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Dear Friend,
Welcome to this week’s McBride Memo—my dispatch to you from D.C. and Delaware. This week was a busy one, but here are five quick things:
1. One Big Thing: This Sunday marks a most hallowed event in our nation’s history: Delaware Day! As I am sure you all know, Delaware Day marks that most consequential day (December 7, 1787) when the greatest state in The Union became the First State in the The Union by ratifying the U.S. Constitution. This week, I spent a lot of time reminding my colleagues, with great relish, of the significance of Sunday’s celebration.
Above all else, I am celebrating the wisdom of our forefathers to swiftly adopt our founding document—a moment that cemented our legacy and laid the groundwork for our sister states to join, as well. Then, and now, the spirit of our story in Delaware has centered around our neighbors. Your commitment to our great state and its success is what drives our story forward and ensures our continued growth, development, and outsize impact in our country’s history. I had the honor to uplift Delaware Day on the House floor this week, and you can watch that speech here.
I hope your Delaware Day is full of history, pride, and the ultimate satisfaction that comes from knowing we beat everyone else to the punch.
2. Driving the News: This week, I spoke on MS NOW about the impact of two unsettling actions facing my neighbors at this moment. First: the impending expiration of the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. I, along with my colleagues, have been sounding the alarm for months about the devastating impact of allowing these tax credits to expire: families facing skyrocketing health care costs, families having to choose between seeking care and suffering due to unbearable costs, and the certainty that people will die without action to protect these credits. In sum: if Congressional Republicans don’t come to the table and take action to protect these credits long term, the impacts will be vast, dangerous, and deadly.
Moreover, I spoke about the disrespectful and dangerous action by the Trump Administration to strip nursing of its professional degree designation. Nurses are the nervous system of our health care system—delivering lifesaving care, compassion, and dignity to patients on some of the worst days of their lives, the best days of their lives, and everywhere in between. By removing the designation of professional degree, nurses will face a steeper battle in taking out the painfully essential loans they need to earn their degrees. At a time when nursing shortages face communities up and down Delaware and this administration has already cut vital funding for other nursing programs, we should be creating more pathways into this essential profession not making it more challenging. I am proud to have been an original co-lead of the National Nursing Workforce Center Act earlier this year—legislation intended to create pathways into this work in the face of these affronts.
You can watch my full conversation here.
3. On the Floor: Other than honoring Delaware Day, I also spoke on the House floor about something every Delaware family is feeling right now: the rising cost of living—and the policies in Washington that are making it worse. After Thanksgiving, too many neighbors told me that even a simple trip to the grocery store felt heavier this year. And they’re right. Delaware families are now spending an average of 14% of their household income just to put food on the table, a higher burden than families in Maryland or New Jersey. Prices for basics like coffee, beef, flour, and sugar have each jumped anywhere from 11% to over 50%.
Rising prices don’t happen in a vacuum. On the floor, I laid out the truth: tariffs that drive up grocery costs, cuts to food assistance, health care hikes that threaten to take thousands more out of family budgets, and energy cuts that push electricity bills even higher—these are choices made by the Trump Administration and its allies in Congress. Choices that make life harder for working people.
Delawareans deserve a government focused on lowering costs, not raising them, because no matter our politics, we all want the same simple things: to feed our families, heat our homes, and build a life with dignity and stability. You can watch my remarks here.
4. Legislative Priority: This week, I introduced the bipartisan READ AI Models Act, essential new legislation to bring transparency to artificial intelligence—because Delawareans deserve to know more about the tools they are using. Regardless of what you think about AI, we should all be able to agree that more transparency is necessary when it comes to a technology that could dramatically impact our way of life.
Think of it as a “nutrition label” for AI systems. The READ AI Models Act creates a template for AI evaluation documents and launches a pilot tool to help users generate documentation easily and consistently, along with technical guidance. And, this will help small and medium-sized developers easily and voluntarily disclose information about their models, which helps boost adoption!
This bill will, notably, help tech teams ensure good AI governance. Today, tech professionals across local, state, and federal government are stretched thin and being asked to wear multiple hats—including covering cybersecurity, IT, and now AI. This bill will ensure that Delawareans—and Americans everywhere—can navigate new technologies with confidence by helping developers, researchers, and government agencies consistently disclose the information needed to assess safety, performance, and risk of AI models.
5. Our State of Neighbors: This week, as ever, I was inspired by the impact, heart, and passion of so many neighbors. As we head into Delaware Day weekend, I was so excited at every opportunity to chat with my neighbors. Here are a few meetings I had that helped fill my cup:
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I met with leaders from Enstructure and the National Association of Waterfront Employers to talk about the future of the Port of Wilmington—a cornerstone of Delaware’s economy and a gateway for jobs across our state. We discussed the urgent need to begin construction at the Edgemoor port site and strengthen federal investments in dredging and port infrastructure. Their message was clear: when we invest in our ports, we invest in Delaware workers. I’ll keep pushing to secure the federal support needed to protect union jobs and ensure the Port of Wilmington remains a competitive, resilient economic engine for our state.
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I also sat down with Marie Wenzel, the newly appointed CEO of NAMI Delaware, who brought both expertise and heart to our conversation about the mental health needs of our neighbors. We talked about the growing demand for peer-support specialists, the urgent need to expand awareness of available mental health resources and affordable housing, and how harmful Medicaid cuts jeopardize access to care for thousands of Delaware families. Marie’s work and our conversation reminds me that mental health care is a lifeline—I’m grateful for her leadership and will continue fighting for the funding and workforce support needed to ensure every Delawarean can get the care they deserve.
- Finally, I had the joy of meeting with students and teachers from Jobs for Delaware’s Graduates, an organization geared toward securing meaningful and gainful employment for high school and college grads. These students and the mission of Jobs for Delaware Graduates embody the optimism and determination that define our state’s future and these students are working hard to build real pathways into careers across Delaware’s growing industries. They spoke candidly about what opportunities lie ahead, and what challenges remain. I expressed my commitment to expand federal investment in youth workforce programs, apprenticeships, and education-to-career pipelines that can open doors for young people in every corner of our state. I’ll keep championing the programs that make their futures possible.
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| Rep. McBride and Marie Wenzel. |
Thanks so much for reading along, and for staying informed about how I am working for you in D.C.! I hope you enjoy your weekend, celebrate Delaware Day, and spend time doing something that brings you joy. Until next week!
| Stay in touch, and I'll do the same. |
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| Sarah McBride |
| Delaware's Congresswoman |
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- Summer seminar at the United States Air Force Academy—The Summer Seminar at the US Air Force Academy gives high school juniors in the summer before their senior year to spend five days living the immersive experience of an Academy cadet! There are three sessions in the month of June, and applications close January 15th! Learn more and apply here.
- Small Business Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available now—As a result of the April 1, 2025 drought, small businesses and private nonprofit organizations in Kent and New Castle county can apply for low interest federal disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration until December 8! Funds from these loans can be used to pay fixed debts, amend payroll and accounts payable expenses, and other bills. Funding is available even if the business did not sustain physical damages as a result of the disaster. Learn more and apply here.
- Open Enrollment for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health coverage is officially open! From November 1 through January 15, Delawareans can visit HealthCare.gov to enroll, review, or update their 2025 plans. Even if you’re happy with your current coverage, take a few minutes to explore new options– premiums and benefits can change each year. Need help? Call 1-800-318-2596, visit HealthCare.gov or reach out to our office for support.
- ENDING SOON! Medicare Open Enrollment is now underway! From October 15 to December 7, seniors can review their current Medicare plans, compare new options, and make changes to protect their health and their wallets. Even during a government shutdown, this critical window ensures every older adult has access to the health coverage they need and deserve. Learn more and explore your options at medicare.gov, or contact our office for assistance.
- Health Insurance Premium Program (HIPP) – If you’re struggling to afford your health insurance premiums while managing kidney failure, The American Kidney Fund’s (AKF) Health Insurance Premium Program (HIPP) may be able to help. AKF’s national program provides grants to help dialysis and transplant patients pay their monthly premiums—ensuring continued access to life-saving care. Learn more and see if you qualify here.
- Are you an innovative small business seeking investment? Delaware’s Division of Small Business is racing toward its year-end goal in the “Race to $14M” initiative—working to award every remaining dollar of federal State Small Business Credit Initiative funds by December 31. Nearly $10 million has already been invested in homegrown innovators like Aternium, BioCurie, and Versogen, fueling clean energy, biotech, and data breakthroughs right here in Delaware. These investments mean more jobs, stronger startups, and a brighter economic future for our state. Learn more at de.gov/ssbci!
- Are you working in a STEM field in Delaware—or thinking about it? The new STAR Fund just launched to help folks like you pay down student loans while building a career here at home. Thanks to a partnership between the Delaware Division of Small Business and BioConnect DE, eligible workers in science, tech, engineering, math, and related fields can apply for up to $6,000 in tuition reimbursement over four years. Learn more and apply here!
- 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: https://mcbride.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency
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