Dear Friend,
February marks the start of Black History Month, a time to honor Black history, celebrate Black joy, and recognize the generations of struggle, brilliance, and resilience that brought us here. In a moment when our country and the world feel heavy with chaos, cruelty, and uncertainty, it’s still essential that we pause to celebrate marginalized communities while continuing the fight for justice. As we honor Black history, we’re also confronting real harm happening right now.
Last Friday, communities across Maryland joined a national day of action to protest the violence and cruelty of ICE and the damage it continues to cause in our neighborhoods. That urgency grew after the Department of Homeland Security quietly purchased a massive warehouse in Hagerstown, potentially turning it into a detention center with space for up to 1,500 people. This move appears designed to get around Maryland’s law that bans new immigrant detention agreements. Local advocates are pushing back hard, because detention centers don’t make us safer—they tear families apart and traumatize communities.
Read on for legislative updates, upcoming events and actions, and news you can use as we continue organizing to protect our communities.
In solidarity,
The Progressive Maryland Team |
Here’s what’s in today’s memo: - Quick Actions
- Legislative Updates
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PMD Events
Campaign Updates Local Chapter Updates -
State & National News
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Quick Actions: Cut ICE Funding |
ICE violence is escalating. Congress will soon vote on a funding bill that would increase ICE’s budget, giving this out-of-control agency even more power to terrorize communities. We cannot allow our tax dollars to fund violence, disappearances, and inhumane detention. Lawmakers need to hear from us now.
Call your legislators and demand they vote NO on ICE funding.
👉 Take action here |
2026 Legislative Session: Stay in the Know |
Redistricting: Momentum in the House
The redistricting bill (HB488) is on track for a vote tonight when the house reconvenes at 8PM. We hope it passes as fair maps are essential to ensuring our communities have a voice in decisions that affect our daily lives. At a time when Republicans across the country are aggressively redrawing maps to lock in power, Maryland leaders in the House are recognizing the urgency of protecting representation and our democracy.
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PMD EVENTS:
Annapolis Task Force Training – Tuesday, February 10, 7:00 PM
Want to get more involved in shaping Maryland policy this session? Attend our Annapolis Training (virtual) to learn how to take action on key issues, organize in your community, and prepare to meet with legislators. Sign up here. Lobby Night – February 23
Make your voice heard in Annapolis! Join hundreds of Marylanders for Lobby Night where we’ll meet with lawmakers to advocate for our legislative priorities, from housing and healthcare to environmental justice and immigrant protections. Your presence can make a real difference in passing bold bills this session. Register here to join!
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Task Forces & Issue Campaigns Updates: |
Environmental Justice Task Force: A Note From SirJames
"From a young age, I have been deeply concerned about humanity as a whole and driven by a desire to give back. In September 2022, I joined Progressive Maryland, in the role of an Environmental Justice Organizer and immersed myself in the heart of South Baltimore's most environmentally compromised neighborhoods. It was here that I discovered the harmful impact of the Win Waste incinerator and its ties to a long history of environmental racism, which ignited a sense of anger within me.
This anger transformed into a passionate commitment to build power from the ground up, leading me to connect with hundreds of residents in Cherry Hill, Westport, and Brooklyn. I was astonished by the realization that many individuals were unaware that their monthly utility bills were indirectly funding an incinerator that was detrimental to their health and well-being. This revelation felt akin to modern-day slavery, fueling my determination to empower frontline community members with the skills and resources needed to change the power disparities that allowed incinerator companies to financially exploit our communities.
In under three years, Progressive Maryland's Environmental Justice Task Force, alongside coalition partners like Clean Water Action, South Baltimore Community Land Trust, and Food & Water Watch, successfully urged lawmakers to enact the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act. This pivotal legislation was ultimately integrated into the Next Generation Act, which permanently ended green energy subsidies. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the leadership of Christianne Marguerite and her Communications Department amplifying the voices of frontline community members. On July 26th, Progressive Maryland celebrated this significant milestone at the Baltimore Peninsula.
As I reflect on this incredible journey with Progressive Maryland, I recognize that while one chapter has concluded, another is beginning. To all the community members who have tirelessly worked to protect our children and future generations from pollution and economic exploitation, our bond will remain strong. My final day at PMD is this Wednesday, February 4th." |
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Healthcare Task Force: Protect and Reclaim Medicaid!
Safeguarding everyday Marylanders’ access to healthcare is a priority. For our most vulnerable residents and about half of the children in our state, Medical Assistance is a lifeline. The 2025 federal budget cuts $1 trillion dollars in Medicaid funding. It will take effect next year and our state could lose as much as $2 billion in annual funding.
Maryland needs to identify revenue to replace the loss of federal dollars. It’s time to look at the costs and the downsides to using Managed Care Organizations to manage our Medicaid program. The state would realize significant savings by transitioning to a direct payment system and could direct those funds to bolster Medicaid services. Connecticut took this step in 2012 and has saved $4 billion over the intervening years. We are organizing to pass a bill this legislative session to create a work group to examine the benefits to the state of doing this.
The crisis of long emergency room wait times in Maryland has not gone away. Along with our partners at the Patient Worker Collaborative we’ll be lobbying and organizing to pass the Safe Staffing Act again this year.
Contact Patty to get involved! |
Gaithersburg Tenant Union
The Gaithersburg Tenant Union met on Wednesday for their first meeting of the new year! Even with the icy conditions, community members hopped on a virtual call to share their concerns about increased utility prices, difficulty with navigating neighborhood services, and the upcoming budget meetings at city hall. We made plans for how we intend to grow our base, and next steps to start addressing these issues. It was a productive and thoughtful conversation. Stay tuned for our next one!
Temple Hills Tenant Association Meeting
We’re bringing neighbors together in Temple Hills to take the next step toward safer, more affordable, and more livable housing. On Thursday, February 5, renters and homeowners are invited to join a community organizing meeting where we’ll officially establish the Temple Hills Tenant Association, elect local leaders, and begin planning our first collective action to address ongoing housing and community concerns. This is a chance to connect with neighbors, share your experiences, and help shape the future of housing conditions in Temple Hills.
Sign up to join us here |
Shore Progress: 9 Years of Power on the Shore
Join Shore Progress this Thursday, February 5 as we raise a glass to nine years of organizing, advocacy, and wins for working families across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. This celebration and fundraiser will support our 2026 organizing, voter outreach, and community engagement work—fueling the next chapter of progressive power on the Shore. Come celebrate, connect, and help keep this movement growing.
📍 Brick Room, Salisbury
🎟 Tickets start at $15 — Get yours here |
As ICE assault and deaths continue, working people shovel snow, make plans: News You Can Use
Right here in Maryland, the slow-building catastrophe of Trump retribution against Blue states adds up, as our legislature works to manage its way through Gov. Moore's proposed tough-love budget. Federal pullbacks in a wide variety of public benefits, from medical care to food assistance to education to the loss of hundreds of thousands of federal jobs by state residents, leave the cupboard pretty bare. Two years in a row of wrenching deficit solutions have shaken the typical good-natured rivalry between progressive groups seeking funding and legislators holding out on funds. Meanwhile, Trump's ICE paramilitary goon squad continues to terrorize populations, not only in Minnesota but in many cities around the nation. And the response is resistance: "ICE out" in Baltimore and at the Grammys, and 9,000-plus Chicagolanders voted to name their newest snowplow "Abolish Ice" -- nearly three-quarters of those who suggested names. It's all News You Can Use.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media! |
Progressive Maryland
P.O. Box 6988
Largo, MD 20792
United States
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