Elfreth Secures $10 Million For Maryland’s Third District in House-Passed Appropriations Bills

January 8, 2026
Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03) supported the passage of government funding legislation, which included $10,336,000 to support seven projects across the Third District and millions more in federal funding to support Maryland priorities. The investments were passed as part of the fiscal year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment appropriations bills.

“I came to Congress to deliver real results for Maryland’s Third District and all of our communities that have felt left behind by Washington for far too long. Today’s government funding package is a significant federal investment in our shared future. This $10 million investment will make our communities safer, protect our natural resources, and provide resources to our most vulnerable,” said Congresswoman Elfreth. “While this legislation isn’t perfect, it delivers on a myriad of pressing national priorities, including significant investment in environmental programs, water infrastructure, domestic violence treatment programs, grid infrastructure, and so much more. After the Administration’s previous attempts to divert and cancel Congressionally appropriated funding, I was grateful to see this legislation reassert Congress’s power of the purse on a bipartisan basis.”

The appropriations package reasserts Congress’s authority and curtails the power of the Executive Branch through staffing thresholds, notification requirements, and the funding tables that codify precise dollar figures for specific programs.

The government funding package will deliver $10.3 million in Community Project Funding that Elfreth advocated for to support seven critical projects across the Third District:

  • $3,500,000 to equip Anne Arundel County’s Joint 911 Public Safety Center with new technology.

  • $2,000,000 for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to research and collect data on the impacts of blue catfish, an invasive species, on the Chesapeake Bay. 

  • $697,000 to support the YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County’s work helping individuals fleeing from known domestic violence situations. The funding will also be used for education, job skills/readiness, and re-housing and relocation assistance. 

  • $1,031,000 to create and deliver a comprehensive training program for behavioral health care professionals who face significant safety challenges at Sheppard Pratt Health Systems, Inc.

  • $1,031,000 to strengthen Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency, Inc.’s employment, family reunification, financial services, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, transitional housing, vocational training, peer support, and prosocial networks for justice-involved residents.

  • $1,031,000 to deliver a new Mobile Command Unit for the Annapolis Police Department to respond to critical incidents, weather-related emergencies, and special events.

  • $1,046,000 to connect young students to educational programming around coding, earth sciences, robotics, and engineering through the Chinese American Parent Association of Howard County’s STEM Forward initiative.

In addition to local investments, House Democrats were successful in rejecting extreme cuts and funding programs that will benefit Marylanders and communities across the country:

Maryland Priorities

  • $500 million for NASA & John’s Hopkin’s Applied Physics Lab’s Dragonfly Mission to send a robotic rotorcraft to the surface of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn

  • $93 million for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program 

  • $61.9 million for the operation and maintenance of Army Corps projects in Maryland

  • $35.125 million for the construction of Army Corps projects in Maryland

  • $57.684 million for habitat conservation & restoration at NOAA, with $3.5 million specifically for oyster restoration in the Bay

  • $8 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) Program

  • $3 million for the National Parks Service’s (NPS) Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network

National Elfreth Priorities

  • $8.8 billion in total EPA funding, nearly double the White House budget proposal, which will go towards nationwide environmental protection efforts

  • $3.1 billion for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funding

  • $375 million increase in investment in electric grid infrastructure, which will address higher energy costs and rising utility bills

  • $7 million increase in funding for Violence Against Women Act grants

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