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April 1, 2021

Dear Neighbor:

I wanted to take a moment to share with you 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  FacebookTwitter, or Instagram


Stay close,

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Celebrating Women's History Month

As the nation celebrated Women's History Month, I was honored to recognize four outstanding leaders in our community as our 8th District Local Heroes: Charlotte Coffield, Maggie Kunz, Heidi Keeney, and Joan Kleinman. 

Click here to learn more about Charlotte Coffield's passionate public service in Montgomery County, from serving on the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board to advocating for the deaf community.

Click here to learn about Maggie Kunz's work as the Carroll County Health Department's Public Information Officer and Health Planner and her role in the county’s vaccination program.

Click here to learn about Heidi Keeney, who serves as the Frederick County Health Department’s COVID-19 Vaccine Program Manager.

Click here to learn about Joan Kleinman's work as U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen's State Director.

Securing a Mass Vaccination Site in Montgomery County

Local and state leaders recently announced that Montgomery County will house its first mass vaccination site at the Montgomery College Germantown Campus. 

As Rep. David Trone and I highlighted in our letter to Governor Hogan calling for a mass vaccination site of this kind, Montgomery County ranks first in COVID-19 deaths and second in case count. With over a million residents and a majority-minority population, Montgomery County is the most populous and diverse county in the state. Operating a mass vaccination site in the County is a public health imperative for our constituents.

The vaccination site at Montgomery College Germantown opened on March 31 with county resources and will transition to a state-run mass vaccination site the week of April 4, according to the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.

Extending the April 15 IRS Tax Payment and Filing Deadline

After bipartisan calls from more than 100 Members of Congress, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department extended the federal tax filing and payment deadline from April 15 to May 17, 2021. 

I was proud to co-lead a bipartisan effort to secure this deadline extension. Click here to read our bipartisan letter. 

Announcing Federal Funding for Community Health Centers

I joined the Maryland delegation in announcing more than $68 million in American Rescue Plan funding for Community Health Centers (CHCs) across Maryland to expand COVID-19 vaccine distribution and access to equitable, affordable and high-quality health care beyond the pandemic.

This week, I was honored to join Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff at Mary's Center in Silver Spring -- a community health clinic that has operated for more than 30 years and is now serving residents as a vaccination site during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to learn more about our visit to Mary's Center.

Hosting a Telephone Town Hall on the American Rescue Plan

A few days after President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law, I hosted a telephone town hall to provide an overview of this historic package to defeat the coronavirus and engineer American recovery. If you weren't able to join the town hall, you can click here to listen to the entire event. To view a discussion recap, click here.  

Condemning anti-Asian American Violence

Violence against Asian Americans has skyrocketed in the last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last Friday, I participated in the National Day of Action and Healing to speak out against anti-Asian hate. Governor Larry Hogan, First Lady Yumi Hogan, and Delegate David Moon joined me for a virtual roundtable about the alarming rise in anti-Asian violence in the pandemic. Watch our discussion here.

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing examining rising anti-Asian discrimination and violence, I thanked Governor Hogan for sharing how this new wave of hostility has affected his family and close friends and for speaking out forcefully against anti-Asian violence. You can watch my Committee remarks here

Meeting With Heroes Who Defended Our Capitol on January 6th

It was a great honor to meet with D.C. Police Officer Michael Fanone and U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, a proud resident of the 8th District. Both of these patriots defended the U.S. Capitol and Congress during the January 6th insurrection, and I am grateful for their service.

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Investigating White Supremacist Infiltration of Law Enforcement

In the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection, Congress must keep investigating the full scope of the threat of violent white supremacy. Last month, I requested an FBI briefing on white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement, a matter of clear urgency for our nation. 

I believe the vast majority of police and members of the military do their jobs properly. However, I have become increasingly concerned in recent years by episodes that seem to point to a serious problem with extremist activity on the inside. As the world now knows, off-duty law enforcement officers participated in the violent insurrection against Congress on January 6th. 

Given the FBI's refusal last year to admit that extremist police officers posed a serious threat to our Nation's security, I am now concerned that the Bureau lacks an adequate strategy to respond to this clear and present danger to public safety.

Read my letter here.

Pressing USPS Officials for Answers on Mail Delivery Problems

Maryland has experienced one of the worst postal backlogs in the country and the widespread breakdown of mail delivery is unacceptable.

Last month, the Maryland delegation led
 a virtual meeting with USPS officials to discuss the major mail delivery problems affecting our communities. We have serious concerns about Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s "restructuring" plans, which have significantly slowed delivery times, undermined hardworking letter carriers, and degraded public trust in the Postal Service. 

The delegation has previously sent multiple letters to top national and regional postal service leadership about Maryland’s mail issues. We will continue to remain focused on improving USPS services.  

Passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

On the 30th anniversary of the brutal beating of Rodney King, the House passed the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act to address systemic racial profiling and police brutality. I’m a proud cosponsor and voted yes on House passage. Learn more about this legislation here.

Passing H.R. 1, the For The People Act

The House passed H.R. 1, the most transformational set of democracy reforms in decades to strengthen voting rights, stop gerrymandering and end the tyranny of dark money. I’m a proud cosponsor and voted yes on House passage. Learn more about this legislation here.

Passing Gun Safety Legislation

With bipartisan votes, the House passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, to close loopholes in America's gun purchase laws.

H.R. 8 extends universal background check requirements to unlicensed gun dealers and makes the transfer of a gun from an unlicensed firearms dealer illegal. H.R. 1446 gives the FBI a minimum of 10 days to run background checks before a licensed gun dealer can transfer a firearm to an unlicensed person. The current background check waiting period is only 3 days; if the FBI has not completed the background check within this narrow time frame, the gun seller can proceed with the sale. This loophole is how a shooter obtained a gun to perpetrate a 2015 mass shooting at a church in Charleston, SC, killing 9 people.  

Introducing Legislation

I was proud to reintroduce the Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act with Senator Chris Van Hollen. Every state requires a license to drive—but most don’t require one to buy a handgun. Yet we know that permit-to-purchase laws reduce illegal purchases of handguns and save lives. Read more about our legislation here.

I led Reps. Anthony Gonzalez and Lori Trahan in reintroducing the Children and Media Research Advancement (CAMRA) Act to authorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research technology and media’s effects on children's health. Read more about our bipartisan legislation here.

Hosting a Medicare 101 Virtual Forum

I hosted a virtual Medicare 101 Forum with representatives from the Social Security Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to help Marylanders navigate their individual Medicare journeys. Check it out here.

Recognizing Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

I joined the Prevent Cancer Foundation to discuss the alarming rise in young-onset colorectal cancer and to encourage everyone to get screened. Watch our discussion here

Early screening works and can be the key to survival. Last Congress, Rep. Rodney Davis and I led our colleagues in calling on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to lower the recommended colorectal cancer screening age from 50 to 45. We are hopeful that HHS will soon finalize this recommendation to counter the troubling rise in young-onset cases. View our letter here.

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