Anthony Brown was elected to his first term representing Maryland’s 4th Congressional District - encompassing parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties - on November 8, 2016 and was sworn in on January 3, 2017. He is currently serving his third term in Congress.
Congressman Brown serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where he helps shape policies to ensure we maintain the best-trained and best equipped military, make the right investments to fight 21st century threats, and keep our country strong and safe. Congressman Brown is also a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he advocates for the 21st century transportations our communities need to get ahead. Congressman Brown is currently co-Chair of the New Democrat Coalition' National Security Task Force.
It's more important than ever for Congress to step up to protect the civil rights of all Americans. I am a proud supporter of meaningful criminal justice reform, the Equality Act, of proposals to expand and protect voting rights for all Americans, and of equal pay for equal work. I will never abandon the mission to make this country a land of equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Systemic racism pervades our society and the criminal justice system. From police encounters to punishment, criminal justice institutions in our country are racially biased. This unfortunate reality, demonstrated by the unjust murder of George Floyd and countless other Black Americans, calls for structural and transformational change in both policing in America and our broader criminal justice system. It’s time to reduce militarization, remove bad officers, and hold them accountable for illegal behavior and gross misconduct. We need to improve training so officers understand the diverse communities they serve, and become guardians of our communities, not warriors acting aggressively towards them. We need to ban practices that have unjustly taken the lives of too many in our communities. That’s why I sponsored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a great first step in reforming policing in America.
But these actions alone are not enough. We have to acknowledge that for far too long, we have neglected policies and programs that meet the needs of our communities. We need to address the structural disparities, hurting Black and brown families instead of criminalizing homelessness, addiction, poverty, and yes, being Black. We must take on challenges like economic opportunity, mental health, housing, pre-K, and health disparities.
We can transform policing and make our entire country more just and safer for every American.
Our fight for civil rights and reform must extend through every facet of our society. We need to respond to anti-democratic and disenfranchisement efforts with pro-democracy reforms and expansion of voting. We need to step up enforcement against discriminatory measures aimed at limiting the vote and targeting specific groups. That’s what John Lewis fought every day of his career for, and that’s exactly why I was an original cosponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Every child deserves a world-class education no matter the zip code, neighborhood, or city they grow up in. That begins with expanding universal Pre-Kindergarten to every four-year-old, increasing federal investment in primary education, and fighting to provide teachers with more professional support and resources.
In Congress, I continue to support giving schools and educators more resources, through the “Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act” which would increase the deduction for educators’ expenses from $250 to $500. I’ve also supported legislation aimed at bridging the racial divide in public education and passed an amendment to help expand the pool of talented mental professionals in our schools.
As part of the House Armed Services Committee, I’ve been a staunch advocate for additional funding from the Department of Defense for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Institutions. During my tenure, I’ve increased funding to these institutions for research grants and resources by 50 percent and expanded new career pathways in public service.
In addition, as a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I’ve made it a priority to ensure all students have a safe route to get to school. Through the passage of the “Safe Routes to School Expansion Act,” traffic collisions including people of all ages have been reduced by 75 percent. Students, parents, and educators deserve infrastructure around our schools that promote safety and accessibility, and I will continue to fight for these necessities in Congress.
By investing in education we will close the achievement gap, prepare the next generation to compete in the global economy, ensure that our workers are ready to take on new challenges, and provide every Marylander and American with the opportunity to fulfill the American Dream. That is why I support initiatives to make college and trade schools more affordable. Whether their path is vocational training, community college, or higher education, every child must have all the tools at their disposal if we are going to build a brighter future.
The threat that climate change poses to our national security cannot be overstated. It is fueling conflict over resources in East Africa, it is instigating a refugee crisis for the millions who will be displaced due to rising oceans and increasing numbers of natural disasters, and it is putting the men and women in uniform at risk as it impedes military training and alters operational plans. We must do everything we can to meet this global challenge head-on. We need to push back on policies of blanket environmental deregulation.
I led legislation to update military installations and technology to improve fuel security and ensure our armed forces are prepared for the effects of climate change. I believe that a sustainable approach to building greener communities is investing in modern transit to take cars off the road and decrease emissions.
I also have worked to conserve the vital ecosystem that is the Chesapeake Bay through wildlife protections like the “The Chesapeake Bay Oyster Research Act” and as a co-sponsor of legislation to reauthorize the federal Chesapeake Bay Program. I, along with the Maryland Congressional Delegation, recently secured 3.6 billion dollars in federal funding to support habitat restoration, management, and research for Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
I have a long history of advocating for environmental reform, and I will continue to fight to preserve the health of the Chesapeake Bay, protect the Arctic Circle, and defend our public lands for future generations of Marylanders.
All people have the right to quality, affordable health care. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more people are insured today than at any other point in our nation’s history – seniors receive discounts on prescription drugs and more Americans are heading to the doctor for preventative care. We must do everything we can to protect and expand the ACA, and ensure working families, veterans, seniors, and women have the care they need.
Just as Democrats and Republicans worked together to strengthen and improve Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, we must do more to lower drug costs and continue to increase coverage in our healthcare system. In the 117th Congress, I am continuing to support legislation that aims to lower the cost of prescription drug.
Additionally, I’m fighting to close the gaps in our healthcare system that have left minorities and underserved communities behind, especially in the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s why I introduced the Health Enterprise Zones Act, a critical piece of legislation that would incentivize health care providers to give communities the care they deserve and address the racial disparities that plague our communities.
America must lead by example with a humane immigration and asylum system that respects international human rights and our history as an immigrant nation.
In Congress, I’ve fought for common-sense solutions to our immigration challenges. I support the Dreamers, who have the same rights to the opportunities in our country as anyone else. I continue to back the use of alternatives to detention for vulnerable populations of migrants, to support increased transparency and fairness in the immigration court system, and to defend the vital role immigrants play in American society. We must create a viable pathway to citizenship and bring our neighbors out of the shadows.
As we continue to climb out of one of the worst economic recessions in American history, we need to do more to invest in families and small businesses. Today, hard-working Americans have to put in more hours than ever before just to stay afloat. Anyone willing to put in the work needed to get ahead cannot be left behind. To overcome 21st-century challenges, we need to institute sound fiscal policy and embrace a pro-innovation economy. We need to encourage investment in small, women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses and families looking to improve their futures. We need to empower minority-owned firms and strengthen local businesses. We need to create good-paying jobs that help working families make ends meet. We need to build opportunities within the Fourth District, and we will do so by increasing pathways to opportunity for hardworking Marylanders.
We need to make it easier for working-class families to file taxes, open businesses and join unions. Instituting workplace and employee protections does not hold us back, it propels us forward. It allows businesses to attain sustainable growth over the long term. This includes closing the gender pay gap, raising the minimum wage, and supporting paid family and sick leave. No American should have to choose between their job and their health or the health of their family.
In Congress, I've been a staunch supporter of the rights of hardworking Americans and stand in solidarity with those who choose to form unions to negotiate higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions as a cosponsor of the PRO Act. In the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, I helped secure paid parental leave for federal employees as well as a pay raise in the end-of-year budget.
I have a long history of supporting minority and women-owned businesses in the State of Maryland, and I will continue to fight for the basic rights that our workers deserve. Investing in the development of employees and empowering entrepreneurs fuels a 21st-century economy. I look forward to continuing to work for the people of our district so that they have the opportunity to live happy lives. Ensuring all people have the chance to succeed is a key trait of the American Dream and I am willing to fight for that.
It’s no secret that our nation needs to take a serious look at our infrastructure issues. Corroding bridges, aging highways, underfunded transit systems are safety hazards. Congress not only needs to reinvest in America’s infrastructure, but we need to go beyond returning it to the status quo. Our infrastructure investments in these networks need to be forward-looking and climate-friendly.
As the only member from Maryland on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I've sought to bring our state's infrastructure into the 21st-century. I've worked with Congressional partners throughout the Capital region to reauthorize funding to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, secure funding for the region’s purple line expansion and pressure Maryland to finish the job, improve road conditions on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, construct safer routes to school, and support smart, transit-oriented development. I have also secured significant investments for infrastructure improvements at Joint Base Andrews, Fort Meade, Bethesda Naval Hospital, Fort Detrick, Havre de Grace, and Saint Inigoes.
I support the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, a historic infrastructure investment bill that will create good-paying union jobs, reconnect communities divided by poor infrastructure, tackle the climate crises, and make our economy more sustainable, resilient, and just. I believe it's time to shift away from the old, car-centric status-quo toward safe, affordable, efficient, and green transportation alternatives that better facilitate the lives of working families.
I believe in the important role of our defense and national security community in tackling the pressing challenges facing this country and the globe. We must recognize that domestic programs and spending, bolsters our national security. And, that investing in our national security and institutions will help further the progressive change we are looking for here at home. Keeping America safe requires strong alliances abroad and coordinated global action. Steady, moral, American leadership is what is needed now.
As a 30-year Army veteran, I believe we must increase our near-peer competitiveness, pursue a modern, future-facing force, and invest in our ability to respond to the threats we face.
During my time in Congress, I have passed bills to strengthen the NATO alliance, foster technological innovation, modernize the military’s administrative processes, and introduced bills to reassert Congressional authority in matters of war and peace. I led the bipartisan movement to prevent war with Iran and continue to advocate turning the page on endless wars in the Middle East. Looking forward, I support cultivating new partnerships around the globe, particularly in developing nations such as Africa.
I believe our nation's military and leadership should reflect the diversity of the country they serve. As part of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, I introduced a series of provisions to foster diversity and inclusion which makes us stronger. For more information on these provisions please see here.
I led the charge to rename military installations and bases that honor Confederate leaders to fully reckon with our country’s history. In the 117th Congress, I continue to fight for the rights of all Americans to serve their country in uniform. I continue to lead efforts to root out white supremacy, racism, anti-Semitism, and extremism from our ranks while championing initiatives to encourage diversity, inclusion, and justice in our armed services and throughout the broader defense pipeline. And I contiue to advocate for reforms to our military justice system in order to better protect victims of sexual violence and minority servicemembers from discrimination. Although we have made improvements, we must continue to do everything we can to guarantee all service members and civilians, at every level, regardless of their race, sexual orientation, creed, gender, or ethnicity, are valued and respected.
I understand the challenges our veterans face at home and abroad. Our servicemen and women make the United States the greatest nation in the world, and this country must live up to the sacred promise we make to them and their families. I’ve worked to prioritize the wellbeing of active-duty servicemembers, veterans, and their families, passing into law legislation to end the so-called “widow’s tax” on grieving military families and adding additional oversight and inspections of subpar privatized military housing, and recognizing veterans denied their due honors because of historical discrimination.
I continue to support investment in the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure all Veterans can go to college, find work, buy a home, and put down roots in our communities. Making sure veterans have access to quality care here at home will ease the transition into civilian lifestyle. We must continue to address veteran suicide and homelessness in Congress and in partnership with the VA, and stand resolutely against privatization of the VA.
Through the passage of the FY2018 Omnibus Appropriations Act, The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, a major source of research grants for Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland, would receive a $3 billion increase. The bill also maintains the Chesapeake Bay program's funding, despite the President's desire to cut the program. Congressman Brown also helped secure $3.3 billion for Community Development Block Grants, which are used heavily in cities like Baltimore. The bill also protects funding for a pair of climate science programs tied to Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt that the White House had proposed eliminating. Through this bill, Congress also agreed to extend a provision that prohibits the Justice Department from prosecuting cases in opposition to medical marijuana laws, including Maryland’s own program.The bill includes measures to strengthen the criminal background check system for gun purchases, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can now conduct research on gun violence. Congressman Brown and other Democratic lawmakers secured $3 billion in new funding to fight the nation’s opioid epidemic. The Congressman also fought for and secured $150 million for WMATA, and $2.6 billion for the Purple Line.
Opioid Crisis: This bill provides $446.5 million in DOJ grant funding to help communities and law enforcement fight heroin and the illegal distribution and use of opioids and provide treatment and prevention services. This is $299.5 million higher than the fiscal year 2017 funding level.
Child care: $610 million increase for Head Start and $2.37 billion increase for Child Care and Development Block Grant program, putting CCDBG at its highest funding level in history.
School Safety: The bill provides $75 million for the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI), a program established by this Committee in fiscal year 2014 and administered by the National Institute of Justice. The CSSI aims to prevent school-based tragedies by making funding available for developing and updating school safety assessments and plans, technical assistance, training, and technology that enhances overall school safety efforts. Grants under this program must have a research component which will help us further understand the root causes of school violence, develop strategies for increasing school safety, and rigorously evaluate innovative school safety strategies through pilot programs.
Infrastructure: The bill provides an additional $1.08 billion for infrastructure investments above the amounts included in the fiscal year 2017 bill including but not limited to an additional $48 million in NOAA infrastructure costs for facilities construction, aircraft procurement, and continuation of critical weather satellite and ship procurement; $280 million for the Goddard Space Flight Center; $150 million for WMATA; $2.6 billion for the Purple Line; $73 million for the Chesapeake Bay program
Addressing Violence Against Women: The bill contains $492 million, the highest funding level ever, for grants administered by the Office on Violence Against Women. Funding is provided for multiple competitive and formula grant programs that support training for police officers and prosecutors, state domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, rape prevention programs, lethality assessment and homicide reduction initiatives, domestic violence hotlines, and women’s shelters and transitional housing support services.
Federal Law Enforcement: The bill provides nearly $24 billion to fund the critical core national security, law enforcement, investigation, and prosecution missions of the Justice Department to protect the safety and security of our communities, and to help ensure that criminal perpetrators are brought to justice.
Economic Development: The bill includes strong funding for Department of Commerce programs that invest in our local communities, and provides $301.5 million for the Economic Development Administration. This is an increase of $25.5 million above the fiscal year 2017 funding level, and includes $117.5 million for Public Works infrastructure grants and $21 million for the Regional Innovation Program. The Minority Business Development Administration is funded at $39 million, a $5 million or 15 percent increase. These programs had been targeted for elimination by the Trump Administration.
NOAA Research, Education, and Coastal Programs: The bill provides $508 million for NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research programs, an increase of $30 million above fiscal year 2017 level, and provides $28 million for NOAA Education programs, an increase of $1 million.
As we continue to climb out of one of the worst economic recessions in American history, we must invest in working, middle-income families and small businesses. While big banks and the wealthy have regained their footing, too many Americans have been left behind. Ensuring all people have the chance to succeed is a key trait of the American Dream. Instituting sound fiscal policy and embracing a pro-innovation economy will enable us to overcome the challenges of the 21st century. By empowering minority owned firms and strengthening local businesses, we will build opportunities within the Fourth District and increase pathways to opportunity for hardworking Marylanders. Investing in development of employees and empowering entrepreneurs fuels the engine of our economy and propels us forward.
I have a long history of supporting minority and women-owned businesses in the State of Maryland. Investing in the future and livelihoods of smaller firms solidifies our local and national economy, and paves the road to stable middle class lifestyles. In addition, we need to ease the burden for community banks to provide credits to small, women and minority-owned businesses and families looking to invest in their futures. Furthermore, looking for ways for larger corporations located in the District to partner with local businesses to create sustainable relationships will increase the vitality of our local economy.
Anyone willing to put in the hard work needed to get ahead should not be left behind. Today, families are having to put in more hours just to stay afloat. We need to make it easier for working class families to file taxes, open businesses, and join unions. Instituting common sense workplace and employee protections does not hold us back, they allow businesses to attain sustainable growth over the long term. This also includes closing the gender pay gap, raising the minimum wage, and supporting paid family and sick leave. No American should have to choose between their job and their health or the health of a family member.
200 Days of Fighting For The People
Sunday, July 21, 2019, marked 200 days of a Democratic Majority in the House of Representatives, and in that time, Democrats have made significant progress on behalf of the American people. Democrats have spent the past 200 days advancing our For the People agenda: taking action to lower health care costs and the price of prescription drugs, raise wages, and clean up corruption. Take a look at how Democrats have made progress For the People:
LOWERING HEALTH CARE COSTS AND PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES
Since day one of the Majority, House Democrats have taken action to strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions, lower prescription drug prices, and fight against Republican efforts to undermine our health care systems.
On the first day of the 116th Congress, Democrats voted to authorize the House Counsel to intervene in the Texas v. U.S. lawsuit that seeks to invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA), including its protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. In April, the House voted on a resolution to condemn the Trump Administration’s efforts to sabotage the ACA.
In addition, the House has sent to the Senate 10 bills to protect and expand access to coverage and address the cost of prescription drugs:
• H.R. 986, the Protecting Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Act: This bill protects coverage for 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions by revoking the Trump Administration’s guidance on Section 1332 of the ACA, which encourages states to allow junk insurance plans that do not provide Americans with the coverage they need
• H.R. 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act: This legislation packaged seven bills together. Four of the bills protect Americans with pre-existing conditions and provide funding for outreach and enrollment efforts to encourage Americans to sign up for health coverage. The remaining three bills aim to lower prescription drug prices by bringing generic drugs to market more quickly.
• H.R. 1520, the Purple Book Continuity Act, and H.R. 1503, the Orange Book Transparency Act: These two bills will help to lower prescription drug prices by amending what information must be included in the Orange and Purple Books at the FDA, which generics and biosimilars manufacturers use when they are considering where to invest their research and development dollars.
House committees have also held numerous health care-related hearings, including hearings to examine the Trump Administration’s efforts to sabotage the ACA, the cost of prescription drugs like insulin, the opioid crisis, maternal health, and surprise billing. House Democrats will continue to work through the committees to bring additional legislation to the Floor later in the year.
RAISING WAGES
House Democrats have also delivered on our promise to take action to raise wages, and will continue working to support the creation of good-paying jobs.
Earlier this month, House Democrats passed the Raise the Wage Act, legislation that will gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the legislation will provide up to 33 million workers a pay raise. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the bill will lift 1.3 million of American out of poverty, including 600,000 children, and provide over 23 million women with a raise.
In March, House Democrats passed the Paycheck Fairness Act to close the gender wage gap and ensure equal pay for equal work. On average, women in America still only make 80 cents for every dollar earned by her white male equivalent, and that wage gap is even worse for women of color. The Paycheck Fairness Act aims to end gender-based wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act of 1963. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research has found that closing the wage gap would halve the poverty rates for working women and single mothers.
In addition, legislation passed by House Democrats to fund the government will help rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, creating good jobs that pay well. Although the President walked away from negotiations on a robust infrastructure package, House Democrats also remain committed to investing in new roads, bridges, mass transit, ports, airports, schools, water systems, energy grids and broadband. Multiple committees have held hearings on the need to invest in building a 21st century infrastructure, including Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, Small Business, and Energy and Commerce.
House committees have held other hearings focused on expanding economy opportunity, including hearings that have examined:
• How middle-class families are faring in today’s economy;
• Workforce development and apprenticeships;
• Entrepreneurship;
• The GOP tax law and who it left behind;
• Retirement security;
• Workers’ rights and protections;
• Affordable housing;
• Consumer financial protections;
• Higher education and college affordability;
• Rural economies;
• Advanced manufacturing;
• Paid family leave; and
• Poverty.
CLEANING UP CORRUPTION
House Democrats are committed to cleaning up corruption in Washington and safeguarding our democracy. One of the first major pieces of legislation passed by House Democrats was H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which is comprehensive government reform legislation to restore the American people’s faith in our democracy.
The legislation:
• Makes it easier for Americans to exercise their right to vote;
• Reforms our campaign finance system, ensuring complete transparency and putting in place reasonable limits;
• Puts in place national redistricting reform; and
• Strengthens government ethics to ensure public officials are accountable and put the public first.
House Democrats also passed the Securing America’s Federal Elections (SAFE) Act, legislation to safeguard our democracy and prevent foreign interference in our elections. The legislation authorizes a grant program to assist states in securing election infrastructure, among other provisions that improve the security and integrity of our elections.
House committees continue to work on additional legislation to strengthen election security and stop continued efforts by foreign entities to subvert our democracy.