Media

Tonight's reception recognized the very talented Fifth District students who have engaged in two unique opportunities – the Congressional Art Competition, and for the very first time, the Congressional App Challenge.

I thank the Fifth District Make It In America Advisory Committee for joining me today for an update on the Make It In America jobs plan and to discuss ways we can help more people in the Fifth District make it in America and here in Maryland.

Good morning. I want to begin by expressing the gratitude all of us feel for Brit Kirwan's service as Chancellor these past twelve years. He has overseen a period of growth, investment, and a reaffirmation of the University System of Maryland's core mission to expand and enhance higher education in our state. When he retires later this year, he will be greatly missed by the entire University System and all those who have worked closely with him, as I have been privileged to do, to make it one of the best public universities in the country.

Today, I visited Coherent Technical Services, Inc. to see their impressive fabrication shop firsthand and learn more about the innovative work they perform in St. Mary's County.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is a result of a bipartisan agreement, and while I have some serious concerns about a number of provisions of which I'll speak, I'm supporting it because it assigns resources to help cut down the waiting times for veterans to get the care they need and that we owe them. That must be our number one goal.

The Maryland Congressional Delegation – Team Maryland – has worked tirelessly over the past several months to highlight the benefits of locating this new headquarters in Prince George's County.

We applaud the inclusion of Greenbelt and Landover on the short-list of candidates for the new FBI headquarters because there is no better fit for the FBI than Prince George's County.

Today, Lt. Governor Brown joined education stakeholders to announce $4.3 million in Pre-Kindergarten Expansion Grants, which were made possible through the Pre-Kindergarten Expansion Act of 2014 passed by the Maryland General Assembly and signed into law this year. Thanks to Maryland's Judy Centers, we've seen significant results here in Maryland, with more children kindergarten-ready and more families prepared to support their children's learning.