Sarah Elfreth
- Previous profession
- Staff, Office of Government and Community Affairs, Johns Hopkins Institutions, 2010 to 2012; Government affairs director, National Aquarium, 2012 to 2016; Adjunct professor, Towson University, 2019 to 2024
- First public office
- 2019Member, Maryland State Senate, 2019 to 2025
- Years in public office
- 7of 16 years since 2010, the first year the biography gives for any work
Confirmed from the official recordSource: Congressional Directory for the 119th Congress (2025-2026), February 20, 2026. We saved our copy on October 8, 2026.
What these lines mean
These lines come from this official’s entry in the Congressional Directory, which Congress publishes. Each member’s office supplies or approves its entry. We save our own copy and sort each part of the entry by fixed rules. No AI is used.
Previous profession lists the work the entry names outside public office, in the Directory’s own words. Public office here means an elected or appointed position, staff work for an elected official or a legislature, and party or campaign work.
Lifelong politician means: Congress’s biography lists no occupation outside public office. It also means the entry lists no military service. A person on our side confirms these words before they appear.
Years in public office counts elected and appointed positions only. Staff work and party work are left out. Each year counts once.
Since the current Congress began on January 3, 2025, Elfreth has a recorded vote on 60 laws that passed, and 1 vote on a resolution that passed a law.
The tally counts votes on passage. 1 vote on a resolution that passed a law is listed apart.
This record covers laws that passed. Votes on bills that did not become law are not included yet.
The record in plain language
Of the 118 laws passed since January 3, 2025, 60 came to a recorded vote on passage in the House while Elfreth is a member. On 1 more, the recorded House vote is on a resolution. Elfreth votes No on H.Res. 590, the resolution that passed the Rescissions Act of 2025 in the House. The rest passed the House by voice vote or without objection, which records no individual votes.
Elfreth votes Yes on the HALT Fentanyl Act, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the defense policy law for fiscal year 2026, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and the Russia and Iran sanctions law.
On funding the government, Elfreth votes Yes on the January 2026 funding law for science, energy, Interior and the EPA, and the September 2026 funding extension, and No on the March 2025 full-year funding law, the November 2025 law that ended the 43-day shutdown and the February 2026 funding law for a further group of agencies.
Elfreth votes No on the Laken Riley Act on immigration detention; the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax and spending law; the GENIUS Act on stablecoins (digital tokens pegged to the dollar); and the Secure America Act, a 2026 budget law.
Congress cancelled 24 federal rules by recorded vote in the House in that time. Elfreth votes to cancel 1 and against cancelling 23. The rules Elfreth votes to cancel come from: Treasury: Internal Revenue Service (1).
Elfreth votes differently from most House Democrats on 3 of 60 Yes and No votes: Yes on the Russia and Iran sanctions law, No on the law that extends again the surveillance authority that lets intelligence agencies collect the communications of foreigners abroad from U.S. providers without individual warrants and Yes on the law that cancels an IRS rule that would have required decentralized finance platforms to report their customers' digital asset sales the way stockbrokers do.
Votes on laws that passed
Most recent
Authorizes and expands sanctions and tariffs on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran.
Requires the federal prison system to act on sexual harassment and assault of its staff by incarcerated people.
Adds College Station, Texas, and El Centro, California, to the places where federal court can sit.
Keeps the federal government funded at about last year's levels through December 11, 2026.
Most recent No votes
Gives the Department of Homeland Security extra money for border and immigration enforcement, in seven amounts that add up to $69.545 billion.
Extends again the surveillance authority that lets intelligence agencies collect the communications of foreigners abroad from U.S. providers without individual warrants.
Votes on a resolution that passed a law
Cancels about $9 billion that Congress had already approved: roughly $8 billion in foreign aid and about $1 billion for public broadcasting.
What this member says about laws and orders
This section has two lists: statements in the official record, and excerpts from this member’s own press releases. Together they name 3 laws and 2 executive orders.
From the official record
Statements from the official record: Not checked yet. A statement appears here after a person reviews our account of the law or order it is about.
From this member’s press releases
From a secondary sourceThese are excerpts from press releases on this member’s official website that name a law or an executive order. We save a copy of each one.
5 excerpts
- Chesapeake Bay Protection and RestorationSeptember 17, 2026
Elfreth, Scott Condemn Trump Executive Order Targeting Chesapeake Bay
“WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03) and Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), co-chairs of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, issued the following statement after President Trump revoked Executive Order 13508, which directed federal agencies to reduce water pollution from federal lands and facilities and to promote ecosystem conservation:”
- Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026November 12, 2025
Elfreth Votes Against Senate Amendment to H.R. 5371
“WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03) released the following statement on her vote against the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5371.”
- Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024July 28, 2025
“The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-47) clearly affirms Members of Congress' explicit authority to perform oversight visits of immigration detention facilities, and explicitly bars the agency from preventing such visits, stating:”
- Rescissions Act of 2025June 12, 2025
“WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03) released the following statement on her vote on H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025. This legislation codifies DOGE’s cuts to public broadcasting and international aid funding.”
-
Elfreth Pushes Back on Cuts to PBS
“The cuts to NPR and PBS fall under last week’s Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media Executive Order from the White House, which claims that the educational platforms are ideologically biased. Cuts to national broadcasting will disproportionately impact local media and reporting in rural communities.”
Member-requested spending
Congress printed 15 spending items this member requested, $22,031,144 in all, in the lists read for 4 laws.
Laws read: Public Law 119-37, Public Law 119-74, Public Law 119-75, Public Law 119-86.
| Recipient | Law | Purpose | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) | Public Law 119-74 | Blue Catfish (Invasive Species) MitigationDOC · NOAA ORF | None printed | $2,000,000 |
| YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County | Public Law 119-74 | Rapid Rehousing & Abuser Intervention for Victims of Domestic ViolenceDOJ · OJP--Byrne | None printed | $697,000 |
| Sheppard Pratt Health Systems, Inc. | Public Law 119-74 | Workplace Violence Prevention Training ProgramDOJ · OJP--Byrne | None printed | $1,031,000 |
| Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency, Inc. | Public Law 119-74 | Reentry and Rehabilitation InitiativeDOJ · OJP--Byrne | None printed | $1,031,000 |
| Annapolis Police Department | Public Law 119-74 | Annapolis Mobile Command UnitDOJ · COPS Tech | None printed | $1,031,000 |
| Anne Arundel County, Maryland | Public Law 119-74 | Joint 911 Public Safety Center TechnologyDOJ · COPS Tech | None printed | $3,500,000 |
| Chinese American Parent Association of Howard County | Public Law 119-74 | STEM ForwardNASA · SSMS | None printed | $1,046,000 |
| MD | Public Law 119-75 | Guilford Road Pedestrian/Bicycle Improvements, Phase 3Department of Transportation · Highway Infrastructure Programs | MD | $2,000,000 |
| MD | Public Law 119-75 | MD-99 Pedestrian Connectivity ImprovementsDepartment of Transportation · Highway Infrastructure Programs | MD | $500,000 |
| Anne Arundel County | Public Law 119-75 | Crownsville Meyer Building RehabilitationDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | MD | $3,150,000 |
Show all 15
| Recipient | Law | Purpose | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Mount Airy | Public Law 119-75 | Infrastructure Improvements and Upgrades at The Flat Iron Building, Phase 2Department of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | MD | $850,000 |
| Howard County Housing Commission | Public Law 119-75 | Artists Flats ApartmentsDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | MD | $2,000,000 |
| Howard County, Maryland | Public Law 119-75 | Facilities Upgrades and Equipment for Public Safety During StormsDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | MD | $1,250,000 |
| University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences | Public Law 119-75 | Facility Upgrades and Expansion in AnnapolisDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | MD | $800,000 |
| Maryland Department of Natural Resources | Public Law 119-86 | Holly Beach Farm ResiliencyFEMA · Federal Assistance-PDM | MD | $1,145,144 |
Read from the lists Congress printed for 4 laws. An item requested by several members appears under each of them, so sums across members count such an item more than once. A list the Congressional Record printed on two days is counted once, from the later printing. A requester is tied to a member only when exactly one member serving in that chamber on that day has the printed name.
Campaign promises
Promises kept: Not checked yet
Not checked yetA person has not reviewed this member’s campaign promises yet. This is what we hold so far.
- Campaign website: www.elfrethformaryland.com. The Federal Election Commission’s record of ELFRETH FOR MARYLAND gives this address.Confirmed from the official record
- Pages of www.elfrethformaryland.com: Not checked yet.Not checked yet
Online ads
No advertiser in the ad libraries we read is tied to this member by an FEC number or an exact name.
Read from Google Ads Transparency Center, its data file of October 7, 2026. Meta Ad Library: Not started. An ad counts when the library last shows it on or after January 3, 2025.
Campaign money
For the 2026 election cycle, Elfreth's campaign reports receiving $1,141,516.05 and reports spending $836,429.76, as of June 30, 2026.
Confirmed from the official record| What the filing reports | 2026 cycleFEC number H4MD03156as of June 30, 2026 | 2024 cycleFEC number H4MD03156as of December 31, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Money raised (total receipts) | $1,141,516.05 | $2,276,073.80 |
| Money spent (total disbursements) | $836,429.76 | $2,245,334.25 |
| Cash on hand (at the end of the period) | $335,825.84 | $30,739.55 |
| Debts (owed by the committee) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Where it comes from
| Reported as received from | 2026 cycleFEC number H4MD03156as of June 30, 2026 | 2024 cycleFEC number H4MD03156as of December 31, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals, itemized | $628,549.82 | $1,821,387.79 |
| Individuals, unitemized | $64,296.91 | $146,508.60 |
| Other political committees | $441,881.45 | $305,518.00 |
| Party committees | $0.00 | $250.00 |
| The candidate, contributions | $648.72 | $0.00 |
| The candidate, loans | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Committees
- ELFRETH FOR MARYLAND Principal campaign committee · 2024 and 2026 · FEC committee C00855353
- DONT GIVE UP THE SHIP PAC Leadership PAC · 2026 · FEC committee C00921833
Every figure is copied from the Federal Election Commission. The campaign's committee reports each one.
See contributions by size and by state, and the saved FEC files
Where this comes from
We saved our own copy of each official House vote file listed here before writing this page. A code beside a file is its fingerprint, a short code that changes if the file's contents change.
