Dear Friend, 

Welcome to the second edition of the McBride Memo, where I 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: Congressional Republicans have set an ambitious, but unlikely, goal to pass their budget reconciliation plan by Easter. Here’s what they don’t want you to know: their plan will cut Medicaid to the tune of $880 billion, at least. Instead of addressing rising costs, Republicans are heartlessly gutting a crucial safety net that benefits 1 in 4 Delawareans and 1 in 2 Delaware kids. All this while guaranteeing tax cuts for MAGA billionaires. You can watch a video of my take here. 

2. Driving the news: This week, the USDA cancelled 19 truckloads of vital food aid which were scheduled for Delaware. One in eight Delawareans face food insecurity and the Food Bank of Delaware has been a lifeline for thousands of families. These halted deliveries represent over 29 percent of the food expected to be received in Delaware for the remainder of the fiscal year, and represents approximately 900,000 meals that the food bank will now be unable to put on the tables of our neighbors. You can follow WDEL’s reporting here and my speech to Congress on this affront to Delaware families here. 

3. On the floor: Finally a bit of positive news — I was proud to share on the floor of the House of Representatives the incredible economic development happening in Seaford. This small city is rich in history and, last week, I had the privilege of meeting with their leadership to discuss the city’s progress and their vision for the future. Seaford is a model of public and private partnership coming together to create shared prosperity and is exactly what we should hope to see in all of our small cities and towns across America. Here is a link to my remarks and here is an article that explores Seaford’s transformation.

4. Legislative priority: I voted no on a chilling resolution that repeals common-sense energy conservation standards for (and I cannot make this up) walk-in coolers and freezers as well as commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers. The majority is, once again, showing us that they do not care about enacting meaningful policies that help Delawareans or Americans across the country. Forget health care and rising costs – we have fridges to save! Here’s my take. 

5. Our state of neighbors: One perk of Delaware being so close to D.C.? We have Delawareans in our office every day! I know I promised to work on the length of this but here we go again — a recap of my week meeting with incredible Delawareans.

• I was so happy to start my week in Wilmington with Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County where we celebrated four new homeowners on Wilmington’s East Side. These homes are the culmination of Habitat’s hard work with our state and local partners and speak to our shared commitment to making housing more affordable in New Castle County and throughout Delaware. 
• When I got to D.C., I met with members from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. We talked about their vital work for Americans’ safety when traveling and I’ll continue to advocate for their success here in Washington. 
•  I met with the Wilmington Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. These lovely neighbors are stewards of our communities in Delaware serving across various state and local agencies. We spoke specifically about how we have to invest in and improve public education in Delaware — it’s even more top of mind this week as the Trump administration has started to illegally gut and dismantle the Department of Education.
• Pastor Laura Viau visited our office to talk about her work with the ONE Campaign — a global advocacy organization working to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, by mobilizing public support and advocating for strong U.S. leadership—including robust funding for USAID programs that support global health, education, and economic development initiatives. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I’m focused on reviving the work of USAID after Trump’s actions that have all but ended the agencies’ work. 
• I had the pleasure of meeting with Jan Gilmour and Timelle Duckett who were visiting with the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance where we discussed the slashing of ovarian cancer research funding enacted by the cruel and illegal overreach by the new administration. The 57% axing of funding is yet another real-world byproduct of the heartless and chaotic Republican continuing resolution.
• West Side Grows Together and Rev. Terrence Keeling visited our office with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. The National Community Reinvestment Coalition works to promote economic justice and equitable access to credit, capital, and banking services for underserved communities through advocacy, research, and direct support.
• Multiple Sclerosis is becoming one of the most common autoimmune diseases among young adults. It’s a chronic, autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Miss Georgetown USA, Jasmine Lee, joined to talk about the role that federal research funding can help us to address this disease. I remain committed to ensuring that our country is on the cutting edge of medical research to save lives.
• I met with the President and Vice President of the Delaware Rural Letter Carriers Association while they were in D.C. I’m proud to be a cosponsor of the bipartisan Protect Our Letter Carriers Act, which will provide investment to the Postal Service to secure its infrastructure. We talked about the severity of attacks on the federal workforce and the need to protect the critical work of the USPS.
• Engineers from Rehoboth and Wilmington came by with the American Society of Civil Engineers to talk about sustaining and reauthorizing expiring transportation programs to ensure that our roadways are safe and resilient. We also discussed the importance of the continued implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
• And finally, Housing Alliance Delaware visited to talk about their continued efforts to advance housing opportunities, end homelessness, and promote vibrant communities across our state of neighbors.

Rep. McBride meets with Housing Alliance Delaware.

Rep. McBride with the Delaware Rural Letter Carriers Association.

Rep. McBride with Matthew Heckles, Director of the Delaware State Housing Authority, Senator Chris Coons, Kevin Smith, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County, and homeowners.

Okay, okay, okay — so we’re still working on the length here. Turns out it's hard to distill a whole week in Congress into 5 quick things.

Stay in touch, and I'll do the same. Sarah McBride Delaware's Congresswoman

• 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.
  • Bridging the Dream Scholarship for High School Seniors: 40 students will receive up to $10,000 each to help pay for a two-or four-year degree, professional certificate, or vocational training. Eligible students must demonstrate financial need, academic achievement, and extracurricular involvement.
  • Bridging the Dream Scholarship for Graduate Students: 10 graduate students committed to making an impact in their communities will receive up to $10,000 in scholarships each.

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