Updates
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Sarbanes Leads Bicameral Push Urging Bay States, D.C. to Uphold Chesapeake Bay Environmental Protections as EPA Abandons Enforcement
May 15, 2020
Today, Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force Co-Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) led 15 Members of Congress in urging Bay Watershed Governors Larry Hogan (R-Md.), Tom Wolf (D-Penn.), John Carney (D-Del.), Ralph Northam (D-Va.) and Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), along with Mayor Muriel Bowser (D-D.C.), to maintain rigorous environmental standards to reduce pollution and protect the health of the Chesapeake Bay, despite the Trump Administration’s decision to relax enforcement of these standards.
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In the News: Rick Bright and the Pandemic Path Not Taken
May 15, 2020
Rick Bright and the Pandemic Path Not Taken
Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New YorkerMany Americans are replaying, in their minds, the steps they have taken and the choices they have made with regard to the coronavirus crisis, but perhaps few with such tragic force as Rick Bright, who testified in a House hearing on Thursday. Bright, who in April was transferred from his position as the head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, had caused a “commotion,” as one colleague put it, by urging more action at pandemic-planning meetings as far back as January and February. At the hearing, Representative John Sarbanes, a Democrat of Maryland, who had a pewter-gray mask around his neck—the members lowered their masks when speaking or, in some cases, when seated—asked Bright to return to that period. “I am sure that there are specific conversations, e-mails, moments in time that you remember like they happened yesterday,” Sarbanes said. Could he recall any particularly haunting ones that had caused a “sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach?”
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In the News: ‘Lives Were Lost’ as Warnings Went Unheeded, Whistle-Blower Tells House
May 14, 2020
Lives Were Lost’ as Warnings Went Unheeded, Whistle-Blower Tells House
Sheryl Gay Stolberg, The New York TimesThe whistle-blower who was ousted as the head of a federal medical research agency charged on Thursday that top Trump administration officials failed to heed his early warnings to stock up on masks and other supplies to combat the coronavirus, and that Americans died as a result.... Democrats painted Dr. Bright as a prescient man of courage. “It all adds up to one inescapable conclusion: It didn’t have to be this way,” said Representative John Sarbanes, Democrat of Maryland. “Things are upside down. In you we have someone who made the right call in the early days, who has been removed from your position, when so many people who made the wrong call still have their jobs.”
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In the News: Republicans and Democrats barrel toward collision on voting by mail
May 13, 2020
Republicans and Democrats barrel toward collision on voting by mail
Zach Montellaro, POLITICOAmericans want to be able to vote by mail in November — but Democratic proposals to require it appear to be going nowhere fast in Congress.... Democrats argue that the public widely supports their proposals — and that the election security grant funding mechanism included in the HEROES Act is of critical importance. “On balance, [voters] think voting by mail is a good idea, and that we ought to expand that opportunity. They also, based on preference or access or other factors, want to make sure that there’s going to be some meaningful in-person voting opportunities,” said Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), who helped shepherd H.R. 1 through the House last year. Sarbanes and other Democrats also said all forms of voting need to be available in November. Those include "expanded vote by mail, significant early voting opportunities, and then safe in-person voting opportunities on Election Day," he said. "We need all three of those things.”
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Sarbanes, Maryland Congressional Delegation Announce Additional $16 Million in COVID-19 Community Development Block Grant Funding
May 12, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and the Maryland Congressional Delegation today announced $16,105,784 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). This flexible funding source will allow the state to meet housing and other public service needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In the News: Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) on the Oversight of COVID-19 Relief Money
May 12, 2020
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) on the Oversight of COVID-19 Relief Money
Sirius XM (‘POTUS Press Pool with Julie Mason’) -
In the News: Democrats push to strengthen stimulus oversight in next round of coronavirus legislation
May 12, 2020
Democrats push to strengthen stimulus oversight in next round of coronavirus legislation
Benjamin Siegel, ABC NewsA group of House and Senate Democrats seeking stronger oversight of the massive coronavirus relief programs is introducing a new bill to force companies to publicly report how they're using the funds, and to beef up the oversight of the small business aid program. Introduced by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the proposal would strengthen some of the key watchdog provisions in the original $2.3 trillion CARES Act, according to a review of the bill obtained by ABC News.... The proposal, which is being introduced by Reps. John Sarbanes, D-Md., and Pramila Jayapal D-Wash., in the House, would also codify the Federal Reserve's plans to release the names and amounts borrowed in their coronavirus lending programs and require borrowers to share how the funds are being used, along with information about compensation and their workforce -- such as executive salaries and bonuses.
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Sarbanes, Maryland Congressional Delegation Announce Nearly $7 Million for Community Health Centers to Increase COVID-19 Testing Capacity
May 12, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and the Maryland Congressional Delegation today announced $6,975,492 to help 18 Community Health Centers (CHCs) in Maryland expand their capacity to test for COVID-19.
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Sarbanes, Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announce $500,000 for Morgan State University Historical Preservation
May 11, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, along with Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.), to announce $500,000 for Morgan State University to preserve its University Memorial Chapel Window through the National Parks Service (NPS) Historic Preservation Fund (HPF).
Nationwide, NPS will allocate $7.7 million in competitive grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for the preservation of historic structures.
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Sarbanes, Maryland Congressional Delegation Announce More Than $17 Million in AmeriCorps Funding
May 11, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and the Maryland Congressional Delegation today announced $17,133,477 in federal funding for AmeriCorps programs in Maryland. Funding comes from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency responsible for AmeriCorps, and will place more than 1,200 AmeriCorps volunteers into 10 organizations across Maryland.
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Sarbanes Joins Effort to Reject Republican Attacks on Essential Reproductive Health Care During COVID-19 Pandemic
May 11, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Chair of Pro-Choice Caucus’s Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, Veronica Escobar (D-Tex.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Co-Chair of the Pro Choice Caucus, and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Chair of Pro-Choice Caucus’s Providers and Clinics Task Force, and more than 150 Members of Congress in calling on House Democratic Leadership to ensure that any future COVID-19 relief packages reject Republican efforts to diminish access to comprehensive reproductive health care.
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Sarbanes Calls for Congressional Action to Provide COVID-19 Relief to State and Local Governments
May 11, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), Congressman Don Beyer (D-Va.), Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), Congressman David Trone (D-Md.) and Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) for a National Capital Region press call to highlight key priorities for the next federal COVID-19 response package.
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Sarbanes, Maryland Congressional Delegation Announce More Than $1.5 Million in Telehealth Grants for State Health Care Providers
May 10, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and the Maryland Congressional Delegation today announced $1,532,697 in federal funding to support telehealth programs for Maryland health care providers and patients.
Funding comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. It will help health care providers meet increased needs for telehealth services amid the COVID-19 crisis.
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Sarbanes, Maryland Congressional Delegation Urge Attorney General Barr to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in Federal Correctional Facilities
May 10, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and the Maryland Congressional Delegation today urged Attorney General William Barr him to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in federal correctional facilities and protect incarcerated individuals, federal employees and surrounding communities.
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Sarbanes, Maryland Congressional Delegation Urge Congressional Leaders to Strengthen SNAP in COVID-19 Relief Package
May 10, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and the Maryland Congressional Delegation today urged Congressional Leadership to expand and strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the next COVID-19 relief package.
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Sarbanes, Maryland Congressional Delegation Announce More Than $46 Million in Additional Funding for Maryland Colleges, Including $44 Million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities
May 9, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and the Maryland Congressional Delegation today announced $46,702,104 for Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and colleges serving large populations of low-income students.
Funding comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This new federal funding comes in addition to the $170 million in initial support that the Delegation announced for Maryland institutions of Higher Education.
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In the News: John Sarbanes: As our nation recovers we have an obligation to build a more just America
May 8, 2020
As our nation recovers we have an obligation to build a more just America
John Sarbanes(Op-Ed), The Capital GazetteThis November, I’m asking the residents of Maryland’s 3rd District to re-elect me to continue serving as their representative in Congress. I’m running because I believe that my experience and my committee assignments — in particular, serving as a senior member on the House Subcommittee on Health and as a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee — position me well to assist Marylanders in this battle against the coronavirus.
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Sarbanes Joins Effort to Support USPS and Protect Postal Service Workers During COVID-19 Crisis
May 8, 2020
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today co-sponsored the Protect Our Post Offices Act (H.R. 6425), an important effort led by Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) to ensure the continued delivery of vital goods and services to Americans across the country by providing $25 billion in emergency funding for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
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In the News: Maryland and Virginia Democrats push for more funding for state and local governments
May 7, 2020
Maryland and Virginia Democrats push for more funding for state and local governments
Julie Zauzmer, The Washington PostDemocratic members of Congress from Maryland and Virginia put forward a long list of ideas on Thursday that they hope to include in the next coronavirus relief bill. Many of the members said their top priority is additional money for state and local governments, which are struggling to provide social services for their residents during the crisis as they expect to take in far less tax revenue.... Rep. John Sarbanes (Md.) pointed out that local governments need funds to hire contact tracers, as Baltimore County is doing.
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Sarbanes Receives Scorecards from Defenders of Wildlife and League of Conservation Voters
May 6, 2020
With the reality of the climate crisis, we must stand up to special-interest polluters and protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, our wildlife, our public lands, and most importantly, the Chesapeake Bay, our national environmental treasure.
I will continue to fight alongside Marylanders to safeguard our environment. I’m proud to receive a 100 percent rating from Defenders of Wildlife and a 97 percent rating from League of Conservation Voters.