Dear Neighbor:

I hope that you’ve found joy and connection in the inaugural month of 2024. It remains a surpassing honor to begin another year serving as your Representative in Congress.

Before I share updates on my work serving the people of Maryland’s Eighth District, I want to remind readers that submissions are now open for my 2024 Congressional Art Competition! I’m encouraging all high school students across our district with a passion for visual arts to enter the 2024 competition and share their vision with all of us! Check out the Congressional Art Competition page of my website for more information, including eligibility and submission instructions.

As always, I encourage all of my constituents across the Eighth District to connect with me on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram and Threads. 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

Rep. Raskin’s January in Photos

Protecting Maryland Families Saving for College from Unfair Tax Penalties

I’m excited to report that in January, I secured tax relief for families who had been affected by a significant system error with Maryland’s college savings accounts. In 2022, this system error resulted in Maryland 529—the independent agency in charge of overseeing our state’s two college savings plans—freezing earnings on upwards of 31,000 Marylanders’ accounts. While access to their full accounts was frozen, families encountered difficulties with transferring or making tax-free rollovers with their children’s education funds. By the time full access to the accounts was restored, many Maryland families realized they could be subject to tax consequences for making the rollovers they could not complete during the freeze. Last October, I led a letter with members of the Maryland delegation to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel asking the IRS to issue a ruling or guidance allowing affected families to rollover their accounts without being charged a tax penalty. I am delighted to share that in January, the IRS informed me they received my letter and would indeed waive the tax penalty for affected Marylanders. On January 25, the IRS officially waived the tax penalty for the affected Maryland families! You can read the IRS’s announcement here. Thanks to all constituents who brought this matter to my attention.

Advocating for Scam and Crime Victims by Fixing Our Tax Code

Prior to the enactment of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by former President Trump, victims of scams, fraud, crime, and disasters could deduct their personal losses on their taxes. An outrageous but little-discussed provision in this tax law removed that deduction, which previously helped many victims mitigate their losses. After a constituent brought this glaring flaw to my attention, I introduced legislation with my colleague Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) to restore people’s ability to claim their losses as a deduction on their taxes. I will continue to fight for this change to make our tax system fair by offering relief to people who have been robbed or taken advantage of by scammers or suffered other misfortunes. 

Protecting Press Freedom

I’m thrilled to report that my and Representative Kevin Kiley’s (R-CA-03) bill, the PRESS Act, passed the House this month with unanimous bipartisan support! A federal press shield that protects journalists from government overreach and abuse of subpoena power is finally within our reach. This resounding bipartisan vote at a time of persistent party polarization underscores the binding power and universal appeal of freedom of the press as one of our leading constitutional principles. For more information about my PRESS Act, you can visit my website. And it was a thrill to cross the aisle to cosponsor a bill with a former law student.

Pursuing Congressional Oversight for the American People

My Democratic colleagues on the Oversight Committee and I proudly continued our oversight duties into 2024: promoting open and ethical government, rooting out waste, fraud and abuse and ensuring our government functions for the common good. In January, we released a new staff report and new documents produced by former president Donald Trump’s former accounting firm, alleging that while he was in office, he received at least $7.8 million from 20 foreign governments through his businesses. My Democratic Oversight colleagues and I hope to see Trump and his team fully cooperate with our investigation and provide a full accounting of payments from foreign governments so that we can protect the integrity of the executive branch and restore public trust.

Promoting Mental Health and Crisis Care

In January, I renewed efforts to bolster our nation’s continuum of mental health care by joining my colleagues in introducing the CONNECT Act. This legislation will help us build on the success of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which has already fielded millions of calls, by providing call centers in Maryland and across the country with the resources they need to provide critical follow-up services to at-risk callers. This bill was inspired by the successful models established by Maryland service providers and would invest $30 million into a nationwide effort.

Highlighting Hypocrisy and Inaction on Gun Violence

As gun violence surges in America, Democrats are pushing for universal background checks, red flag laws, a ban on assault weapons and other legislative solutions to save lives in this growing national epidemic. Frustrated that many conservatives are not meeting this crisis with the urgency it demands, I wrote a piece in the Washington Post highlighting some of the most egregious denials, distractions and double-talk public officials use to defend their inaction. Gun violence is a massive threat to innocent life and limb, a horrific burden on our country and is destroying our social contract in America.

Promoting Peace in the Middle East

I continue to do what I can to urge the United States and the world to work for a pragmatic strategy to end the violence, captivity, bombardment, and displacement in Israel and Gaza—including a plan for reconstruction and concrete talks to create democracy and security for all the people of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. On January 15, I joined community faith leaders at the Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church for a powerful Interfaith Service celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy of nonviolent activism for global peace and justice. Last month, I also continued to raise my voice alongside the families of Israeli hostages who are demanding their loved ones’ safe return home. On January 25, I issued a statement renewing my calls for the world to urgently prioritize the immediate safe return of the remaining hostages, a complete bilateral ceasefire, the removal of the Hamas terrorists from operational control of Gaza, the end of the bombardment of the civilian population, and a global humanitarian surge of food, water, medical supplies and power to the besieged Gazan population to end this wretched disaster of human suffering. My district office is continuing to assist those in the region with ties to Maryland’s Eighth District. If you or someone you know may be in need of help, please don’t hesitate to contact my office.

Working with Global Entry Enrollment Partners to Improve Service

My district office team meets with CBP at Dulles International Airport about global entry enrollment and other priorities

My district staff met with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and received a tour of passenger and tactical operations at the Washington Dulles International Airport. My staff discussed global entry enrollment concerns and CPB staff shared their plans to increase accessibility to interviews.

Recognizing the Local Heroes of the Eighth District

Local Hero Judy Richardson, center, facing the camera alongside civil rights leaders including John Lewis, Joyce Ladner and Ivanhoe Donaldson, as photographed by Danny Lyon in 1963

Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, I featured Silver Spring’s own filmmaking and civil rights leader Judy Richardson (pictured above) as a Local Hero. Rendering essential movement education, Judy reminds us that we are all the changemakers we've been waiting for.

Did you know that your decision to donate blood can help save up to three lives? Check out my Local Hero conversation with Curt Luthye of our local Red Cross chapter and be sure to make a plan to donate if you are eligible. Thanks for helping us recognize National Blood Donor Month with us, Curt!

Offering VITA, Head Start and other essential resources, MoCo's Community Action Agency (CAA) provides thousands of Marylanders support they can depend on. I’m saluting acting executive director and Head Start leader Charlene Muhammad for all she and CAA do to strengthen our community.

After losing her beloved son Jaycee to gun violence, Giselle Mörch turned her pain into service and activism. This Local Hero helped us commemorate National Gun Violence Survivors Week with her resilient spirit and love of community.

Constituent Corner: Sharing Helpful Information for International Travel 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offers a free application known as Mobile Passport Control (MPC), which allows U.S. citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents to submit their travel document, photo, and customs declaration information via their smartphone or tablet for a more convenient entry process into the United States. MPC does not require pre-approval and allows eligible travelers to bypass the regular line to enter the United States, which helps reduce passport control inspection time and overall wait time. MPC is currently available at BWI and IAD as well as 46 other sites, including 31 other U.S. International Airports, 11 Preclearance locations, and 4 seaports of entry. For more information on MPC, you can check out the CBP website. This is also an option if you are waiting for a decision on your Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) application or for an interview date to complete your TTP enrollment. 

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