Workgroup: Engaging Elected Officials

Mission Statement

To establish relationships with federal, state and local elected officials in Frederick County districts in order to amplify the efforts of our elected officials fighting the changes imposed by the Republican administration and mitigating the damage on our community, state and country.

5Bullets

Click here to access our weekly brief on what our federal representatives are engaged in

July 13 – This past week has been All About a Bill

Angela Alsobrooks

July 11 – Attended Delta Sigma Theta 57th national congress in DC
July 11 – Posted concern for those affected by Baltimore mass overdose incident
July 11 – Co-signs letter to Trump condemning accepting Qatari plane
July 10 – Teamed up with Republican Representative Kevin Cramer (ND) to challenge closure of Economic Development Administration – Congress authorized $1B in 2024 funding 583 projects across the country.
July 9 – Highlighted NIH Cuts Prompt Layoffs at University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

Chris Van Hollen

July 12 – Comments on SSA rolling back restrictions for filing for benefits by phone
July 11 – Senate Foreign Relations Committee letter to Marco Rubio objecting to State Department reductions in force
July 10 – As ranking member of an appropriations subcommittee proposed bi-partisan amendment to prohibit Congressionally approved funds from being used to move FBI anywhere but Greenbelt. Did not pass.
July 10 – As member of Senate Foreign Relations committee, reintroduced bipartisan Young African Leaders Initiative Act.
July 9 - U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and John Curtis (R-Utah), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, & International Cybersecurity Policy, reintroduced bipartisan legislation to support Taiwan’s ability to participate in international organizations as China continues working to curtail Taiwan’s influence in global affairs.

April McClain Delaney

July 13 – Posts about pushing IRS to fix staffing shortages delaying returns and inviting constituents to request help https://mcclaindelaney.house.gov/contact
July 11 – Attends celebration of C&O Canal historic building project funded by Great American Outdoors Act
July 11 – Requested $2.5M federal Community Project Funding for Town of Oakland, MD aging water system
July 10 – Town Hall at MCCC with MD Comptroller Brooke Lierman, Attorney General Anthony Brown. I attended (front row seat!) – Comptroller released report assessing impact of Federal budget on MD to provide data for response and mitigation efforts. Silver lining (if there can be one) – announced new program to support Affordable Housing in MD based on previously allocated funding.
July 10 – Comments on support for advocating for Medicaid in light of budget cuts “though it won’t happen for years” – this is the kicker about BBB – many cuts don’t take effect until after the midterms. My 2 cents: leading into the midterms, arguments will be democrats are spinning fear; post-midterms, Administration will be ready to blame democrats.

Recommended Action Items

Click here to sign up for elected officials' newsletters, send them stories about how the Trump administration's changes have affected you personally, attend local government meetings and more!

Sign up for our elected officials newsletters:
- 1. Senator Chris Van Hollen: https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/contact/newsletter-sign-up
  2. Senator Angela Alsobrooks: https://www.alsobrooks.senate.gov/services/newsletter/
  3. Congresswoman April McClain Delaney - http://mcclaindelaney.house.gov/contact/newsletter-subscribe
  4. Jessica Fitzwater – Frederick County Executive newsletter: https://frederickcountymd.gov/5931/County-Executive

Take Congresswoman April McClain Delaney’s Spot Polls
- 1. - You can find this in her newsletter – Help her understand what we think is important!

Submit stories about how the Trump administration’s changes have personally affected you to our Senators and Congress people:

a. After speaking with our Senators and Congresswoman – it has been repeatedly asked by all three of them that we take the time to submit stories to their websites about the impacts of the changes the Trump Administration has made. If you have been personally affected, or know anyone personally affected, by any changes made from this administration – PLEASE consider writing testimonials on all three websites. These stories are vital if they need to pursue a lawsuit, need to reach out to talk to constituents to gain more information, or need people to testify or share their experiences/concerns.

b. Below are the three websites for sharing your experiences. It is recommended that you submit your story to ALL websites. Thank you for taking your time to share your individual experiences.

Senator Van Hollen: https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/share-how-president-trumps-executive-orders-are-impacting-you-or-your-family
Senator Alsobrooks: https://www.alsobrooks.senate.gov/share-your-opinion/
Congresswoman Delaney: https://mcclaindelaney.house.gov/contact/email-me
Congressman Raskin: https://raskin.house.gov/email-jamie

Attend Local Meetings: Our goal is to have at least one Rise Up Frederick member at the following meetings:

a. City Council Regular Public Meeting

Meets 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 6 P.M, City Hall Boardroom. This is a formal meeting where the City Council votes on agenda items.

b. County Council Meetings:

Tuesdays @ 5:30 PM at 1st floor hearing room, Winchester Hall
Listen to the meeting via phone: Call 855-925-2801 and enter code 8365
Call 855-925-2801 and enter code 8365, press *2 to record a voicemail message that will be transcribed and forwarded to the Council Members.
Call 855-925-2801 and enter code 8365, press *3 to be placed in a muted queue to speak during public comment.

c. Immigrant Affairs Commission

https://frederickcountymd.gov/8282/Immigrant-Affairs-Commission
Meetings will be held on the fourth (4th) Wednesday of each month
At 5PM at Winchester Hall

d. Board of Education Meetings

https://www.fcps.org/boe/meeting-schedule
July: 9 – CANCELED; August: 6,27; September: 10, 24; November: 5,19; December: 10 @ 3 pm
October: 8, 22 – October 15th is community listening session

e. Board of Election Meetings: Next meeting July 9, 2025 @ 2pm. Follow this link for agenda and more information on meetings: https://www.frederickcountymd.gov/1198/Board-of-Elections