Elfreth Delivers $10.5 Million For Third District Through House Appropriations Minibus

WASHINGTON, DC -Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03)voted in favor of government funding legislation, which included $10,550,000 of direct funding for Maryland's Third District. The funding was passed as part of a three-bill, $1.2 trillion minibus, which included appropriations bills for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies; Defense; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies for fiscal year 2026.

"My top priority in Congress has always been to improve the lives of families who call Maryland's Third District Home. Today, we are delivering $10.5 million to deliver tangible results in making our streets safer for our kids, revitalizing our community spaces, and building more housing," said Congresswoman Elfreth. "While these large bipartisan appropriation bills are never perfect, House Democrats worked diligently to ensure this package of bills would deliver for families who are struggling with increasing costs. From a pay increase for our servicemembers to investments in child care and housing, we are laser-focused on tracking the affordability crisis. Finally, I was grateful to see my colleagues come together on a bipartisan basis to reassert Congress's power of the purse, rejecting cuts to public health and any funding for operations in Venezuela and the Caribbean."

The government funding package will deliver $10,550,000 million in Community Project Funding that Elfreth advocated for to support seven critical projects across the Third District:

• $3,150,000 to Anne Arundel County's Crownsville Meyer Building Rehabilitation

• $2,000,000 to construct a 1.1-mile shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists along the Guilford Road, between Oakland Mills Road and Carroll Heights Avenue in Howard County.

• $2,000,000 to build low-income and workforce housing in Howard County.

• $1,250,000 to renovate the Elkridge 50+ Center and North Laurel Community Center so they can serve as warming/cooling centers and emergency shelters during disasters and power outages.

• $850,000 to update the Flat Iron Building in the Town of Mount Airy, so the building can be used for a myriad of services, including community events, educational showcases, local heritage programming, small business and retail shops, and more.

• $800,000 to renovate the new consolidated headquarters of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) in Annapolis.

• $500,000 to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility along the MD 99 corridor from Rogers Ave to Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City.

This appropriations package directly tackles the issue of affordability by delivering robust investment in housing, transportation, public health, and child care. The legislation successfully rejects Republican cuts to public health, invests in science, and provides real relief for American families. The legislation also funds a pay raise for military personnel, while providing no additional funding for operations in Venezuela and the Caribbean.

In addition to local investments, House Democrats continue to be successful in rejecting extreme Republican cuts and remain laser-focused on funding our most successful federal programs:

Maryland Priorities

• $18.6 billion for the FAA, including funding to expand the air traffic controller workforce by 2,500 personnel, improve facilities and equipment, and modernize the nation's air traffic control towers

• $18.4 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies

• $850 million for Amtrak's Northeast Corridor

• $400 million increase in funding for NIH, including research to develop treatments and cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, ALS, Diabetes, and other diseases

National Elfreth Priorities

• Fully funds the 3.8 percent pay raise for military personnel

• $1.7 billion medical research, including Congressionally Directed Medical Research Projects (CDMRP)

• $1.3 billion to support the construction or rehabilitation of tens of thousands of affordable homes through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program

• $294.224 million for the National Labor Relations Board, an independent federal agency that protects the rights of workers nationwide

• $170 million increase in funding for Child Care and Head Start, helping provide hard-working families access to early childhood education and childcare

• $6.5 million for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Firefighter Cancer Registry, the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters.

• $15 million in increased funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and $20 million increase to the State Opioid Response Grants

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