By SHAUN CHORNOBROFF, MENNATALLA IBRAHIM, MARIJKE FRIEDMAN and JAMES MATHESON
WASHINGTON – After Tuesday’s defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris and a flip of the majority in the United States Senate to the Republicans, Democratic lawmakers in Maryland say they are still optimistic about the prospects of several key state projects that would require congressional and presidential support to move forward.
The delegation’s priority projects include reconstructing Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, maintaining the environmental cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay, and relocating the FBI headquarters from Pennsylvania Avenue to a 61-acre site in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“I’d say we’re still optimistic,” Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Maryland, told Capital News Service the day after winning a second term in Congress. “We know that (these projects are) not a done deal, and we’re going to have to keep working to move (them) forward.”
Ivey said he was confident, especially regarding the Key Bridge, that Congress will overcome partisan politics to address the effects of the disaster. He pointed to recovery efforts after the twin hurricanes Helene and Milton that swept through much of the GOP-supporting Southeast in October as a model for bipartisan cooperation.
“I would think that there’d be a coming together to make sure that Congress helps out those who are in need due to these kinds of disasters, and that we don’t play politics with each other,” Ivey said.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, reiterated many of Ivey’s sentiments in an email to CNS. He said he was committed to working alongside Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who is retiring in January, to provide the necessary funding to replace the Key Bridge as soon as possible.
In an interview with CNS, Cardin said there is bipartisan support for rebuilding the Key Bridge, but that Congress needs legislation to attach the funds.
“We’re not panicked about getting it done. We’ll get it done,” said Cardin.
During Donald Trump’s first term as president, he made an annual tradition of trying to slash funding for cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.
Van Hollen promised that Maryland’s delegation would work tirelessly for its constituents, even under the returning Trump.
“Regardless of who is in the White House, Team Maryland fights tooth and nail to deliver for our state — be that for the Chesapeake Bay, the FBI Headquarters, the Red Line, or the many other projects that we’re working on,” Van Hollen said.
In his 2021 budget proposal, for example, Trump proposed a 91 percent reduction in funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration, cutting the budget from $85 million to $7.3 million. Congress instead agreed to add an extra $2.5 million to the Chesapeake Bay Program nine months after the request.
“During the Donald Trump years, he tried to zero out the program, and yet we were able not only to maintain the funding, but increase the authorization of funding while President Trump was in office,” Cardin said. “We have bipartisan support from the Chesapeake Bay program in the appropriation process, and I have no reason to believe that won’t continue into the next Congress.”
Cardin told CNS that Chesapeake Bay restoration is set to be funded at a record level in the next fiscal year. While this year’s appropriation bills have yet to be passed, Cardin said he expects more than $90 million to be dedicated to the Chesapeake Bay.
Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s sole Republican representative in Congress, supported Trump’s campaign and said on Newsmax Thursday that Americans elected Trump because they agree with his plans to secure the southern border and reduce inflation.
“These are the issues that resonated with broad swaths of the American public, including record numbers of minorities,” the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus said.
Election night was filled with victories for Maryland Democrats.
Kamala Harris won the state, marking the ninth consecutive time Maryland voters backed the Democratic nominee for president. Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks became the first Black woman from the state elected to the Senate. However, Trump’s win soured the historic night for some lawmakers.
Van Hollen said in a Wednesday statement that despite feeling “heartened by the history Maryland made,” he was “deeply disappointed and disheartened by the results of this election.
Ivey, who defeated Republican challenger George McDermott to keep his 4th Congressional District seat Tuesday, said he was “thankful to be re-elected, but it was a very tough night overall.”
Sarah Elfreth, who was elected to represent Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District in Congress, said in a social media post that while it was a “dark day nationally,” there are wins to be celebrated in Maryland. She referenced the state enshrining abortion rights in its constitution, Alsobrooks’ victory, and her win.
“While my heart is broken that Vice President Harris did not win, I’m proud of the race she ran, the values she championed, and our commitment to accepting the results of this election,” Elfreth said.
Cardin called the outcome “a gut punch of sorts” in a statement. As he approaches retirement, Cardin said he remains hopeful in the state he has represented on Capitol Hill since 1987.
“It’s going to be a rough go at it under the Trump administration, but I’m confident,” Cardin said. “We will figure out a strategy to deal with it.”
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