Dear Neighbor:

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

As always, I encourage all of my constituents across the 8th District to connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and 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

Investing in Montgomery, Frederick and Carroll Counties

In March, I voted for the FY2022 omnibus appropriations package, which also included funding to provide critical aid to Ukraine. Soon after, President Biden signed it into law. This $1.5 trillion package funds the entire federal government and makes investments in community projects across the nation—including over $5 million in exciting initiatives across the Eighth District, pictured above and available at my website here. We’re restoring Montgomery County’s watershed, funding a Crisis Stabilization Center in Frederick County, making important safety and accessibility updates at the Hill YMCA in Carroll County—and more. This omnibus package includes historic investments in our community and our country. You can learn more about these investments on the Appropriations Committee website here.

Providing Aid to Ukraine

I’m horrified by Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. In a worldwide struggle against autocracy, the United States must uplift our founding ideals of freedom and democracy. In the FY2022 appropriations omnibus, we allocated over $13 billion in emergency funding aid to Ukraine.

In addition, Congress passed H.R. 7108, the Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act, which suspends normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus to stop Russian and Belarusian goods from being sold in the United States at the same preferential duty rates afforded to other nations. It also amends and reauthorizes the Global Magnitsky Act to strengthen human rights protections and allow the president to impose targeted sanctions in the case of serious human rights abuses.

Congress also passed H.R. 6968, the Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act. The legislation bans the import of Russian oil and energy products to the United States. I’m following developments in Ukraine closely to ensure the United States continues to support the Ukrainian people.

Greeting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on Capitol Hill in Fall 2021

Celebrating Women’s History Month with Local Heroes

Every day, local heroes across the Eighth District illustrate the rich, storied women’s history of our community. I had the distinct pleasure of celebrating Women’s History Month this March with local heroes including Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner, former MD-08 Congressional Representative Connie Morella and McDaniel College’s Shelley Ensor.

Our first Local Hero of Women’s History Month was Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner. Jan is not only the first woman to serve as County Executive in Frederick County, she’s their first ever County Executive! Through her leadership, Jan has modeled good government, strong ethics and integrity. You can find my full conversation with Jan here.

Another stellar representative of the women’s history of our community is former Eighth District Congresswoman Connie Morella. Rep. Morella represented MD-08 with fierce loyalty and championed bipartisan problem-solving in a changing Congress. Watch my discussion with Connie here.

McDaniel College’s Shelley Ensor closed our celebration of Women’s History Month with poignant reflections on music and teaching. The celebrated and decorated gospel choir director uplifts her students and the greater McDaniel College community with every concert, rehearsal and song. Please find my conversation with Shelley here.

On the Floor: Lowering Insulin Prices, Ending Forced Arbitration and More

In addition to voting for our monumental omnibus package this past month, I also took to the House Floor to cast my vote to lower insulin costs, protect our nation’s veterans, dismantle unfair forced arbitration agreements, and more.

While our nation produces great wealth, tens of millions of Americans still struggle to afford essential medical care, including vital medications like insulin. We have much work to do to make our health care system work for our people. That’s why I proudly voted in favor of H.R. 6833, the Affordable Insulin Now Act, to cap patients’ out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 per month in Medicare Part D and commercial health insurance plans. You can read more about the Affordable Insulin Now Act here.

In President Biden’s State of the Union address, the president implored Congress to secure benefits and comprehensive health care for our veterans exposed to toxic waste from burn pits. I’m with him, and voted for H.R. 3967, the Honoring our PACT Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support. Click here to read more about the Honoring our PACT Act.

This Congress, we’re cracking down on the forced arbitration epidemic affecting millions of Americans. In February, I voted for H.R. 4445, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, which ensures survivors of workplace sexual assault or harassment are no longer subject to lopsided contracts with their employers that rob them of their day in court. I’m happy to report that in March, President Biden signed the measure into law! Last month, I also voted to build on that historic milestone and helped pass H.R. 963, the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act (FAIR) Act in the House of Representatives. This bill would prohibit enforcement of all forced arbitration provisions in contracts involving consumer, employment, antitrust and civil rights disputes. I’m determined to see the end of this exploitative practice and deliver the constitutional promise of a jury trial to all Americans.

Recognizing the Local Heroes of the Lyttonsville Road Fire

In early March, an explosion and fire at the Silver Spring Friendly Garden Apartments rocked our community and displaced over one hundred residents. Thankfully, all those living in the building were accounted for and the community came together to provide thousands of dollars in relief for our affected neighbors. In honor of their truly noble efforts, I recognized all firefighters who responded to the Lyttonsville Road fire as local heroes and spoke with two representatives, Captain Marquis Beavers of Fort Detrick Fire and Emergency Services and Lieutenant Francisco Martinez of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services on my weekly Local Hero series. You can watch my conversation with the firefighters here. 

In Committee: Investigating the Missing BIPOC Women Epidemic, HBCU Bomb Threats and Pathways to Universal Health Care

Did you know that Black, Indigenous, and other women of color go missing at rates wholly disproportionate to those of their white counterparts? Congress is confronting this overlooked crisis. In early March, I held a hearing, chaired by Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois, on this epidemic of missing BIPOC women and girls. At our House Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties hearing, we discussed the disparate treatment these cases receive by law enforcement and the media, and potential solutions to address the problem. You can watch my opening statement from the hearing here.

This year, more than one-third of our nation’s historically Black academic institutions have been targeted with bomb threats. Thankfully, the FBI announced it is investigating these threats as its “highest priority,” but I’m convinced we’ll need a whole-of-government approach to confront domestic violent extremism effectively. To those ends, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing this past month examining the federal government’s role in protecting and supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Students, faculty, staff, alumni and broader HBCU campus communities should not have to live in fear of domestic terror attacks. My opening remarks at the hearing are available here. I’m glad to share that the House passed H. Con. Res. 70, a resolution condemning threats of violence against and reaffirming our support for HBCUs and their students.

In March, my Oversight Committee colleagues and I also held a hearing examining pathways to universal health care. In the richest society in the history of humanity, I believe it is irrational and unjust to deny our fellow Americans health care. This was the first hearing on universal health care coverage since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, which laid bare stark inequities in our health care arrangements. Click here to watch some of my remarks from the universal health care hearing.

Securing Federal Funding for Our District

In addition to securing funding for community projects across Montgomery, Frederick and Carroll counties in the omnibus government funding package, I was also proud to announce in March several other key federal funding initiatives that will aid Maryland’s COVID-19 recovery, strengthen WMATA and advance the Purple Line.

Throughout the pandemic, Maryland’s state and local governments have played critically important roles in our public health response. Future COVID mitigation will depend upon continuing federal-local partnership, and I’m pleased to have helped secure over $38 million for our state and local governments’ COVID-19 relief efforts. The funding will reimburse state and local governments across Maryland for medical equipment, PPE, testing and more. Click here to read about this COVID reimbursement funding.

As we turn the page on COVID-19 and more Marylanders return to in-person work, we need our public transportation system, WMATA, ready to meet this surge in demand. WMATA will receive over $120 million from the American Rescue Plan, which I proudly voted for last year, that will strengthen the DMV’s transit system. You can find more information on this WMATA funding at my website.

This past month, I also joined my Maryland Democratic congressional delegation colleagues in announcing nearly $2 billion from a federal transportation loan to advance the construction of the Purple Line after significant delays. The Purple Line will connect Marylanders to jobs across our region and provide a valuable service for neighborhoods currently underserved by existing transit routes. You can read more on the new Purple Line funding here.

Addressing Mental Health Emergencies

This July, Americans nationwide will have a ‘new 911’ to call in mental health emergencies. The newly available 988 hotline will give our people professional and compassionate support in their most difficult times, but to launch this program successfully, we’ll need to invest in our crisis call centers and mental health services. I joined several colleagues in introducing H.R. 7116, the 9–8–8 Implementation Act, which will provide federal funding and guidance for states to expand their crisis response infrastructure ahead of the hotline launch. You can read more about the bill and the upcoming 988 launch here.

Protecting Our Democracy Against Foreign Financial Influence

Our democracy is fighting an epic battle against autocrats all over the world, but right now, a loophole allows foreign oligarchs and dictators to funnel untold sums of corporate dark money into our elections. I recently led my House colleagues in a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission urging the department to use every tool within its authority to help curtail foreign money influence in our democratic processes. You can read my full letter here. The letter builds on my legislative effort, H.R. 6283, the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act, which would close a campaign finance loophole created by the Supreme Court in the Citizens United case that enables foreign-owned, foreign-controlled, or foreign-influenced U.S. corporations to spend unlimited cash in U.S. elections. I encourage you to read more about the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act here.