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.

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

Celebrating the Inflation Reduction Act–Now Law!

With colleagues at a press briefing ahead of passage of the Inflation Reduction Act 

The Inflation Reduction Act, America's most powerful response to the civilizational threat of climate change in our history, and a massive investment in our human infrastructure, is now law!

I was thrilled to cast my vote for this legislation to lower costs for working families, make prescription drugs more affordable for people with Medicare, cut greenhouse gas emissions and do so much more. Please read my newsletter breaking down some of the most transformational provisions here.

To underscore the central importance of the Inflation Reduction Act’s health care and prescription drug provisions, I featured Vinny DeMarco of the Maryland Health Care for All! Coalition as a Local Hero. Vinny has been a steadfast advocate for the health and wellness of all Marylanders, and I could think of no one better to discuss these major legislative victories, including Medicare prescription drug price negotiation and ACA subsidy expansion. I encourage you to watch my full conversation with Vinny DeMarco here.

Announcing the Congressional App Challenge

Aspiring young coders: I’m now accepting applications for the 2022 Congressional App Challenge! This annual competition invites middle and high school students across MD-08 and nationwide to code and create their own software application, or “app,” for mobile devices, tablets or computer devices.

Each year, the App Challenge displays the boundless creativity and technological savvy of the students of MD-08. Our 2021 winners were Walter Johnson High School seniors Ainesh Chatterjee, Salamun Nuhin, Botond Parkanyi and Charles Wang. They created CoronaSafe, a Python-based application that analyzes COVID case data and urban density to create a unique COVID contraction risk calculation for any global address given by the user. You can watch my interview with these MD-08 student winners of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge on Local Hero here.

Aspiring coders, please know that you do not need to submit a totally finished app to participate in the challenge. Instead, the App Challenge merely requires students to submit a short video explaining their app and showing footage of any finished portions of the application. Students may submit their applications starting Wednesday, August 17, 2022 until 12:00pm EST on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. For more information, including submission guidelines, you can visit my website here.

Highlighting Community Project Funding

Discussing park improvements in Long Branch Stream Valley Park

In August, I was delighted to visit Long Branch Stream Valley Park in Silver Spring to discuss how funding I secured in the recent congressional appropriations package is revitalizing park infrastructure and accessibility. Plans to update three pedestrian bridges are already underway, and will incorporate modern ADA accessibility, drainage improvements and enhancements for community safety and interconnection of neighborhoods. It was a wonderful visit, and a fantastic illustration of how federal-local partnership serves our community.

Celebrating the Local Heroes of the Eighth District

Our new national suicide and crisis lifeline, 988, is live and already connecting Marylanders in need to local crisis call centers. In Montgomery County, Rachel Larkin, director of Hotline Outreach and Partnerships at EveryMind, leads the hotline operation with compassion and expertise. Click here to watch my full discussion with Rachel Larkin.

Under Jackie DeCarlo’s leadership, Manna Food Center works to eliminate hunger in Montgomery County with accessible, culturally-rooted solutions. Her dedication has strengthened our local food systems and served countless Maryland families in need. Watch my full conversation with Jackie DeCarlo here.

Far too often, people with autism and their families and caregivers are effectively excluded from public life—whether their presence is deemed disruptive or they have to retreat from events that lack sufficient accommodations. Years ago, my friend Whitney Ellenby, a former Department of Justice disability attorney and proud parent of Zack, who has autism, set out to address this problem and began running autism and sensory-friendly events in the DMV. After a hiatus due to COVID-19, Whitney partnered with the Kennedy Center this summer to organize a sensory-friendly performance of the Blue Man Group for young people with autism and their families. You can watch my full conversation with Whitney Ellenby here.

In Committee: Highlighting Medicare Prescription Drug Negotiation

In the spirit of the free market, the Inflation Reduction Act will finally empower Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. At a House Rules Committee hearing last month, Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee Don Beyer of Virginia and I discussed the importance of bringing Medicare to the bargaining table for our seniors. You can watch my exchange with Rep. Beyer in the House Rules Committee here.

Spreading the Word About Student Debt Relief

Last month, President Biden announced a new plan to relieve millions of Americans struggling under the weight of student loan debt. The president announced a final extension of the student loan payment pause, up to $20,000 in student loan relief for those who need it most, and other improvements to the loan repayment system. These are big steps forward for generations of Americans who remain saddled with exorbitant student debt. To learn more about the student debt forgiveness plan, click here.

The Department of Education is encouraging borrowers to apply for loan forgiveness before November 15th in order to receive relief before the payment pause expires on December 31, 2022. To be notified when the application for loan forgiveness is open, sign up at the Department of Education subscription page here.