Dear Neighbor:

I wanted to take a moment to share a brief update about how my staff and I have been working for the people of the 8th District. It is a surpassing honor to continue serving as your Representative in Congress.

As always, I encourage all 8th District residents to connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. If you need help with a federal agency and want to request my assistance, please complete the online request form here, and my District Office will be in touch.

All Best,

Jamie Raskin

Delivering Federal Funding to Maryland

Robust federal investment helps our state thrive and reach its full potential. This October, my Maryland congressional delegation colleagues and I announced several federal funding initiatives that will support our economy and provide resources to meet our state's needs: funding to strengthen HIV/AIDS research and prevention, funding to renovate community health centers and funding to bolster community policing programs.

Advancements in research and treatment have helped dramatically improve the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS. I’m pleased that our state will receive $54,235,170 in funding for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to bolster the HIV/AIDS surveillance and prevention programs, reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes across Maryland. To learn more, click here.

I was proud to vote to pass the American Rescue Plan this past spring, and I'm glad to report that its historic investments are still strengthening communities across our nation. In particular, my Maryland congressional delegation colleagues and I announced $12,211,150 in American Rescue Plan funding to support the construction, renovation and expansion of local community health centers across our state. From organizing vaccination drives to providing testing services and offering clinical treatment, community health centers have been instrumental in Maryland’s fight against COVID-19. To read more, click here.

Meaningful and trusting relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve are essential in cultivating public safety. I’m pleased that our state received $603,327 in federal funding to bolster crisis intervention and de-escalation training for police departments across Maryland. To read more, click here.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, I’ve recognized a multitude of Latino/a local heroes who are building a stronger MD-08 each day. Our first local hero of October was Sonia Mora, senior manager of Montgomery County’s Latino Health Initiative and director of Por Nuestra Salud y Bienestar, an initiative dedicated to protecting the Latino community against COVID-19. Sonia’s work has proven immensely successful—over the past summer, the COVID-19 vaccination rate amongst Latino Montgomery County residents increased significantly, eventually surpassing the rate of the county’s white residents. You can watch our full conversation here.

I also recognized Diego Uriburu, Executive Director of Identity, as an MD-08 local hero in October. Under Diego’s leadership, Identity works with schools and in the community to empower Latino youth and immigrant families across Montgomery County. Our full conversation can be found here.

To close Hispanic Heritage Month, I recognized 31 young MD-08 scholars for academic and extracurricular excellence through my annual Latinx Student Excellence Awards. I was delighted to meet the next generation of Latinx leaders in MD-08, and I can't wait to see what they accomplish next.

I recognized these student honorees as my final local heroes of Hispanic Heritage Month, and they were well represented by Albert Einstein High School senior Alex Gomes Garcia, who I spoke with about voter registration efforts and student advocacy. 

You can watch our full awards ceremony honoring the students here and my conversation with Alex here.

Recognizing Respiratory Therapists in our District and Beyond

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory therapists across our nation have been treating patients on the front lines. As experts in respiratory disease management and the use of ventilators, they play an invaluable role in our COVID-19 response, and also provide routine care for people with respiratory conditions. To celebrate National Respiratory Care Week, which began October 24, I proudly introduced a bipartisan resolution in the House formally honoring these health care heroes. To read more, click here.

Additionally, I was glad to recognize respiratory therapist Brian Tait as a local hero during National Respiratory Care Week. Brian has served Suburban Hospital for 16 years and has been treating patients through COVID-19 in the Intensive Care Unit. We thank Brian and the countless health care heroes leading our fight against COVID-19 for their essential work. To watch our full conversation, click here.

You can also watch a special thank you message to all of our health care workers from the Maryland congressional delegation and me here.

Honoring Local Heroes of the Eighth District

Honoring a community member of the Eighth District as a local hero is the highlight of my week. Though my Local Heroes series started as a way to recognize the efforts of Marylanders helping Marylanders through the COVID-19 pandemic specifically, it has expanded to feature a wide range of MD-08 heroes who strengthen our district in myriad ways. To watch a compilation tribute to some of our previous Local Heroes, click here.

In October, I was delighted to recognize local non-profit Shepherd’s Table and celebrate Director of Operations Haile Gebregziabher as a Local Hero. Haile and Shepherd's Table are dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in our community, providing essential services like meals, clothing, eye care and more to our most vulnerable in Silver Spring and beyond. I hope you’ll watch our full conversation here.

Supporting Our Furry Friends

Every year, pet stores throw away tons of expired pet food instead of donating to animal shelters out of fear that the shelters could hold them legally liable. Animal shelters around the country have reported concerns about running low on pet food and a drop-off in charitable donations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This past month, I joined Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI), Lucy McBath (D-GA) and Young Kim (R-CA) in introducing the bipartisan Bring Animals Relief and Kibble Act, or BARK Act, to provide liability waivers to pet suppliers donating food and supplies to animal shelters. Our legislation would help mitigate the food shortages facing shelters while also helping to reduce the millions of pounds of pet food that end up wasted in landfills each year. You can watch my remarks on the BARK Act here and read more here.

Advocating for Child Safety in Technology

Social media use permeates the lives of American children, yet we still don't fully understand its short or long-term effects on neurological, cognitive, behavioral and emotional development. Our bicameral Children and Media Research Advancement Act, or CAMRA Act, would authorize the National Institutes of Health to conduct comprehensive research on technology and media’s effects on the cognitive, physical and socio-emotional development of children, from infants to adolescents. I’m thrilled that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on the legislation this past month, representing critical progress in the fight for safe and responsible tech. For more information, including a full video of the hearing, click here.

Advocating for our Afghan Allies and Partners

Throughout the U.S.’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, I’ve advocated to evacuate our Afghan partners and allies at risk of retaliation from the Taliban, and my district staff have been hard at work assisting members of our community with family in Afghanistan. This past month, I led a letter with my colleagues Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY), Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), and Congressman Michael Waltz (R-FL) in writing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur M. Jaddou requesting USCIS expedite the processing of a Humanitarian Parole petition from Muhammad Kamran, an Afghan national who spent nearly a decade as an interpreter for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, and DAI under the U.S. Agency for International Development. Despite serving as an interpreter for the U.S. for nearly a decade, Mr. Kamran’s requests to seek refuge here from the Taliban have been so far denied. To read our letter, click here, and for more information, click here.

Investigating the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol

I’ve been honored to serve on the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. Though our bipartisan committee has been successfully engaging with nearly every person of interest so far, former Trump administration official and personal adviser to the president Steve Bannon has not complied with our committee’s subpoena. Obviously no person is above the law, and because Mr. Bannon ignored our subpoena, our committee ultimately advanced a report recommending that the House cite Mr. Bannon for criminal contempt of Congress. The measure was adopted by the full House of Representatives in a bipartisan 229-202 vote. My committee colleagues and I will continue to use the tools at our disposal to investigate the full scope of the January 6 attack. Meantime U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected former President Donald Trump’s efforts to keep secret evidence about his conversations and actions leading up to and during the January 6 attack.