Representative Jamie Raskin announced Friday that he has secured more than $16.5 million in federal funding for projects across Maryland’s Eighth Congressional District, directing new investment toward public safety, infrastructure improvements, environmental protection, and workforce development.
Raskin said the funding will support 14 projects across Montgomery County, Rockville, and Takoma Park during fiscal year 2026, emphasizing that the investments will strengthen local services and improve quality of life for residents throughout the district.
In Montgomery County, the largest allocations include $3.15 million to improve rapid bus lanes along Georgia Avenue between downtown Silver Spring and the Glenmont Metro, with upgrades to pavement markings, signage, and lane transitions intended to improve compliance and transit reliability. Another $2.1 million will expand the county’s Real Time Crime Center, providing police with enhanced situational awareness and faster access to intelligence to support decision-making and officer safety.
Workforce development is also a major focus, with $2 million dedicated to renovating and expanding a county-owned facility into a vocational training center. The project is designed to double the size of the existing space and create new labs and classrooms that will train low- and moderate-income residents for jobs in construction, health care, and other high-demand fields.
Additional Montgomery County funding includes $1.192 million for upgrades to the county’s forensic crime laboratory, $1.092 million for sewer rehabilitation work along the Northwest Branch, and $850,000 to help repair income-qualified homes so they can participate in energy efficiency and weatherization programs. Environmental and safety initiatives include $785,000 for tree planting and habitat restoration, $850,000 to expand security camera coverage in county parking garages, $500,000 for bike and pedestrian safety improvements near U.S. 29, and $487,000 to support law enforcement training focused on reducing community violence.
Rockville will receive several major infrastructure investments, including more than $1 million to replace aging sewage pipes that threaten residents with backups and contamination, another $1.092 million to rehabilitate wastewater pipes in the Twinbrook neighborhood, and $500,000 to complete a lead service line inventory aimed at improving drinking water safety.
In Takoma Park, $867,000 will support upgrades to the city’s public safety dispatch center and expand its crisis response program, which uses full-time mental health counselors to respond to calls involving residents experiencing mental health emergencies.
Raskin said the funding represents a meaningful return of federal tax dollars to the district and will help address both immediate needs and long-term challenges facing local communities.
