Government News

Today, a bipartisan and bicameral coalition introduced the Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2019 (H.R. 1168). The legislation would establish baseline security requirements for IoT devices purchased by the federal government. In the House, this effort is being spearheaded by Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) and Congressman Will Hurd (TX-23), the former chairman and ranking member of the IT subcommittee during the 115th Congress. “As the government continues to […]

(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) today announced his support of H.Res. 109, commonly known as the “Green New Deal” resolution to address climate change. He issued the following statement:  “I’ve heard the Green New Deal resolution described as utopian, aspirational and overly ambitious. And I agree with all of these. Achieving carbon neutrality and guaranteeing jobs for all within 10 years – and figuring out how to pay […]

Admittedly, neither one of us appreciated how fundamental space is to how we live and work until we served on the House Intelligence Committee. We quickly learned that America no longer owns space. We operate there along with every other space-capable nation, including adversaries like China and Russia. We learned that they are doing everything in their power to interfere with our operations. We learned that future wars will take place in space. And we quickly realized the grim truth that we […]

(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) today voted in support of H.J. Res 31, which funds seven appropriations bills for the rest of the year and prevents another government shutdown. The legislation, which is the product of a bipartisan, bicameral Conference Committee agreement, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 300 to 128. Congressman Ruppersberger issued the following statement:   “I always say, nobody gets 100 percent of what they […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressmen Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Jim Langevin (D-RI), John Katko (D-NY), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), and John Ratcliffe (R-TX) released the following after introducing H.R. 1158 — the Cyber Incident Response Teams Act.  This bill codifies and enhances Cyber Incident Response Teams at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) within the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) to elevate and prioritize DHS’s vital […]

(Washington, DC) – Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger today issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.J. Res. 37, which directs the removal of U.S. troops from hostilities in Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress. “Today, I voted without hesitation in support of H.J. Res. 37, of which I was a proud cosponsor. Its passage brings us one step closer to ending the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and marks the first time in the 45 years […]

(Washington, DC) – Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger joined Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) today in introducing legislation that would provide federal workers impacted by a government shutdown with back pay – plus interest.  While federal employees impacted by the most recent, 35-day government shutdown will receive compensation for lost wages, many workers were forced to incur additional costs, including fees for late payments on bills and loans. The Back Pay Fairness […]

The National Security Agency is 31.2 miles from the front door of the White House.  When President Trump first came into office, I invited him to tour the agency located in my district at Fort Meade, Maryland, at his convenience.  I often take new Members of Congress to NSA – I’m taking a group of freshmen next week, in fact – and it would make sense for our new Commander in Chief to want to see our country’s signals intelligence headquarters and meet some of […]

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Congressman Walter Jones (R-N.C.) led a letter with Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Congressmen C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) and Anthony Brown (D-Md.) to the Acting Secretary of Defense Shanahan and Secretary of the Navy Spencer about the case of Chief Petty Officer (CPO) Shannon Kent, a chief cryptologic technician in the United States Navy, who was recently killed […]

(Washington, DC) – Yesterday, Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger voted for a seventh time on legislation that would end the partial government shutdown and provide relief for the 800,000 Americans who are either furloughed or working without pay. Legislation considered in the House of Representatives yesterday would have funded the government until February 1, providing President Trump and Congressional leaders time to reach a compromise on border security funding without holding […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Sarbanes joined U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, along with Congressmen Elijah Cummings and Dutch Ruppersberger (all D-Md.), in announcing more than $1 million in affordable housing grants for Baltimore City and the region, including $322,500 for the Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore, Inc., $227,500 for the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center and $572,000 for AHC Inc. Funded through NeighborWorks America, the grants will support […]

TOWSON, MD – Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) issued the following statement today after a gunman attacked congregants at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand: “My heart goes out to the families of those tragically victimized by the horrific attack in New Zealand. I extend my deepest sympathy to members of the Muslim community around the world and here in our own State of Maryland, who have been deeply shaken by this unspeakable act of terror against peaceful worshippers. We […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing today, Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) challenged U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross about his unconstitutional and illegal decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. “I think that you and the Department are in a precarious position, partly because of the substance of the decision with respect to the citizenship question, but even more so because of the process by which it was […]

U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings and other Democrats grilled President Trump’s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Thursday on his controversial decision to include a citizenship question in the next national census…. “I think this was concocted by your department and foisted on DOJ and others,” said Rep. John P. Sarbanes (D-Md.). “The documents indicate this originated at the very least inside the Department of Commerce, if not other parts of the administration.&rdquo […]

For decades, majorities of Americans have favored swift, meaningful action on climate change. They understand that we must transition away from dirty fuels and toward clean, renewable energy. Yet despite this overwhelming support, Congress has repeatedly failed to act. This jarring disconnect between what the public wants to see and what Washington is prepared to deliver doesn’t just threaten the health and safety of everyone in our country—it undermines the very principle of […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing today, Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) questioned U.S. Department of the Interior Deputy Chief FOIA Officer Rachel Spector about her agency’s failure to comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and its efforts to restrict the public’s access to agency records. “The Department of [the] Interior proposed a rule in December that would restrict public access to its records,” said […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today co-sponsored and introduced the Equality Act (H.R. 5), a bill to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Americans across several key areas, including education, employment, housing, public spaces and federal financial services. “The piecemeal and patchwork nature of civil rights law in America does not go far enough to fully guard against discrimination on the basis of gender […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a House Subcommittee on Health hearing today, Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) grilled U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar about the Trump Administration’s lackluster and slow-moving response to the opioid epidemic, including its failure to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the crisis. “I wanted to talk specifically about the opioid crisis and address the impact of the pharmaceutical manufacturer marketing […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today co-sponsored and introduced the Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6), a bill to create a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders. “Dreamers, DED holders and TPS recipients have come to this country through no fault of their own,” said Congressman Sarbanes. “Day in and day out, they make meaningful and measurable contributions to communities in Maryland […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress hearing today, Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) called on his colleagues to increase Congressional capacity and resources to counter the undue influence of industry lobbyists, corporate special interests and wealthy donors on Capitol Hill. “… What you see is corporations, outside interest groups, trade associations pouring billions of dollars into this very sophisticated […]