10. A GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS FOR THE PEOPLE

For too long, the federal government has been systematically understaffed, underfunded, and undermined. Agency morale is low. Public trust is declining. Bureaucratic processes — especially for disability claims, FMLA approvals, Reasonable Accommodation requests, EEO complaints, and workplace discrimination cases — move far too slowly and too inconsistently. 

This is a national crisis, but nowhere is it felt more intensely than in Maryland’s Fifth District.

MD-05 is home to over 75,000 federal employees and federal retirees — the largest concentration of federal workers in the entire state of Maryland.

• When the federal government breaks down, MD-05 feels it first.
  And feels it hardest.

• When Congress threatens shutdowns, our families lose paychecks.

• When agencies freeze hiring, our communities lose income.
  When federal systems fail, our seniors wait longer for Social

• Security, our disabled residents wait longer for benefits,
  and our federal workers are pushed into stressful, unfair processes without accountability.

Residents across the district face:

• Long lines

• Confusing and outdated systems

• Delayed decisions

• Lost paperwork

• Retaliation and discrimination against employees with disabilities

• Inconsistent case handling

• Burnout in agencies that are losing skilled workers faster than they can replace them

 Meanwhile, Congress continues to use federal workers as a political punching bag — threatening shutdowns, furloughs, benefit cuts, and hiring freezes that destabilize families who have dedicated their lives to public service.

Federal dysfunction doesn’t just undermine confidence in government — it harms the very people who make government function.

And in MD-05, that means tens of thousands of our neighbors, friends, and family members.

A functioning government requires trust, transparency, modern technology, and fully staffed agencies. Without real reform and accountability, agencies cannot meet their mission — and the people of MD-05 pay the price every time Washington fails to do its job.