U.S. Rep. C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger, D-Maryland, is calling for the removal of two building names at the Naval Academy, citing links to the Confederacy. Ruppersberger, who was recently elected as chair of the Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors, is specifically referencing Buchanan House, which is home to the superintendent, and Maury Hall. Both buildings are named after naval officers who served ... Read more »
On Thursday, Virginia Rep. Don Beyer (D) joined other Democrats in the house in introducing the Law Enforcement Identification Act, which would require uniformed federal officers to wear plainly visible identification while policing First Amendment Assemblies. The bill comes as a response to the use of unidentified Bureau of Prisons crisis management teams as part of federal security efforts in W... Read more »
Hours after the president announced he would block all efforts to remove the names of Confederate leaders from prominent U.S. military bases, lawmakers in the House and Senate both pushed to force defense leaders to make the changes anyway, calling it an issue of respect and inclusivity. On Thursday morning, Reps. Anthony Brown, D-Md., and Don Bacon, R-Neb. — both military veterans — introduced ne... Read more »
WASHINGTON — The Senate’s initial version of the 2021 Pentagon policy bill directs the establishment of a three-year commission charged with studying ways to strike honors to the Confederacy at military installations, Senate Armed Services Committee staffers said Thursday. A draft of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act voted out of the committee Thursday morning would build an eight-person... Read more »
Nearly 71,000 Maryland residents who have filed unemployment claims during the coronavirus pandemic have been blocked from receiving payments, state labor officials said Thursday. Those claims, which the state says are pending because of unresolved issues, make up just over 13% of all claims filed from March 9 to June 6 as layoffs and furloughs mounted amid business closures. More than 500,000 Ma... Read more »
Joy Fowler is a 26-year-old single mother who had finally found her way: After experiencing eviction and homelessness, she entered a rapid-rehousing program and found a job she loved that allowed her to keep up with her bills and get off of public assistance. “I’ve always been a hard worker through all my struggles,” she told Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) during a virtual news confe... Read more »
U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown, D-Maryland, is calling for forts named after Confederate leaders and soldiers to be renamed after President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday evening that he would not rename them. Forts, such as Fort Bragg, Fort Benning and Fort Hood, have come under scrutiny as Americans continue to grapple with systemic racism. The bases are among 10 identified as named after Confederate ... Read more »
Maryland congressional leaders are urging Gov. Larry Hogan to make more improvements to the state’s new Beacon One-Stop unemployment benefits website because they say constituents are not receiving their benefits in a timely manner. U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen wrote a letter to the Republican governor Tuesday, saying they hear from constituents “every day” who continue to encounter... Read more »
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed on Tuesday the first African American to be chief of a U.S. military service, as America and its military both wrestle with painful questions about racial justice. The vote to make Gen. Charles Brown, commander of Pacific Air Forces, the 22nd Air Force chief of staff was 98-0, with Vice President Mike Pence making a rare appearance to preside over the S... Read more »
Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Member of the House Armed Services Committee, and 30 Democratic members of the committee issued the following joint statement after Secretary of Defense Mark Esper refused to appear before the committee and explain the recent use of the military in response to peaceful protesters in the District of Columbia. Representatives Susan Davis (CA-53), Jim Langevin (... Read more »
