to implement stormwater best management practices to reduce flooding on and around military bases which jeopardizes military readiness, pollutes the Chesapeake Bay, and compounds stress for military families.

Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) released the following statement today regarding the introduction of the Freedom to Vote Act in the Senate:

“I salute Democratic members of the Senate for crafting a bill — the Freedom to Vote Act — that can meet the threats coming against our democracy in this moment. We must work every day and in every way to secure its passage in order to redeem the vote and the voice of all Americans.”

Congressman John Sarbanes, along with U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, Kweisi Mfume, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone (all Md.) today applauded President Joe Biden for granting their request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for federal disaster assistance through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) that will strengthen emergency preparedness and mitigation efforts for future public health emergencies.

Public Campaign Funding Gains Steam to Counter Big Donors’ Sway
Bloomberg News

When Christina Henderson, a new at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia, first considered running for office, one of her worries was whether she could raise enough money to be competitive. “I was not independently wealthy. Most of my friends worked in the public sector,” says Henderson, who was previously a staffer on the Council.

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Rep. Sarbanes, D-Md., says America should resettle Afghan refugees
WBFF-TV (Online)

The Taliban now agreeing to allow safe passage for Americans looking to evacuate Afghanistan.

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Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) this week voted to pass nine federal funding bills that will support several important Maryland priorities, including modernizing American infrastructure, protecting the health of the Chesapeake Bay, investing in clean energy and science initiatives to combat the climate crisis, expanding opportunities for students, creating good paying jobs and supporting small businesses, strengthening food security and nutrition programs for American families, enhancing health care services for veterans and improving housing for military families and promoting security a