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I was pleased to join University System of Maryland student leaders today to discuss important issues facing Maryland students, including access to and affordability of higher education.

I thank Melwood for this award, which is humbling and will serve as a powerful reminder of the important work we continue to do together.

I congratulate Kevin Maxwell on this well-deserved recognition. Maryland public schools are leading the nation, and it is due in no small part to the leadership of superintendents like him.

I'm pleased the House voted today in support of a bill to establish a commission to evaluate the VA backlog, analyze possible improvements, and submit solutions to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. While we've seen the VA take positive steps to address the backlog here in Maryland, including deploying additional resources to the Baltimore Regional Office, we still have more work to do to ensure that veterans in Maryland and across the country receive their benefits in a timely manner and with fewer errors.

Mr. Speaker, we are five days into a government shutdown caused by -- well I'm not sure what it's caused by. As a result, approximately 800,000 middle-class workers who serve the American people are furloughed without pay. All of us talk about wor

We need to energize our federal employees all over this government.

The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are among our most precious natural resources in the state of Maryland, and I remain committed to restoring the health of these critical waterways. The Blueprint laid out is important to reducing pollution, ensuring