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.