Earlier this month, the eyes of our nation turned briefly to those whom the Bible calls “the least of these.” The U.S. Bureau of the Census revealed that nearly one of every six Americans is now living in poverty. Based on data from 2010, the Bureau found that more than 46,000,000 Americans are now living […]
Author Archives: Rep. Elijah Cummings
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The "Greening" of America's "Food Deserts"
Recently, I joined Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the local Howard Park Community as we celebrated what, in some other neighborhoods, would have been seen as a relatively mundane event. Along with local civic, religious and business leaders, we were taking the first tangible steps toward bringing a major, multi-service supermarket back into the neighborhood’s […]
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Standing Up for our Public Servants
Labor Day always has a special meaning for my family and me. As a child, my father’s union card was our passport to a better life. Our experience reflects that of America’s working families everywhere – and, especially, the families of Americans of Color. For nearly a century now, the civil rights movement and the […]
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Our Fight to Breathe
The federal elections next year will determine more than the course of future federal spending. The quality of the very air that we breathe is at stake. Throughout my life, I have suffered from asthma. It can make you feel as if you are suffocating. It started when I was 5 and it is still […]
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Building Bridges to Our Future
A college education transformed my life, as it has for tens of millions of other Americans. Now, my Republican congressional colleagues, many of whom received the same financial help that I did, want to slam the doors to college on deserving students of our own time. I passionately disagree. Each generation of Americans has sacrificed […]
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A Challenge to Our National Values
If House Republicans were to remake the shipwreck film, Titanic, we would be appalled by the portrayal (on one side of the split screen) of women and children from steerage being tossed into the sea, while rich passengers in formal attire were shown (on the other screen) dancing and enjoying their elegant, 12-course meals. Does […]
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A Courageous Woman That is On Our Side
Even before the financial system’s “meltdown,” the national mortgage crisis and credit crunch, Americans were calling their congressional offices for help with predatory and deceptive financial practices. All too often, these families were being financially strangled by garrotes made of fine print. Their homes were in danger, their credit card debt was nearly unsustainable, and […]
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Elijah Cummings…What Kind of America?
During the most difficult economic period in several generations, I count myself fortunate. In addition to the blessings of family and reasonably good health, I represent a true community of conscience in the Congress of the United States. Here in the Baltimore Region, we devote considerable attention to our shortcomings. We also should recognize the […]
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Caring for the Nurses who Care for Us
Any who doubt Baltimore’s students and their potential for success in the demanding health care fields should have a conversation with Dr. Marcella Copes, dean of Nursing at Coppin State University. My colleagues on the Morgan State University Board of Regents will forgive me, I trust, for my long-standing support for nursing education at Coppin. […]
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Elijah Cummings…It’s about what kind of country we want to be
Last week, Americans watched as the new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives began a concerted effort to destroy one of President Obama’s signature initiatives – The Affordable Care Act. We need to be clear about all that is at stake. Every senator and representative has been educated about the mortal consequences of […]
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Elijah Cummings…Once more, into the breach . . . .
January is a month when Maryland families pause to reflect on the year just past – and make our plans for the months ahead. The Year 2010 was a year that evoked in me gratitude, a sense of accomplishment, and a renewed determination to carry on. I am both grateful and humbled by the faith […]
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Elijah Cummings…Protecting Our Homes
In the midst of our holiday season, we must not lose sight of the harsh reality that far too many of our neighbors continue to lose their homes through foreclosure – a challenge that we all have a personal stake in overcoming. The foreclosure crisis still gripping our nation is a formidable obstacle to our […]