Long live the jury trial in America.

The MoCo Pride Center is a shining light for the LGBTQIA+ community. Thank you for standing strong as so many Americans face unrelenting attacks from a cruel and divisive administration.

While throwing Great Gatsby parties for the billionaires and building a Marie Antoinette Ballroom the size of nearly two football fields, Trump steers his bulldozer at American families on SNAP benefits trying to eat in his Hunger Games economy.

Here I thought Trump was finally expressing sympathy for Virginia Giuffre’s family and the other victims of his leering wing man Jeffrey Epstein—but nope, it was the Royal family and poor ex-Prince Andrew that Trump feels so badly for.

This week’s Local Heroes are Dr. Ligia Peralta and Rebecca Davis. Dr. Peralta is a community physician attending to our people and fighting for everyone’s right to care. Rebecca is a breast cancer survivor telling Congress why ACA credits to matter to millions of Americans.

Two federal courts agree that emergency SNAP fund benefits must be paid NOW. The Trump administration must act with the same speed and seriousness to get food benefits to our people that it has acted with to deport immigrants, destroy public health and bulldoze the White House. NOW.

Speaker Johnson & MAGA are hellbent on raising health insurance premiums for millions while RFK Jr. spreads vaccine misinformation & pulls the plug on vaccination programs. We can't continue down this deadly path. Let’s reverse the health care cuts AND reopen the government.

Want to make sure this letter arrives at the right place.

President Trump is taking a wrecking ball to the White House—his temporary residence—without consulting its over 300 million rightful owners. I’m leading 59 of my colleagues to demand we protect our history & make the White House accessible again to the people.

I’m inspired by hundreds of former USAID federal workers still fighting for democracy, development and community action. Trump and DOGE may have snuffed out USAID, and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of former beneficiaries, but the spirit and solidarity of its staff persist.

Americans are sick of skipping doctor’s appointments, rationing medicine & delaying lifesaving surgeries because health care is so expensive. If we don’t act now, millions of Americans will lose their health insurance. Dems are fighting to protect our people & reopen the government.

Republicans need to come back from their month-long paid vacation and do the work of democracy. Cancel the health care cuts. Reopen the government. Restore nutrition. Release the Epstein File. Cut the crap.

Arms control and disarmament is a national security imperative. That’s why I’m supporting legislation from Rep. Jim McGovern and Rep. Jill Tokuda to end the nuclear arms race and all its attendant dangers.

We’re barreling towards the GOP’s full-blown national health care crisis. Democrats are reporting for work to stop the crisis and reopen the government. Why are Republicans on extended paid vacation?

This week's MD-08 Local Hero is the irrepressible Jill Ortman-Fouse, a round-the-clock community activist and leader of the democracy in Montgomery County. Thank you, Jill, for standing strong and fighting for federal workers, immigrants, and people in the LGBTQ+ community.

MAGA’s brutal ACA & Medicaid cuts will put health care coverage at risk for millions of our people. I held a roundtable in Silver Spring w/ state & MoCo health officials & my constituents who face staggering health insurance bills if this GOP crisis continues w/o redirection.

Trump keeps losing in court because in America, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are supreme—not the president. This is a meaningful free speech victory against MAGA censorship for America’s students and military families as Judge Giles orders hundreds of books returned to the classroom!

I just went to the House floor to demand that Speaker Johnson swear in Adelita Grijalva, but the GOP gaveled out without even recognizing us.    We’re not going anywhere. I’m here with Leader Jeffries and Adelita Grijalva. Speaker Johnson must swear her in.

Speaker Johnson must stop blocking the results of a free and fair election. We’re demanding he do his job and swear in Adelita Grijalva immediately.

Enough is enough. Adelita Grijalva was elected on September 23. The people of Arizona have a right to be represented in Congress.   During today’s pro forma session, when the House is called to order I will seek unanimous consent to insist upon the swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva.

During Diwali, the festival of lights, I wish joy and peace to all those celebrating in MD-08 and across America and the world. Together, we will light hope and positivity in our communities and work together to help those in need.

My friend Katey Boerner, Chief Executive Officer of Glen Echo Park, keeps this local treasure sparkling for everyone. Get ready for the Fall Frolic everyone!

My new constituent June shows that her Congressman’s business card is always useful to have around.

A beautiful, joyful day at Glen Echo at the Washington Folk Festival is the perfect way to cap the No-Kings Weekend!

We have a supreme Constitution, not a supreme leader. Donald Trump, we have no kings here. We are not your subjects. We are free citizens. We will never be your subjects.

"Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered, but we have this consolation: The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph." —Tom Paine

The president has one core job under the Constitution: to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Not thwarted, diverted, blunted, revised or ignored. Faithfully executed.

The Preamble to the Constitution began with three magic words and they were not “I, the King.”

This week’s MD-08 Local Hero, Brigid Howe, is a lifelong MoCo resident and the Executive Director of Nonprofit Montgomery. Brigid is a brilliant nonprofit strategist and convener who guides nonprofits to help make our community a compassionate and thriving community.

It’s painfully clear. By refusing to swear in Adelita Grijalva, Speaker Johnson’s covering up Jeffrey Epstein’s global sex-trafficking ring. Hey GOP: Bring back the House, cancel your health care cuts, reopen the government and release the files.

The president wants all the parts of government closed that he can't personally profit from. So he doesn't care about health care for your family. He wants to build a White House ballroom and promote bitcoin.

As the Roberts Court contemplates demolition of the remnants of the Voting Rights Act, the GOP prepares to dismantle majority-African American and Hispanic districts in mid-decade redistrictings across the land. I thanked pro-democracy protesters from Black Voters Matter at the Court yesterday.

Please notify President Trump and Vice-President Vance immediately. Isn’t this a mandatory one-year jail sentence—or is this a kind of flag desecration they have no problem with?

Trump says that, with his illegal mass layoffs, he’s closing “Democrat programs.” But programs like Social Security, education for children with disabilities, & clean water enforcement work for all Americans. If you want to repeal them, send a bill to Congress; if not, hands off.

So what do you say, J.D. Vance? You once feared Trump could be the American Adolf Hitler. But that seems to be the hope of the new generation of Republicans you’ve raised. Will you denounce this outbreak of antisemitism, racism and fascism in your party?

In the face of mass illegal firings & efforts to “traumatize” them, federal workers aren’t backing down—and we’re with them all the way. Trump & Vought—stop attacking American civil servants. Join with us to cancel your devastating health care cuts and to reopen government.

It is extraordinary and heart-rending to see hostages returned to their families in Israel after their two-year ordeal in captivity. It is all so long overdue, and the world prays for sustained peace-building and continued healing in the region.

To celebrate Banned Books Week, we honor as MD-08 Local Heroes two amazing independent bookstores in Montgomery County—Wonderland Books in Bethesda and People’s Book in Takoma Park, which have created sanctuaries for books, writers, ideas, resistance and community.

We’re standing with federal workers in MoCo. This new resource is a diamond in the rough for our displaced but resilient federal workers. Thank you to our county leaders for defending our community and acting with great compassion and foresight.

Happy Birthday to the great Larry Tribe, brilliant professor and scholar, freedom fighter in retirement, indispensable champion of constitutional democracy and the rule of law. Take a modest part of the evening off to enjoy!

And the lawsuits will follow promptly. Government shutdowns give presidents no additional authority to dismiss federal workers. We’ll fight these outrageous assaults on civil servants and public services.

My heart breaks for this precious child, her family, teachers and friends and everyone grieving her loss. My family and I are sending love, condolences and sympathy to all touched by this catastrophe. patch.com/maryland/sil...

In a democracy based on freedom and the rule of law, we don’t jail public officials—or anyone—because of policy disagreements. We need everyone to repudiate this nonsense because a president cannot act as a prosecutor, judge, jury and dictator.

Democrats are fighting back against Trump and MAGA’s authoritarian book bans. Today, Senator Brian Schatz and I are introducing a resolution to protect the right to read at schools, libraries and universities across the country.

A leaked memo shows Trump is trying to deny furloughed federal employees the backpay they are legally entitled to after the government shutdown ends. This won’t be allowed to stand. And it’s because of a law he signed!

Why won’t Speaker Johnson allow Bondi to testify in the House Judiciary Committee? The American people deserve transparency, and we should not be covering up disgraceful and dangerous crimes.

Hamas’ horrific terror attacks on Israelis on Oct. 7 brought shame to humanity. Each day of the two years of war has brought shocking suffering to civilians in Gaza & isolation to Israelis. It’s time to bring the hostages home, end this savage war & surge aid to Gaza.

Trump and Johnson are prepared to double our health care premiums and keep the government closed just to keep MAGA corruption and their war on the working middle class going. Democrats say no way. Cancel the cuts, expand health care and restore government to the people.

It’s day four of MAGA’s outrageous government shutdown. Now, Speaker Johnson gave House Republicans another paid week away from work. I’m going live on Instagram at 7 PM ET with my friend and Ranking Democrat on the Rules Committee @repmcgovern.bsky.social to talk about this lawlessness.

This week’s Local Hero is Ruth Masterson, the celebrated outgoing Executive Director of Meals on Wheels in Silver Spring/Takoma Park. Ruth is a creative and devoted not-for-profit leader who stands strong for the well-being of our people.