Shavonne N. Hedgepeth

Economy

I will fight to protect and expand the SBA programs that support our local university incubators, because the pipeline of new businesses our institutions are building deserves a federal partner that shows up. I will build coalitions around what is already working here and make sure Congress sees this district not as a place that needs saving, but as a model worth investing in. Learn more

I will fight to expand SNAP benefits and streamline access through federal waivers that reduce administrative burdens on families. I will support programs under the Farm Bill that strengthen small and mid-sized agricultural producers, and I will advocate for USDA funding to expand Prince George’s Fresh and local farm-to-school initiatives so that more locally grown produce reaches schools, senior centers, and food banks. Learn more

Education

I will advocate for broad student loan cancellation and push for income-driven repayment reform that ties what borrowers owe each month to what they can actually afford, with a clear, enforceable path to full forgiveness. Learn more

I will fight for free community college so that every resident of our district has access to workforce training, associate degrees, and transfer pathways without taking on a dollar of debt to get started. I will champion free four-year public college because a zip code should not determine whether a young person can afford to pursue a bachelor's degree. Education is not a luxury; it is infrastructure and a public good, and it deserves to be funded like one. Learn more

I will fight and work with other leaders to bring those dollars back, to modernize classrooms, ensure equitable funding, restore support programs, and deliver results block-by-block, not just in headlines. Because every child deserves access to safe classrooms, excellent teachers, and equal opportunity, no matter their zip code. Strong schools build strong communities. Learn more

Environment / Energy

I will follow legislation like Maryland’s Senate Bill 353, which establishes a Food Deserts Workgroup, through every step of the process to make sure recommendations turn into real solutions. Working with community partners, state leaders, and local farmers, I will ensure federal and state policies align so that no family is left hungry and every community has the tools to thrive. Learn more

Healthcare

And it means fighting for Medicare for All, because the only way to guarantee healthcare as a right is to remove profit as the gatekeeper. A single-payer system means every Prince Georgian, from a child with sickle cell to a senior managing heart disease, gets the care they need without fighting an insurance company to get it. Learn more

Fighting the consolidation of hospital systems that strip care from underserved communities. It means taking on pharmaceutical pricing that makes life-saving treatments inaccessible to working and middle-class families. It means ending the insurance bureaucracy that delays, denies, and exhausts patients into giving up. Learn more

Immigration

I will fight to revive and pass that framework. I will push to fund immigration courts adequately so that cases are heard in months, not years. I will fight to protect Dreamers and keep families together. I will advocate for a transparent, accessible naturalization process that does not punish people for the government's own administrative failures. Learn more

I will work with local organizations, legal aid providers, and community partners to invest in welcoming communities across our district. And I will build coalitions around the truth that a functioning, humane immigration system is not a radical idea; it is a bipartisan one that Washington chose to abandon for political gain. Learn more

I will fight to abolish ICE as it currently exists. The legitimate criminal investigative work ICE does, combating human trafficking, transnational crime, and financial fraud, belongs in existing federal law enforcement structures that operate with proper oversight and accountability. What does not belong in any agency is a deportation machine that operates without due process, terrorizes communities, and treats human beings as national security threats for filing the wrong paperwork. Learn more

Infrastructure / Transportation

My role in Congress will be to support and expand this vision by advocating for more federal dollars to bring these local priorities to life. That means securing resources for housing trust funds, resilient stormwater systems, and urban greening like tree canopy expansion, alongside investments in clean energy and flood protection. By aligning federal funding streams with county goals, we can accelerate the projects already underway and make sure they reach every neighborhood. Learn more

By bringing the weight of federal support behind county-led initiatives, we can ensure that smart urban planning delivers growth that strengthens every block, every family, and every future. Learn more

Taxes / Budget

To make this real, I will build a public dashboard so residents can see exactly where money goes, how spending aligns with community priorities, and where gaps remain. I will also publish a Funding Report Card on my pillars: food equity, healthcare, education, jobs, infrastructure, and justice, so that you can measure my advocacy against real outcomes. Learn more

Taxing wealth as it grows. Billionaires can watch their fortunes increase by hundreds of millions of dollars a year without paying a single dollar in taxes, because our tax code only taxes gains when assets are sold. Workers pay taxes on every paycheck. Billionaires should pay taxes on wealth as it accrues, not decades later, if ever. Learn more

Working alongside county leaders and community partners, I will make sure federal resources flow into the programs our region is already building—programs that connect farms to families, expand food access, and create local jobs. Because fairness starts with full tables, dependable healthcare, and secure retirements—and with policy that ensures the land and people who feed us are supported in turn. Learn more

Our local community lenders are counseling thousands of businesses and funding tens of millions in loans, yet operating on a fraction of what they need. That gap is exactly what I am going to Congress to close. I will also fight to protect federal research and innovation funding that powers the labs, universities, and startups driving our local economy. Maryland's Fourth District sits at the heart of one of the most research-dense corridors in the country, home to NASA Goddard, the University of Maryland, and proximity to NIH and NIST. These institutions depend on federal investment, and their work depends on smart policy. Learn more

Budgets are moral documents; they reveal what we value and who we prioritize. Yet too often, residents can’t see where their tax dollars are going or how those choices reflect their needs. In Congress, I will fight for budgets that are clear, traceable, and accountable. Learn more