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 Maryland’s Eighth District. It remains a surpassing honor to serve as your Representative in Congress.

I'm also writing with a personal update. In April, I finished my sixth and final five-day round of chemotherapy treatment for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. Thanks to the exceptional care of my doctors and the well wishes and support of my constituents and friends across the country, I'm now closing this chapter with renewed gratitude and optimism. You can read my full open letter on the completion of my chemotherapy here.

As always, I encourage all of my constituents across the Eighth 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

Conducting Strong and Effective Oversight for the American People

In the 118th Congress, I lead Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. On the committee, we proudly pursue congressional oversight, root out waste, fraud, and corruption, and promote ethical and responsible government. This past month, among other things, Committee Democrats:

• Examined the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s 2023 High Risk List to ensure the federal government works effectively for the American people.
• Defended abortion access after a federal court ruling jeopardized access to the medication mifepristone.
• Urged USDA to hold meatpacking giant JBS USA accountable for its history of brazen misconduct.
• Advocated to include the DC National Guard Home Rule Act, which would give the D.C. mayor control over the D.C. National Guard, in the next National Defense Authorization Act.

Remember that you can always stay updated with our work on the Oversight Committee at the Democratic website and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Promoting Freedom from Discrimination and Religious Freedom

To push back on abuse of our nation’s religious freedom laws, I joined a civil rights coalition of House and Senate leaders in reintroducing the Do No Harm Act in April. When Congress passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) decades ago, the intent was to protect the exercise of religion, but not at the expense of other peoples' civil rights. In the years that followed, however, some conservative activists aimed to repurpose RFRA to justify usurping other basic rights and evade civil rights protections. In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc, for example, the Supreme Court permitted corporations to rely on RFRA to deny their employees certain types of health care—notably, contraceptive care. Our legislation aims to restore RFRA to its original purpose and protect religious exercise—while ensuring religious freedom is not used to erode civil rights protections.

Commemorating Yom HaShoah and Rejecting Antisemitism and Hate

This past month, my district team joined students and community members for a solemn and reflective Yom HaShoah program to mourn and remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in the Holocaust.

On Capitol Hill, I proudly introduced legislation to award a collective Congressional Gold Medal to Americans who aided and rescued Jews and other refugees during the Holocaust, often in the face of U.S. opposition to their resettlement.

Rejecting the “Insurrectionary” Theory of the Second Amendment

145 days into the year, our nation has already suffered 241 mass shootings. Despite the devastating losses inflicted on individuals, families, communities, and our society, some of my conservative colleagues continue to misinterpret the Second Amendment, arguing that it not only prevents us from legislating popular common sense gun reform, but that the Second Amendment also grants “the ability to maintain an armed rebellion against the government if that becomes necessary.” This insurrectionary theory of the Second Amendment poses a great danger to law enforcement and our people, and on the 28th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing, I released a statement rejecting this twisted and dangerous interpretation of our Constitution. I previously objected to insurrectionist interpretations of the Second Amendment in a New York Times op-ed, which you can read here.

Recognizing the Local Heroes of the Eighth District

Hailing from myriad walks of life, our April Local Heroes represent the health care sector, the U.S. Congress and the arts and culture in our community.

Our National Public Health Week Local Hero is emergency physician Dr. Jeffrey Stone. Caring for patients at the Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center and in the local prison population throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Stone reminds us of the unflagging dedication of health care workers throughout our public health sector.

Senator Ben Cardin has had a great aide-de-camp for decades in MoCo's own Ken Reichard. A Richard Montgomery High School grad with strong local roots, Ken has spent seventeen years as Senator Cardin's eyes and ears on the ground in Montgomery County as his field representative. We're saluting him for a tremendous career in public service of Marylanders.

I was also delighted to feature Ray Barry, recently retired from the helm of the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, as a Local Hero in April. As director of this treasured local institution, Ray has spearheaded programming that engaged our community and shared the magic of arts, culture and entertainment with millions.

Mygenet Harris and Sarah Harnish mentor and inspire the next generation of MoCo artists at Montgomery County Public Schools' Visual Arts Center at Albert Einstein High School. Their remarkable leadership helps young artists across Montgomery County find, develop and share their artistic voices.

Promoting Environmental and Flood Safety in our Community

New flood sensors are demonstrated above

In April, my district team proudly joined Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich to announce 35 new flood sensors for the community's early flood warning system. The sensors come from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and are essential in the time of climate change and extreme weather.

Requesting Community Project Funding for Our District

In April, I requested funding for fifteen community projects in the Eighth District that reflect our community's priorities. These worthy community projects would expand affordable child care for low-income families, bolster mental health crisis services, help law enforcement solve cases faster, expand workforce training for people with disabilities, improve our water quality, install electric vehicle chargers, improve local trails, accelerate our growth as a biotechnology hub, and make pedestrians, cyclists and drivers safer. In the months ahead I will continue to advocate for these timely and important investments.

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