Brown Hits the Ground Running in Congress

Statement

Freshman U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown (D) was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 3 and he hasn't stopped working since then."This is a fast-paced environment here," Brown told the AFRO Jan. 17 from his office in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill.

The Fourth Congressional District is located in much of Prince George's County and parts of Anne Arundel County. It consists of areas such as Suitland, Capitol Heights, Temple Hills and Laurel in Prince George's and Pasadena, Crofton and Arnold in Anne Arundel.

Brown was elected in Nov. 8, 2016 general election. Before his election to the Congress, Brown served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1999-2007 and as Maryland's lieutenant governor from 2007-2015. He was nominated by the Democratic Party for governor in 2014 but lost to Republican Larry Hogan.

Brown hadn't been in office a full month before he took his first controversial stand as a federal lawmaker. On Jan. 16, Brown announced he would not attend the inauguration ceremony of Donald J. Trump on Jan. 20 because of Trump's stand on issues dealing with women and minorities and his insulting comments about civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis.

"I thought long and hard about this," Brown said. "I was thinking about this and consulting colleagues on not attending the inauguration long before Lewis was insulted. I went along with the consensus of some of my colleagues because there have been two years of disrespectful comments from Trump."

Brown said the Lewis Twitter message "was the tipping point."

"Trump insulted John Lewis the civil rights icon [and] John Lewis the congressman," Brown said.

"Trump needs to learn the office of congressman and earn the respect of Congress."

Brown said on Jan. 20, he will be in his district serving his constituents. "Constituent service is priority number one," he said. "We already have casework that needs to be done. This is a district work week, where the House isn't in session."

Constituent services are just one of the priorities for Brown. He was appointed to the Armed Services and Natural Resources Committees, assignments he likes. "I am an U.S. Army veteran and Joint Base Andrews is in my district," he said. "While Fort Myer isn't in my district, a number of my constituents work there. I also can rely on my experience as lieutenant governor working with the Base Realignment Commission.

"I have a great understanding of what veterans need. [Regarding] the Natural Resources Committee, I will do what I can to protect the Chesapeake Bay, the second largest estuary in the world next to the Baltic Sea. Its tributaries need to be protected and preserved."

Brown said he will work with political leaders such as Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker III and Anne Arundel Executive Steve Schuh, as well as the Maryland House and Senate delegations and the municipalities in Prince George's to be the most effective lawmaker he can be. "I have some strong advantages coming to Congress [after] being a former lieutenant governor and state legislator," he said. "House leaders have told me that they like governors and lieutenant governors come to Congress because they bring a different perspective to legislating. Whether governing or legislating, you have to reach consensus and common ground."

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