Progressive Maryland condemns the escalating military attacks in Iran and across the Middle East. This dangerous expansion of U.S. military aggression risks igniting a catastrophic regional war and is already killing innocent civilians, including children, who are once again paying the price for geopolitical power struggles they had no role in creating.

For decades, endless war and U.S. intervention in the Middle East have cost countless lives while failing to deliver peace or security. These wars have devastated communities, displaced millions of people, and left entire societies in ruins—while weapons manufacturers profit and working people everywhere are forced to bear the consequences.

The people of Maryland do not want another war carried out in our name. Congress must immediately assert its constitutional authority over war powers, halt unauthorized military action, and pursue diplomacy and de-escalation instead of imperial force.

At a time when working families are already facing an affordability crisis, war will only deepen the pain—driving up gas prices, destabilizing the global economy, and diverting public resources away from the urgent needs of our communities.

Our communities deserve investment in healthcare, education, housing, climate action, and a strong economy—not another endless war.

Progressive Maryland stands with movements across the country and around the world demanding peace, diplomacy, and accountability.

February is the perfect time to honor the incredible contributions of Black Marylanders throughout history. Test your knowledge with our Black History Month quiz! See how much you know—and maybe learn something new about the people, places, and legacies that have shaped our state.

Black History Quiz: How Well Do You Know Maryland?

1. This congressional district has consistently been represented by a Black member of Congress since the late 1980s.
   
   
2. A statue of this famous Marylander can be seen on Lawyers Mall in Annapolis.
   
   
3. The city of Cambridge on the Eastern Shore houses a museum and mural about this legendary Underground Railroad leader.
   
   
4. Of Maryland’s four HBCUs, this is the oldest.
   
   
5. This iconic blues/jazz singer spent her childhood in Baltimore and gave us the song Strange Fruit, still one of the most powerful civil rights songs.
   

Answers:

Want to check how you did? Here are the correct answers!

1. Maryland’s 7th Congressional District – represented by Kweisi Mfume, Elijah Cummings, and others over the decades.
   
   
2. Thurgood Marshall – the first Black Supreme Court Justice and a Maryland native.
   
   
3. Harriet Tubman – legendary Underground Railroad leader; don’t miss the museum and mural when you visit Cambridge and the Underground Railroad Trail!
   
   
4. Bowie State University – Maryland’s oldest HBCU, older than Morgan State, Coppin State, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
   
   
5. Billie Holiday (Lady Day) – Baltimore-born jazz and blues singer whose song Strange Fruit remains a powerful civil rights anthem.

We applaud the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission for voting to recommend a new congressional map that reflects the voices of Marylanders and meets the urgency of this moment. The proposed map is the product of a transparent, public-driven process that invited residents to submit maps, provide feedback, and help shape decisions that will directly impact how they are represented in Congress.

Now, as GOP-controlled states across the country continue to cave to pressure from the Trump administration to rig the midterm elections, it is up to Maryland’s legislature to choose to fight for our democracy.

The stakes are real and immediate. Control of the U.S. House could come down to a handful of seats, and Maryland cannot afford to sit on the sidelines while others manipulate the system to their advantage. Federal decisions directly shape the lives of Marylanders — from protecting voting rights to securing infrastructure and transportation funding, to defending workers and public services. This is about whether Maryland has a congressional delegation strong enough to serve as a meaningful check on an increasingly hostile federal government.

We urge the Maryland General Assembly to act with the boldness this moment demands and advance a map that protects fair representation. Delay or inaction is not neutral — it is a decision with national consequences. Leadership means standing up now to defend democracy and protect Maryland communities.

Marylanders are watching, and they expect their leaders to lead.

Renters United Maryland Announces 2026 Legislative Agenda to Ensure all Marylanders Have Stable, Affordable Housing

Annapolis, MD – On the first day of the legislative session, Renters United Maryland (RUM) is calling on the Maryland General Assembly to pass the Stable Homes, Strong Communities legislative agenda. As rent prices skyrocket and more renting families are facing eviction and dangerous, unfair housing practices, it is more vital than ever for our state legislators to act to ensure renters in Maryland have stable housing, so we can all have strong communities. 

To ensure that every Marylander has access to a safe, stable home, the 2026 Maryland General Assembly must: 

1. Pass Good Cause Eviction Enabling Legislation
2. Fund Eviction Prevention 
3. Pass legislation ensuring fair background checks for housing
4. Oppose “Evict First, Ask Questions Later” Bills

“Session after session, affordable housing is discussed as if homeownership is the only solution,” said Tonia Chestnut, President of the Enclave Tenant Association. “But renters are the backbone of our communities, and we are tired of being treated as an afterthought. At The Enclave, we see firsthand how a lack of protections allows housing conditions to deteriorate while rents continue to rise. If lawmakers are serious about addressing the housing crisis, they must move beyond talk and pass real, enforceable protections for Maryland renters.”

At a moment when political power is being reshaped across the country, Maryland voters are paying attention, and they are sending a clear message to Annapolis: they want action on redistricting.

A new statewide poll conducted for the Meet the Moment Maryland Coalition finds that a solid majority of Maryland voters support redrawing the state’s congressional maps before the 2026 election. Far from being a niche or insider issue, redistricting is increasingly understood by voters as a necessary step to protect fair representation, working families, and Maryland’s influence in Congress.

The Big Picture: Voters See the National Stakes

Across the country, Republican-controlled states like Texas, Missouri, and Indiana have already moved to redraw their congressional maps ahead of the 2026 elections—at the urging of the Trump administration—to tilt the playing field in their favor. Maryland voters are well aware of this.

In fact, nearly three-quarters of Maryland voters say they have heard a lot or a decent amount about redistricting efforts in Texas and California. By contrast, fewer than half say they’ve heard much about what’s happening here in Maryland. Still, voters are not confused about where they stand.

They understand that when other states manipulate their maps, Maryland’s voters lose power, and the state risks losing its ability to stand up for working families, protect federal jobs, and secure funding for transportation and infrastructure.

A Clear Majority Supports Redistricting

When asked directly whether they favor redrawing Maryland’s congressional districts before the 2026 election, 54% of likely Maryland voters said yes.

Support is especially strong in the communities most affected by decisions made in Washington:

• Montgomery County: 64% support
• Prince George’s County: 68% support
• Baltimore City: 68% support

While support is lower in parts of western, southern, and eastern Maryland, the statewide message is unmistakable: most Maryland voters want their leaders to respond.

The Bottom Line

Marylanders are engaged, informed, and ready for leadership. A majority support redistricting. Democratic primary voters support it even more strongly. And voters understand the national consequences of delay.

If state leaders are waiting for public permission to move forward, the voters have already given it.

HYATTSVILLE, MD – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the nefarious agency with a well documented record of violence and brutality, has escalated once again, as reports surface of an ICE agent shooting and killing Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year old woman driving her vehicle in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This killing follows the Glen Burnie violence, where Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins was shot and injured by ICE agents in Maryland, our own backyard, on Christmas Eve. 

Broad coalition celebrates historic leadership moment while calling for action on redistricting to protect democracy 

Annapolis, Maryland –   Marylanders gathered Tuesday morning at Lawyer’s Mall for a high-energy pep rally hosted by the Meet the Moment Maryland Coalition, a broad alliance of more than 25 labor and community organizations. The rally uplifted a historic moment in Maryland politics, ahead of the first Afro Latina speaker of the house Del. Peña-Melnyk’s, while calling on state leaders to redistrict now to protect democracy, strengthen fair representation, and advance policies that support working families.

The rally comes as redistricting battles intensify nationwide, with Republican-led states aggressively redrawing congressional maps in ways that threaten to silence Black and working-class voters. Advocates warned that Maryland cannot afford to stand still while political power is reshaped around it.

“We’re proud to come together to celebrate Delegate Peña-Melnyk and the significance of this moment for Maryland,” said Larry Stafford Jr., Executive Director of Progressive Maryland. “Her leadership and commitment to redistricting matters, and this rally is about showing that our communities are paying attention, engaged, and ready to work with leaders who are committed to fairness, inclusion, and meeting this moment head-on. As maps are being redrawn across the country and communities are at risk of being silenced, Maryland needs leaders who are willing to meet the moment, protect fair representation, and stand with  working-class families.”

Speakers at the rally represented a wide cross-section of Maryland, including progressive and labor leaders, immigrant rights and healthcare advocates, Chair of the state Democratic party Steuart Pittman, local and state elected officials. Together, they emphasized that fair maps are not an abstract political issue, but one that directly impacts funding for schools, access to healthcare, transportation investments, and protections for vulnerable communities.

Advocates closed the rally with a clear message: Maryland must act decisively to protect fair maps, defend democracy, and ensure that working families and communities of color are not left behind as national political lines are redrawn.

The livestream of the rally can be found here

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Last night, eight members of the U.S. Senate Democratic caucus — Senators Angus King (I–ME), Catherine Cortez Masto (D–NV), Jacky Rosen (D–NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D–NH), Maggie Hassan (D–NH), Tim Kaine (D–VA), John Fetterman (D–PA), and Dick Durbin (D–IL) — abandoned their commitment to working families and joined Republicans in advancing a hollow compromise to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

Progressive Maryland is outraged by this betrayal. After weeks of hardship for federal workers, families relying on SNAP, and millions whose health care is at risk, we needed bold leadership. Instead, these senators caved to an empty “promise” of a future vote, leaving health care subsidies, Medicaid, and SNAP benefits in jeopardy.

NATIONAL –  Yesterday, Color Of Change and Progressive Maryland, in partnership with over 25 civil rights and democracy organizations, hosted a press conference at the State House of Annapolis, MD, to urge Senate President Bill Ferguson to hold a special session and advance a redistricting plan.

Last week, the Maryland Second Look Act  - a powerful new law championed by the Maryland Second Look Coalition with support from our partner organizations and Progressive Maryland members — officially took effect. This landmark legislation opens the door for incarcerated adults who entered the system as children or young adults to petition for parole if they can show they’ve been rehabilitated.

The federal government’s dysfunction and reckless brinkmanship have brought us to a shutdown with devastating consequences for working families in Maryland and across the country.

Baltimore, MD (September 16, 2025) – Free Speech For People and Progressive Maryland have formally requested that Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and State’s Attorney Tara H. Jackson open a criminal investigation into the unlawful kidnapping of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia by federal immigration officers. The request, detailed in a letter sent on July 15, 2025, outlines the egregious actions taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and senior Trump administration officials to abduct, detain, forcibly transfer, and enable the two-month imprisonment of Mr. Abrego Garcia in a maximum security prison in El Salvador, in direct violation of a federal court order.

ivemaryland.org.

Community leaders and elected officials highlight Jawando’s record on housing, racial and economic justice, and support for working families

Silver Spring, MD – Progressive Maryland and the Working Families Party announced their endorsement of Councilmember Will Jawando for Montgomery County Executive at a press conference today, joined by tenant leaders, local elected officials, and community advocates. Speakers highlighted Jawando’s long-standing commitment to advancing affordable housing, protecting renters, and championing racial and economic justice across the county.

Will Jawando with Progressive Maryland, Working Families Party, and community leaders at the endorsement announcement Credit: Michael Blain

Councilmember Will Jawando opened his remarks by expressing gratitude for the endorsements and the strength of the coalition behind his campaign.

“This endorsement means a great deal to me,” said Councilmember Will Jawando. “I want to thank Progressive Maryland for their deep work in our communities and the Working Families Party for their tireless efforts across the country and this region. Having their support in this campaign is powerful, and I am grateful to stand with them in the fight for justice, equity, and opportunity in Montgomery County.”

A federal judge brought a major win for Maryland and other states fighting to protect their communities from climate-fueled disasters.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns temporarily blocked the Trump administration from reallocating more than $4 billion in FEMA disaster mitigation funding, halting an illegal attempt to dismantle the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. This funding is vital for flood prevention, infrastructure upgrades, and community resilience projects across the country,  including right here in Maryland.

Big news for Marylanders: The state has officially launched an upgraded website that simplifies the application process for government benefits, including food, cash, healthcare, and energy assistance. The new platform, Maryland Benefits (benefits.maryland.gov), allows people to apply for multiple programs all in one place, with one application.

Donald Trump’s Department of Justice just launched a lawsuit against every active federal judge in Maryland. Let that sink in.

Why would a former president and current presidential candidate take such an extreme and unprecedented step?

Because Maryland’s judges followed the law.

Progressive Maryland and two of our chapters with residents in the first Congressional District, Shore Progress, and Progressive Harford County, issued the following joint statement after the House of Representatives passed the Republican budget bill, which slashes Medicaid, strips healthcare from millions, and transfers billions of our taxpayer dollars to the wealthiest people and corporations in America. 

Constituents flood Harris’s office with calls, emails, and social media action demanding he oppose harmful cuts

Harford County, Maryland – Progressive Maryland is publicly calling on Representative Andy Harris (MD-01) to vote no on the proposed federal budget bill that would slash funding for Medicaid and devastate access to healthcare for thousands of Marylanders.

Nationwide, the bill is projected to strip health coverage from 17 million Americans — including an estimated 31,000 people in Rep. Harris’s district alone, many of whom are children. The proposed cuts will hit especially hard in rural areas like Maryland’s First Congressional District, where healthcare access is already limited and costs are rising. If passed, the budget would strip over $4 billion in federal funding from Maryland, causing widespread harm to hospitals, providers, and patients across the state, regardless of where they live.