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Visiting congressman tells Baltimore County delegation of federal wins, warns on cost-of-living and raises objections to MPRP
Summary
A visiting congressman briefed the Baltimore County delegation on recent federal community appropriations (including funding for Martin State Airport and the Dolefield Exchange), warned about federal cuts he said worsen the cost-of-living, and reiterated objections to the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project and its use of eminent domain.
Congressman (introduced in the transcript as "Johnny Olchevsky") told the Baltimore County delegation on Feb. 6 that his office secured several community appropriations for the county and that he remains engaged on local and regional energy issues.
"For those on the East Side of Baltimore County, we have $850,000 coming to improve the runway at Martin State Airport," he said, and he also listed funding to replace lampposts in the Reisterstown Main Street corridor ("a quarter of $1,000,000") and a $2,000,000 allocation for the Dolefield Exchange. He invited members to contact his office and said his staff would send details on open houses and community funding processes.
The congressman framed his remarks around broader national policy, linking recent federal cuts to local hardship. He stated that policymakers had enacted "1000000000000 dollar reduction in Medicaid spending" and an "expiration of ACA tax credits" that he said would amount to a roughly $4,700 annual tax increase for the average Maryland family. He also cited a SNAP reduction he said totaled "$187,000,000,000 over the next 8 years." Those figures were presented by the congressman as part of his assessment of federal fiscal policy.
On regional energy, he said he has been "vocal in my opposition and concerns about the MPRP, the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project," adding he was not satisfied with PJM or PSEG's engagement with communities and that "their pushing of eminent domain is wrong." He said he pressed witnesses at a small-business subcommittee about distribution of energy to data centers in Northern Virginia, noting a $424,000,000 price tag he said would be borne by Maryland ratepayers and raising concern about lost farmland and limited community benefit.
Delegation members did not register formal testimony on the items he raised, but the congressman offered to have his intergovernmental staff (identified in the transcript as Christopher Yule) follow up with delegates and county officials on specific needs.
The congressman closed by offering to take questions and highlighting his district office in Towson as a local resource.
What’s next: He said his staff would send community-funding information to the delegation and encouraged delegates to contact his office for follow-up on constituent needs.
