Dear Friend,

I wanted to pass along my latest update on what I am doing to represent Maryland's First District and stand up for commonsense conservative polices in Congress.

Last week, Congress passed legislation:

Condemning Biden's Open Border Policies:

PASSED: H. Res. 1065, which condemns President Biden and his administration for their disastrous open border policies and holds them accountable for creating the worst border security crisis in U.S. history. Under President Biden, 7.2 million illegal immigrants have entered our country, which is more than the population of 36 states, including Maryland. Not only does this pose a threat to our national security, but communities across America and in Maryland are suffering the tragic consequences of Biden’s open border policies daily.

Reducing Taxpayer Funded Waste in the Federal Government:

PASSED: H.R. 6276, the Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act which requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to identify federally used office spaces and ensure they are being utilized at least 60 percent over the course of a year. Although this may be a little-known fact, the federal government owns over 500 million square feet of office space in federal office buildings, costing billions of dollars every year to maintain and operate whether or not the space is being used or not. With our rising national debt and deficit, it is imperative now more than ever that we ensure taxpayer dollars are not being wasted.

Calling on the President to Stop Sanctuary Cities from Shielding Illegal Immigrants from Federal Law Enforcement.

Recently, I joined a letter with several of my House Republican colleagues calling on the President to use his authority to stop sanctuary cities from shielding illegal immigrants. Here in Maryland, we are witnessing an uptick in dangerous and deadly migrant crime rates because Maryland law allows counties like Montgomery County, to harbor illegal aliens as a sanctuary county.

Americans deserve to feel safe in their communities and it is time for President Biden to use his authority to protect Americans from rising crime in sanctuary cities.

Read the full letter here.

District Updates

2024 Nurse Corps Scholarship Program:

Recently, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the application process for the fiscal year 2024 Nurse Corps Scholarship Program. The Nurse Corps Scholarship Program provides scholarships to nursing students in exchange for a minimum two-year, full-time service commitment (or part-time equivalent), at an eligible health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses.

Applications are due by May 2, 2024, 7:30 p.m. ET and more information on this funding opportunity can be found here: https://bhw.hrsa.gov/funding/apply-scholarship/nurse-corps.

2024 Congressional Art Competiton:

Calling All First District Artists!!

I am once again pleased to announce that the 2024 Congressional Art Competition is now open for submissions. All high school students in Maryland’s First District are encouraged to apply and a winner will be chosen to display his or her artwork in the U.S. Capitol building for one year. For full competition guidelines and the student release forms, please visit Harris.House.Gov, go to the “Services” tab at the top of the screen and click on “Art Competition.”

Artwork can be submitted to any of our district offices on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays. Please call one of the office’s listed below to schedule a time to drop off your artwork.

Bel Air District Office – 410-588-5670
Kent Island District Office- 410-643-5425
Salisbury District Office- 443-944-8624

In The News

TikTok Legislation:

The House voted on and passed H.R. 7521, a bill that protects the national security of the United States from threats posed by foreign adversary-controlled applications, like TikTok. While we prepared to vote, my office received many calls from folks concerned that this legislation would ban TikTok. To be clear, H.R. 7521 does not ban TikTok but does requires ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, to divest in its ownership of TikTok in order to continue operating within the United States.

After carefully considering the bill, I voted in favor of it because personal data privacy should be a concern to everyone and any temporary inconvenience in a change of ownership outweighs the risk of the Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on the personal data of American citizens.

Op-ed on Pregnancy Resource Centers:

On Oct. 2, 2023, President Joe Biden’s Department of Health, and Human Services (HHS) proposed regulations that would bar pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) from receiving funding under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Here in Maryland, pregnancy resource centers strive to fulfill all four pillars of the TANF mission. And in my own congressional district, residents have access to several of these organizations.

For instance, the Pregnancy Care Clinic of the Eastern Shore in Salisbury provides resources to mothers in need, including maternity and pregnancy supplies. This pregnancy center, along with the Cecil Crisis Pregnancy Center in Elkton and others, also help prepare men for the challenges of fatherhood.

Since its establishment, TANF funds have been prohibited from being used for abortion purposes. Yet Planned Parenthood– America’s largest abortion provider, with 7 locations in Maryland, receives TANF funds from Biden’s HHS. This occurs despite the fact that clear majorities of Americans continue to believe that taxpayer dollars should never be used to fund abortion.

As I join my colleagues in Washington this month to vote on spending packages, advocating to protect the TANF program from the Biden Administration’s heinous overreach will be among my top priorities.

Read the full op-ed published in the Baltimore Sun here.

How We Can Help

If you have ever had any issue with a Federal agency, like the IRS, the VA, Social Security, Medicare, or passports, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. My office teams are ready to assist you. If you are interested in purchasing a flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol, for a special person or special occasion, please visit my website or call my office at 202-225-5311. Below are links to services my office offers and we hope to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Andy Harris, M.D.
Member of Congress

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