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Dear Friend,
Welcome to the first edition of the McBride Memo, where I'll share five quick things from my past week for you to catch up on during your morning cup of coffee—my favorite part of the day.
1. One big thing: On Monday, Medicaid recipients, patients, and health care providers joined me, Senator Coons and Senator Blunt Rochester to stand against congressional Republicans' plan to gut Medicaid funding in their Budget Resolution. You can read about the incredible stories of how Medicaid has saved the lives of Delawareans here.
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2. Driving the news: The majority party passed their partisan Continuing Resolution last week. This Continuing Resolution to “fund the federal government” makes massive slashes to our current budget and will leave working families and veterans behind. In part it will: cut rental assistance for working families, slash the Emergency Food Assistance Program that feed seniors across Delaware, cut medical research at the National Institutes of Health, fail to fund veterans’ health care needs, AND cut $40 million in election security grant funding for state and local governments to administer safer elections. I voted no. You can hear me talk about this vote more here (and I also explain what the heck a CR actually is and how it’s different from the Republican’s Budget Resolution/the Budget Reconciliation process).
3. On the floor: After I learned that DOGE terminated grants that help the Community Legal Aid Society of Delaware (CLASI)'s enforce fair housing in our state — I took to the House floor to highlight the real-world impact of the decades of work by Delaware’s sole enforcer of federal fair housing laws. For many of our most vulnerable residents, including individuals with disabilities, survivors of domestic violence, and low-income families, the Community Legal Aid Society of Delaware (CLASI) has been a beacon of hope and a lifeline in pursuit of safe, quality, and affordable housing. You can watch that full speech here and learn more about CLASI’s life-saving work.
4. Legislative priority: This week, I joined my Republican colleagues in introducing the Lowering Egg Prices Act. This bipartisan bill aims to lower egg prices by cutting red tape that forces farmers to discard millions of eggs each year. Federal regulations require immediate refrigeration of eggs, but they don't distinguish between table eggs (needing refrigeration) and breaker eggs (used in products like salad dressing and cake mix). This has led to nearly 400 million eggs being wasted annually. The Lowering Egg Prices Act will overturn this regulation, putting those eggs back on the market. With rising grocery costs, this bill will help get more eggs in the supply chain and support farmers, putting more money in the pockets of Delawareans.
5. Our state of neighbors: This week while the House was in Recess I traveled up and down our state of neighbors. It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t include a round up of Delawareans that are inspiring me. (Note to self: Is this the cheat code for 5 quick things?)
- On St. Patrick’s Day, I joined President Biden for mass at St. Patrick’s Church and the annual parade to breakfast. No one does St. Patrick’s Day quite like Wilmington!
- I visited Christina Cultural Arts Center in the heart of Wilmington, who work to empower our community through arts education.
- In Harrington, I got to celebrate Kent County’s new EMS station made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act. Federal investments in community safety are critical.
- In Seaford, I met city leadership to discuss their priorities and progress for the future, including their economic development sites like the Nylon Capital Center. This investment will help strengthen Seaford’s economy and workforce, benefiting the city and the entirety of western Sussex County.
- I also visited TidalHealth Nanticoke Hospital. We strategized on how we can continue to support patients at this time, especially in our smaller towns and rural areas. I’m committed to defending and enhancing Medicaid and Medicare, which cover 80% of Nanticoke’s patients.
- Delaware State University’s Aviation Program provides students with quality education in preparation for careers in the aviation industry. It’s seen a 100% placement rate for its trained aviators when they leave. I was honored to join them for a tour this week — and got to go inside one of their planes!
- Black women in Delaware account for 28% of live births yet a staggering 78% of pregnancy-related deaths. Do Care Doula Foundation is an incredible local organization working in the heart of Dover through its GROWTH: Family Resource Center to decrease birth disparities by providing free or low-cost Doula support to families who are not able to otherwise afford this necessity. They also run a food pantry that provides access to nutritious foods for families across our state.
- Alongside Georgetown Mayor Bill West, we celebrated the ribbon cutting SUN Behavioral Delaware. The hospital will provide a full continuum of specialized care, including inpatient and day hospital services, for those suffering from mental health illness and substance use disorders.
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Okay, thank you for indulging me in sharing about the incredible neighbors I got to spend time with this week. We’ll work on the length next week, I swear.
| Stay in touch, and I'll do the same. |
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| Sarah McBride |
| Delaware's Congresswoman |
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- Help navigating a federal agency: If you can't get an answer from a federal agency in a timely fashion, or if you feel you have been treated unfairly, our office may be able to help resolve a problem or get you the information you need. While we cannot guarantee you a favorable outcome, we will do our best to help you receive a fair and timely response to your problem. If you need help navigating a federal agency, please visit: mcbride.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency
- Has Medicaid impacted your life? 1 in 4 Delawareans receive health care coverage from Medicaid. In Delaware, the federal government pays 60% of the cost of traditional Medicaid and 90% of the cost of Medicaid expansion. Our office is collecting stories from Delawareans about their access to Medicaid as Republicans in Congress continue to advance proposals to cut this life-saving program. Submit your story here.
- Congressional Art Competition: Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Artistic Discovery Contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our Congressional District. The deadline to submit your artwork is April 7, 2025. If you know a student interested in applying – please visit: mcbride.house.gov/services/art-competition
- Appropriations Requests
- General Programmatic and Language Requests: Please fill out this form to detail your requests for programmatic funding and/or bill or report language. Requests must be merit-based and comply with all current House rules.
- Community Project Funding: We're looking forward to submitting Community Project Funding requests to benefit Delawareans. We are aware that Delaware's U.S. Senators have posted their CPF forms, but we don't yet have guidance from the House Appropriations Committee majority. Please check back here for updates on when our form is available.
- Scholarship Opportunity: the Sallie Mae Fund has partnered with Thurgood Marshall College Fund and is accepting applications for the 2025-26 Bridging the Dream Scholarship Programs.
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