CUMBERLAND — Constituent outreach and a seamless transition are among U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney’s priorities as she settles into office.
Sworn in Jan. 3 as a member of the 119th Congress, she represents Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, which includes all or parts of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties.
In a recent Cumberland Times-News interview, McClain Delaney, a Democrat, talked of her goals at the federal level to help Mountain Maryland residents.
The area needs better paying jobs, she said.
“Lowering living costs is going to be a big issue,” McClain Delaney said of topics including the need to expand and increase the Child Tax Credit, cap prescription drug costs and improve rural medical and mental health care.
“I love Western Maryland,” she said. “It is an incredible place with untapped potential.”
Background
McClain Delaney’s background includes work as a communications attorney.
She served as deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
In that role, McClain Delaney led initiatives to improve U.S. competitiveness, expand broadband access and advised the White House on tech and communications policy.
Prior to that, she served for 15 years as the Washington director of the nonprofit Common Sense Media, where she spearheaded efforts to protect children online and address the impact of media on their health and well-being.
In Congress, McClain Delaney “is focused on improving U.S. competitiveness and innovation, protecting our natural environment, and championing policies that represent the values and priorities of Maryland’s 6th District,” she said via recent press release.
“Now more than ever, Americans need leaders who are committed to delivering common-sense, common-ground solutions that will make a real difference in people’s lives,” McClain Delaney said.
“I am deeply honored to represent Maryland’s 6th District in Congress, and I am ready to get to work on the issues that matter most to our families, communities, and future,” she said.
Goals
McClain Delaney’s goals include broadband expansion in rural areas.
“I’m really focused on the infrastructure,” she said, and talked of needed grants to improve local roads, including U.S. Route 220 and Interstate 68.
She will work for passage of community project funding requests that include $680,000 for Westernport’s Potomac Fire Company No. 2 to replace its 33-year-old engine, and $1.2 million for Frostburg State University to update its planetarium with cutting-edge technology aimed to better prepare students for STEM careers and allow hundreds of local K-12 students to benefit.
Other areas of importance include agriculture.
“I hope to work on the Farm Bill,” McClain Delaney said.
She plans to “work across the aisle,” seek common grounds between the political parties and focus on constituent needs.
“I will work with anybody to get stuff done for the 6th District,” McClain Delaney said.
Succession
McClain Delaney succeeds U.S. Rep. David Trone, who represented the 6th District since 2019, ran for U.S. Senate and was defeated in last year’s primary by Angela Alsobrooks.
She praised, and said she wants to build on, Trone’s work in Western Maryland.
McClain Delaney took over the lease of Trone’s former Frederick office and hired many of his staffers.
“I have a great team,” she said.
On Jan. 6, McClain Delaney released a statement on her vote to certify the 2024 presidential election.
“The continued strength of our democracy is rooted in the foundational belief that America is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” she said at that time.
“I remain deeply committed to working with my colleagues — Republicans and Democrats — to put people over politics, legislate with a common-ground, common-sense approach, and build a brighter tomorrow for Maryland,” McClain Delaney said.