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The Gazette officially endorsed Congresswoman Edwards this week.

Edwards continues to connect
Efforts show she is in tune with community needs

U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards’ strong understanding of her district’s needs helped her ride to victory two years ago — and should do the same again this election.

Edwards represents District 4, which winds through affluent and economically disadvantaged portions of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties; however, Edwards has worked effectively with her peers to serve the diverse needs of the district.

Edwards remains intensely focused on health care initiatives, a necessity given the dire financial situation faced in the Prince George’s County hospital system. The system loses $12 million annually, in large part because its flagship hospital in Cheverly treats a large number of uninsured patients unable to pay for their care. Edwards has been helping educate residents and nonprofit organizations about the steps needed to bring federally qualified health clinics to the district — a step expected to cut down on emergency room visits and improve care options for low-income residents. She supported the Affordable Care Act, but didn’t sign off on it without her input; she spearheaded an effort included in the final legislation to address excessive premium increases by insurance companies.

She has pushed for funding of top transportation projects likely to ease the impact of Base Realignment and Closure changes in her district; worked to improve child nutrition programs; united with police chiefs from Prince George’s and Montgomery counties to provide equitable help for anti-gang efforts; and focused on the needs of the business community by bringing together banks, the Small Business Administration and local chambers of commerce to discuss items such as lending practices.

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The Washington Post today officially endorsed Congresswoman Edwards for reelection to represent Maryland’s 4th Congressional District.

Please click here to show your support of Congresswoman Edwards by leaving a comment in the comment section on the Washington Post’s website.

Donna Edwards

Monday, August 16, 2010; A12

FINISHING HER first full term in the House representing Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, Rep. Donna F. Edwards is an unapologetic liberal of the old school. She is a champion of labor unions, a skeptic on free trade and a doubter when it comes to projecting American force overseas. We may not always agree with her, but we admire the energy, hard work and intelligence that informs her work as a legislator. She deserves another term in Congress, which she will surely have if she wins the Sept. 14 Democratic primary.

The 4th District, which includes most of Prince George’s County and a chunk of eastern Montgomery County, is one of the nation’s most liberal. Both Ms. Edwards and Barack Obama won about 85 percent of the vote there in 2008. Ms. Edwards may be on the left fringe of her own party, but there’s little to indicate she’s out of step with the voters in the 4th.

Nor is there much in the way of serious opposition to her candidacy. Only one of Ms. Edwards’s three rivals in the primary, Herman L. Taylor II, a lawmaker representing Montgomery County in the Maryland House of Delegates, is even remotely credible in terms of experience. Unfortunately for him, Mr. Taylor has presented voters with virtually no rationale for his candidacy. He seems to have no disagreement with Ms. Edwards on policy beyond needling her for backing a raise in congressional pay. His grasp of foreign policy is impressionistic at best, and his achievements as a state lawmaker are modest.

By contrast, Donna Edwards is a tough-minded advocate. She has pressed to give state regulators more power to review insurance premium increases and to expand meal subsidies for children from low-income families. She has drawn attention to the slaughter in Darfur by getting herself arrested at the Sudanese embassy and to Washington’s neglect of Prince George’s County as a venue for federal office leases. Not least, she has raised the issue of human rights abuses in the Arab world even as the Obama administration has downplayed them.

Two other suburban Maryland Democrats, Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, the House majority leader, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, face only nominal primary opposition. Along with those two, Ms. Edwards is the newest member of an exceptionally effective troika whose work in Congress is likely to pay dividends for Montgomery and Prince George’s voters for years to come.

Rep. Edwards continued her commitment to funding the development of the Purple Line with the House passage of H.R. 5850, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act for FY 2011. The legislation provides critical investments to help address important challenges such as creating jobs, expanding public transportation, and ensuring that every American has adequate shelter. The legislation also includes $1.5 million for the Purple Line, and builds on the $3 million secured by Congresswoman Edwards in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010.

“As a long time advocate for the Purple Line, I am proud to secure federal funding for the Purple Line project that is critical to our entire region,” said Congresswoman Edwards. “This is an opportunity to redefine the scope of public transportation throughout our communities, providing connectivity and much needed transportation options in the region. I look forward to continuing to work with our local, state, and federal partners to further the development of the Purple Line and begin construction on my top transportation priority.”

Reps. Edwards and Hoyer announced that the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department will receive a $3,458,682 grant through the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program (SAFER). This funding will be utilized by the County to hire an additional 24 firefighters.

“The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program has been a tremendous resource for ensuring that our communities receive 24-hour protection from fire and fire related hazards,” said Congresswoman Edwards. “I am excited that these funds are going where they are needed – to help the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department better serve our families and our friends.”

Congresswoman Edwards hosted two Foreclosure Prevention Workshops and Forums for residents of the 4th Congressional District over the past few weeks. Hundreds of homeowners attended and received free consultations with housing counselors, pro bono attorneys, and bank representatives. Residents also attended workshops on predatory lending, working with your bank, and making loans affordable again.
 

“I hosted several foreclosure prevention workshops to provide homeowners with an opportunity to receive the information they need to help stay in their home,” said Congresswoman Edwards. “In the first quarter of 2010, Prince George’s County totaled 881 foreclosure filings and Montgomery County saw 704 filings, underscoring the need that we must all continue working to address this critical issue.  I thank all the officials who attended today’s forum for their leadership, and I urge homeowners who are on the brink of foreclosure not to wait to take action, help is available.”

Congresswoman Edwards attended the bill signing ceremony at the White House for H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Congresswoman Edwards was invited for her leadership on health care reform and her advocacy against price gouging by insurance companies, having successfully added language in the final legislation to help address this issue.

“I am thankful that a provision I championed to address price gouging was included in the final legislation that will hold insurance companies accountable for excessive premium increases, helping ensure affordability for working families. Passing health care reform was a long, arduous process. After six decades of failed attempts at reform, we now usher in a new era of accessible, affordable, quality health care coverage for the American people.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said:

“In the short time that Congresswoman Donna Edwards has been in the House, she has distinguished herself as a leader on issues crucial to the American people, including health care, job creation, and economic security. During the health care debate, Congresswoman Edwards expertly presided over the House: ensuring that the voices of all Members were heard and that civility reigned. Her support for reform, based on its positive benefits for the health of her district and the fiscal health of our nation, was essential to its passage. All of us in the Democratic Caucus will continue to rely on Congresswoman Edwards’ experience, knowledge, and leadership in the days and years to come.”

Congress recently passed and President Obama signed into law historic health care reform for the American people. Click here for information about this legislation that ends discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, allows young adults to stay on their parents health care until age 26, and closes the ‘donut hole’ over time.

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