Dear Friend, 

Welcome back to the McBride Memo, my weekly dispatch to Delawareans. 

This week, Congress passed a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, while placing important restrictions on the Trump administration, including protections against the president’s attempt to politicize who receives federal grants and block additional funding for Trump’s rogue border enforcement machine.

Here are five quick things you should know this week:

Today, Delaware announced what insurers will charge next year for people who purchase coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace. Delawareans are facing another double-digit increase in the average cost of their healthcare premiums. My neighbors are already struggling to afford basic necessities. Many simply cannot afford to pay even more to keep their insurance. 

Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans had a choice. They found room in their Big Ugly Bill for trillions in tax cuts for their billionaire donors, but refused to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits that kept healthcare within reach for thousands of my neighbors. Their choice has put affordable health coverage at risk for more than 16,000 Delawareans. Now, the price of insurance is spiking and working families are losing access to healthcare.

The consequences of losing health coverage are immediate and deeply personal. For a new mother, it can mean putting off postpartum care because she cannot afford an appointment. For an older Delawarean who is not yet eligible for Medicare, it can mean rationing prescriptions or delaying a needed procedure. For a student with a chronic illness, it can mean skipping the specialist visits that keep them healthy. 

When health insurance becomes unaffordable, people do not stop getting sick or needing care — they are simply forced to go without it. None of this was inevitable. Congress can restore the tax credits that made coverage more affordable, strengthen the ACA, and get serious about lowering healthcare costs for everyday Americans. I’m committed to delivering a future where no Delawarean has to choose between seeing a doctor and staying afloat.

Six months into a conflict that has killed American servicemembers, sent missiles flying across the Persian Gulf, and driven up prices here at home, Vice President Vance has a message for the American people: “I wouldn’t call it a war.” 

Maybe the term Vance was searching for is “forever war,” because this administration keeps choosing escalation over strategy, pushing us toward a conflict with no end in sight. New reporting makes this risk abundantly clear: the administration is considering what they call a “mow the lawn” strategy, which involves bombing Iran periodically whenever they try to reconstitute their military. 

It’s such a heinous and casual way to describe constant warfare, which has human consequences. Central Command is currently investigating an American missile strike that may have killed three innocent civilians and injured dozens more at a wedding in the southern part of Iran. The administration’s response to these reports: “sometimes things happen.”

The loss of innocent life is never something to shrug off. And constant, low-grade warfare is not a reality Americans should be asked to accept. This conflict was reckless and illegal on day one. Six months later, it remains deadly, costly, and without a credible endgame. This administration must end this cycle of escalation and return to serious diplomacy that restores safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, brings home our servicemembers, protects innocent lives, and lowers costs for the American people.

This week, I celebrated the Delaware Community Foundation’s (DCF) 40th anniversary on the House floor. Since its founding, DCF has become one of the most important engines of philanthropy in our state, directing resources toward the people and organizations working to make Delaware healthier, stronger, and filled with more opportunity.

Over four decades, DCF has helped fund scholarships for students, medical research, health equity initiatives, and nonprofits serving Delawareans across our state. Today, under the leadership of my friend and neighbor Stuart Comstock-Gay, that work continues with the same focus on improving the quality of life for working families in Delaware.

Strong communities are built by people and institutions choosing, year after year, to show up for their neighbors and invest in the places they call home. For 40 years, the Delaware Community Foundation has done just that, and I was proud to recognize that legacy on the House floor. You can view my speech celebrating DCF here. 

A whistleblower from the United States Postal Service recently came forward with alarming details about a Trump-administration effort to implement a rushed, untested process that would interfere with the counting of mail-in ballots across the country. This is the latest egregious step in this administration’s all-out assault on free and fair elections, so I joined my Congressional colleagues this week in demanding that the USPS reverse course immediately. 

Voting by mail is a trusted method that thousands of Delawareans use each election to cast their vote, and one that the president himself has used multiple times. There is no doubt that our vote-by-mail system works — it allows servicemembers stationed overseas, people who cannot easily get to the polls, and countless other Americans to vote safely and securely. The administration is transparently trying to create chaos and confusion ahead of an election they are worried they will lose. 

My colleagues and I are calling on the USPS to stop its implementation of this new system; and we are demanding answers as to how the new system was developed, whether the White House was involved, and how the Postal Service plans to ensure eligible voters are not caught in the chaos.

As a reminder, early voting in Delaware began this week. You can go to ivote.de.gov to check your voter registration and find your polling place. If you follow the rules and exercise your right to vote, you deserve confidence that your ballot will be delivered and your voice will be heard. That is a basic promise of our democracy — and I’ll keep standing up to defend it.

Here are a few highlights from my time in Delaware over the past few days, where I’ve gotten to see firsthand the people, businesses, and traditions that make our state of neighbors so special:

I visited Hatching Time in New Castle, a Delaware small business that started with a shipping container of poultry equipment unloaded into a family home and has since grown into a company serving more than 75,000 customers across the Americas. After hearing directly from Hatching Time earlier this year, I cosponsored legislation that would make it easier for more small businesses with lawful immigrant and international ownership to access federal financing. Their success story is a reminder that small businesses grow when good ideas meet hard work — and when government gives entrepreneurs a fair shot.

At the Clarence Fraim Boys & Girls Club in Wilmington, I got to see what it looks like when young people are given safe, supportive spaces to learn and thrive. From the SWIM4LIFE program teaching kids lifesaving water-safety skills to a new fitness center and teen space, the Boys and Girls Club is helping young Delawareans build confidence, healthy habits, and a sense of belonging.

On Sunday, I joined more than a thousand neighbors for the 212th August Quarterly, the oldest continuously celebrated African American religious and cultural festival in the country. For generations, this gathering has been a celebration of faith, freedom, and the resilience of Black Delawareans. That history carries particular weight this year after a devastating fire destroyed the historic Mother African Union Church. August Quarterly reminds us that freedom is not simply something we inherit — it is something each generation sustains through faith, courage, community, and commitment.

I was honored to join the 4th Annual Awards Celebration Honoring Black Women in Wilmington, where 125 women from across Delaware, including Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, were recognized for leadership and service in education, medicine, law, faith, and civic life. Too often, the work of Black women has powered our institutions and strengthened our communities without receiving the recognition it deserves. Celebrating these leaders is about more than saying thank you — it is about making sure the people shaping Delaware’s future are seen, valued, and celebrated.

Rep. McBride with employees at Hatching Time in New Castle.

Rep. McBride and U.S. Sen. Chris Coons stand with U.S. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who was recognized at the Annual Awards Celebration Honoring Black Women.

As we head into Labor Day weekend, I’m thinking about the workers across Delaware whose service, skill, and determination keep our state moving forward. You all are at the heart of the work I’m doing here in Washington — I’ll keep bringing your voices and ideas with me as I collaborate to strengthen workers' rights and unions, make healthcare more affordable, protect our democracy, and create more opportunities for our neighbors across the First State.

Thank you for reading along and allowing me to do this work. Whatever you are up to this weekend, I hope it’s a good one — and that you find some time to rest and recharge.  

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

• Service Academy Nominations: Our office is accepting applications from Delaware students seeking nominations to our nation’s prestigious service academies! As a member of Congress, it is my honor to support these students in their efforts to serve our nation in uniform. The application deadline is October 15 and you can find more information on eligibility and application requirements here.
• Congressional App Challenge: Calling all young coders! The Congressional App Challenge is now open to all middle and high school students in Delaware. This nationwide competition is a chance to flex your creativity, build real-world STEM skills, and develop your very own app. The winner will also be invited to the national #HouseOfCode celebration in D.C.! Learn more and get started 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

Contact me

Click here to subscribe to my eNewsletter