In The News
Vice President Kamala Harris came to Baltimore on Thursday to visit the state's mass vaccination site at M&T Bank Stadium. Visiting with those getting vaccinated along with Gov. Larry Hogan and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Harris said those administering vaccines are heroes.... Harris was also joined on the tour by officials including Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, Reps. John Sarbanes, D-District 3, Kweisi Mfume, D-District 7, and Mayor Brandon Scott.... “We need the American Families Plan. We need the American Jobs Plan to make sure we're back to stay, that two years from now, we're still standing up straight,” Sarbanes said.
Congressman John Sarbanes weighs in on President Joe Biden's first address to Congress, and his biggest takeaways from last night's speech.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Baltimore Thursday afternoon to tour the state's mass vaccination site at M&T Bank Stadium.... The vice president toured the operation at the stadium before addressing a group assembled inside.... The M&T Bank Stadium mass vaccination site is approaching a milestone of 250,000 shots administered since opening on Feb. 25.... Harris was joined on the tour by officials including Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, Reps. John Sarbanes, D-District 3, Kweisi Mfume, D-District 7, Gov. Larry Hogan, Mayor Brandon Scott and Dr. Anthony Fauci.... While the clinic tour was bipartisan, the event itself -- planned with politics in mind -- was a first stop in the Biden-Harris administration's hard sell of The American Families Plan.... "We need the American Families Plan. We need the American Jobs Plan to make sure we're back to stay, that two years from now, we're still standing up straight," Sarbanes said.
Declaring “Today is a good day, Baltimore,” Vice President Kamala Harris marked the 100th day of the Biden administration by visiting a bustling vaccination site and saying the nation is beginning to emerge from the coronavirus crisis, even as significant economic and health challenges remain. The Democratic vice president, joined Thursday by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott, toured the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at M&T Bank Stadium, where she celebrated the patients and vaccinators as “heroes....” In addition to Hogan and Scott, some of the Democratic members of Maryland’s congressional delegation greeted Harris: the state’s U.S. senators, Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and U.S. representatives Kweisi Mfume and John Sarbanes.
Vice President Kamala Harris touted the Biden administration’s successes on her 100th day in office at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium Thursday afternoon. “I would say today is a good day, Baltimore,” the Democrat said, during remarks that echoed President Biden’s Wednesday night speech before Congress. Governor Larry Hogan and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott greeted the vice president and Dr. Anthony Fauci when they arrived at the stadium, where they were given a tour of the state mass vaccination site before her address. Hogan said at a news conference Wednesday that the stadium was picked for Harris’ visit because “it’s a perfect example of a very well-run vaccination center....” Rep. John Sarbanes, and Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, all Democrats, spoke before Harris’ speech. Melissa Wesby, a Baltimorean who works as a pulmonary nurse at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, introduced the Vice President.”
In a speech in Baltimore Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris marked the 100th day of the Biden administration with a call for Americans to aspire to “reach high,” highlighting the president’s proposed plans to create jobs and aid families as important steps toward a successful future for the country.... After she toured Baltimore’s mass vaccination site earlier in the day, she also called on people to get their shot…. On the tour, the vice president was joined by Dr. Anthony Fauci, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. Other Democratic lawmakers from the state, Sen. Ben Cardin and Rep. John Sarbanes, also spoke Thursday afternoon before the vice president.
Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD 3) joins Julie Mason to provide his perspective of President Biden's first joint address to Congress, the importance of passing the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan, and his leadership in the passage of H.R.1 in March.
We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to pass a new law, the For the People Act, that secures our elections, protects our freedom to vote, gets big money and special interests out of politics, and cleans up government. The For the People Act, introduced as H.R. 1 and S. 1 to indicate its high priority, is the most transformative pro-democracy bill introduced in Congress since the Watergate era. It is the bold action that Americans want and deserve, and Congressman John Sarbanes has been championing this comprehensive effort through Congress. Throughout his public service, Rep. Sarbanes has been a leader to help ensure that other states have many of the same reforms that Maryland has been passing. As the chair of the House Democracy Reform Task Force, Congressman Sarbanes has assembled the For the People Act by talking with voters about how government can work better for them, spending hundreds of hours listening to experts and gathering the best ideas from colleagues, and examining best practices from states and localities. Provisions in H.R. 1 are tried and true reforms that have passed in many red, purple, and blue states.... With the support of Congressman Sarbanes and Common Cause Maryland, localities throughout Maryland have passed citizen-funded elections systems to amplify the voices of everyday Marylanders, including Baltimore City, and Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Howard counties. And now the General Assembly has passed the Maryland Fair Elections Act to strengthen the gubernatorial Fair Campaign Financing Fund, which Gov. Larry Hogan used in his first election, and we urge him to sign this bill into law. These citizen-funded election programs, a key part of the For the People Act that Congressman Sarbanes has championed, incentivize small donors and help get big money out of politics. Small donor systems ensure candidates and our elected representatives prioritize the needs of everyday voters over those of big donors. Instead of candidates relying on wealthy donors, lobbyists and special interests to fund their campaigns, small donors who contribute $10, $20 or $50 will have their donations amplified by matching funds and can be competitive with the big donors. As a result, nurses, firefighters and teachers can become the “big donors” and have their voices amplified.... In addition to Congressman Sarbanes championing this legislation, we also appreciate the continued leadership on the For the People Act from Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Rep. Jamie Raskin and the entire Maryland congressional delegation, all of which supports the bill, except Rep. Andy Harris. Since entering Congress, Rep. Sarbanes has recognized the dangerous role of big money in politics and has worked tirelessly to change the status quo to put “we the people” in charge of government. On behalf of our 1.5 million members, we will continue to work “in common cause” with Congressman Sarbanes to get the For the People Act through the Senate and to President Biden’s desk so all Americans, regardless of race, ZIP code or the size of our wallets, can have our voices heard.
The Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in a pair of cases that members of Congress say could influence political discourse in the United States, warning that the justices either could stymie debates on controversial policies or bolster the influence of big money anonymous donors.... But the cases play out against the backdrop of a long and contentious debate about the influence of money in politics and shaping public discourse, so it has drawn the attention of lawmakers who have been the most outspoken on the issue.... But a group of Democratic senators told the justices in a brief that the challenges to the California law are “the latest move in a steady and methodical campaign pursued by powerful interests to both cement and obscure their influence over the public sphere” since the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.... In a separate brief, Maryland Democratic Rep. John Sarbanes, who sponsored legislation that includes provisions to strengthen requirements to disclose campaign-related expenditures and donors, noted that some groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had brought up election-related disclosure in these cases about a California state law. Sarbanes urged the justices “to take care to cast no doubt” on their previous rulings that upheld disclosure requirements related to elections.
Congressman John Sarbanes weighs in on the debate over renewable energy investments in President Joe Biden's 'American Jobs Plan.'
