Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday, August 18, 2025

It’s been one week since President Trump deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement to Washington, D.C. What followed has been nothing short of fascism: using our tax dollars to seize power in Washington, D.C., sideline elected officials, fuel targeted racism, and terrorize residents, visitors, and businesses. To make matters worse, the official White House social media accounts have even posted pictures of majority-Black civilians they’ve arrested, accompanied by claims of crimes these individuals haven’t been convicted of. This dangerous misuse of social media is designed to intimidate, divide, and dehumanize.

We are glad to see signs of resistance from Congress, but action must be taken as soon as possible. Last Friday, Rep. Raskin, Congresswoman Norton, Rep. Garcia, and Senator Van Hollen introduced legislation to terminate Trump’s unprecedented federalization of D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department. This is an important step toward restoring local control and fighting back against authoritarian overreach.

Now, more than ever, we must come together to protect our families, stand for our rights, and fight for justice amid this federal takeover. Read on for updates from our chapters, volunteer opportunities, and the latest in state and national news.

In solidarity,

The Progressive Maryland Team

Here’s what’s in today’s memo:

Taskforce Updates
Local Chapter Updates
State & National News

Healthcare Task Force

Republicans in Congress deliberately rushed their deadly new Federal budget to a vote in July. They held hearings in the middle of the night, kept significant details of the bill hidden, and limited meaningful debate about the merits of the policies they put in the budget. Why? Because they didn’t want us to see how harmful it would be to everyday Americans.

Some of the cuts to the ACA kick in at the end of this year. As a result, health insurance rates are going to go up in just a matter of months. Our state lawmakers need to take action so that folks don’t lose care due to unaffordable premiums!

Other cuts and changes will be phased in over the next two years, so there’s still time to inform people about what’s in the bill. That’s why we’re doing grassroots outreach, starting in Rep. Andy Harris’ district, because he voted in favor of the cuts. Tens of thousands of seniors, low-income folks, people with disabilities, children, and people struggling to get by in his district will lose coverage. If you live in his district, please sign our petition.

Do you have friends or family on the Eastern Shore or in Harford or Cecil Counties? Please share it with them.

If you or people you know/work with will be affected, please take a minute to fill out: pgmd.us/medicaidsurvey

Local Chapter Updates

Shore Progress:

This week, Shore Progress is gathering for our Community Outreach Committee Meeting on Wednesday, August 20, from 6:30–8pm (virtual). Join from anywhere as we plan how to grow the Progressive movement across the Shore, strengthen connections, and expand our impact. Your voice matters in shaping the work ahead—don’t miss the chance to be part of it!

Click here to sign up.

Progressive Harford County:

Hold Andy Harris Accountable – Join Us to Make Calls!

Tonight at 6pm, join our virtual phone bank to call voters in Rep. Andy Harris’s district about his vote for the devastating Trump budget. We’ll let residents know about the huge healthcare cuts in the bill and ask them to contact Rep. Harris and sign our petition. Never done a phone bank before? No worries! We’ll train you and prep you before you make calls. Sign up here to join us.

Fight The Book Ban

TONIGHT: Join Community Partners for Harford County Public Schools at the next Board of Education meeting on Aug. 18 to fight the banning of the book Flamer and all future books this Board of Education is looking remove from our school libraries. Despite some board members' previous anti-LGBTQ comments since 2023 regarding Flamer and other texts, this Board voted in secret to ban the book, trying to hide their censorship and anti-LGBTQ comments by stating the book is "pervasively vulgar." We will be meeting outside the Board of Education for a rally at 5:30 p.m. and then going to the Board of Education meeting for public comment at 6 p.m. This Board is setting precedent on a process to ban other books that do not follow their ideological and political beliefs. We must fight back. More details will follow for those who RSVP, fill out the form to fight book banning here.

Call For Salts

Starbucks Workers United is hiring salts to unionize Starbucks stores. A “salt” is someone who gets a job with the intention of unionizing the workplace. Be sure to say on the application that you can work at Starbucks for 6 months or more. Starbucks Workers United will train you on all aspects of union organizing.

News You Can Use: D.C. troops dent everyday life, MD worries about spillover

One of Maryland's intractable problems -- the shortage of affordable housing and the (therefore) increasing rental hikes across the state -- got tackled by Gov. Moore in his keynote speech at the Maryland Association of Counties meeting last week. It'll be a heavy lift for the state government and private sources to provide more "social housing" but that is emphatically what is needed, and our regular readers should not let him or others off the hook. The private sector is not going to pull this load by itself -- it is not actually in its interest.

Maryland (with the help of its judiciary, which Trump has come to hate) is fending off some of the worst of Trump's assault on human freedoms -- but it's a constant battle, also being fought by some other states.

It's all News You Can Use.

Progressive Maryland BlogSpace:

We value creating space for our members to express their thoughts on any issues related to our campaigns. Have an idea for a blog post? You can submit writing, film, graphic design, etc., to be published on our website to the blog moderator, Woody.

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