First District voters who have supported Andy Harris as a “man of principle” better think again. Last week Harris had two decisions to make. First, would he support a budget resolution that increases the federal debt? Second, how would he react to President Trump and Vice President Vance bullying Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office?
Harris chose Trump over principle twice.
In April 2024, Harris wrote: “Our national debt is almost $35 trillion. That is over $103,000 per citizen. It is time to get our fiscal house in order.” The House-passed FY 2026 budget raises the Federal Debt Ceiling by four trillion dollars. Guess who voted for it? Andy Harris. Like every other Republican in the House of Representatives save one, Harris voted “aye.”
The bill extends and expands Trump’s 2017 tax cuts at a 10-year cost of $4.5 trillion (as much as $11.2 billion if you believe The Committee for a Responsible Budget).
So much for fiscal responsibility. Harris is putting Trump ahead of principle.
But it gets worse. Donald Trump has adopted Putin’s Russia as our ally. The President has called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator.”
Only a little over a year ago, Andy Harris, then Co-Chair of the House Ukraine Caucus, wrote: “Tomorrow marks two years since Vladimir Putin began the brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine. In that time, the Ukrainian people have demonstrated extraordinary courage and resolve in the face of evil and have bravely faced down the onslaught of unprovoked Russian aggression on their lives and in their country. I am proud to join my fellow Congressional Ukraine Caucus Members in introducing this new House Resolution to commemorate Ukraine as she stands against the continued, unprovoked, and illegal Russian aggression.”
After Friday’s disastrous Oval Office meeting, Harris dutifully lined up behind nearly every other Congressional Republican to criticize President Zelenskyy rather than Trump.
Our man in Washington wrote: “It was unbecoming of President Zelenskyy to disrespect the President and Vice-President of the United States on live television in our cherished Oval Office. President Trump rightly pointed out the Russia/Ukraine war could lead to World War III – this calls for diplomatic leadership not grandstanding and performative behavior on the world stage.”
Harris has not disagreed with Trump calling Zelenskyy a dictator and talking about inviting Putin to visit the president in Washington. Will the House Ukraine Caucus expel Harris? It should.
Another Maryland Congressman, Steny Hoyer reacted differently to last Friday’s Oval Office abuse of President Zelenskyy. Hoyer wrote:
“Donald Trump and JD Vance’s treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office today is among the most disgraceful, feckless, and destructive scenes in the annals of American diplomacy. A president who is serious about a just, lasting peace does not invite the leader of a besieged ally to the White House only to berate him in front of the world. The only people talking about World War III are Trump and Vladimir Putin.”
“Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people want peace. They have wanted it ever since Putin illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. They have prayed for it every single one of the 1,100 days since Putin launched his illegal, full-scale invasion of their sovereign nation. Ukrainians correctly recognize, however, that they will never know peace again if they concede to Vladimir Putin’s demands. Neither will the free world. Any agreement that fails to guarantee Ukraine’s security and deal Putin a resounding strategic defeat is not a peace deal – just an opportunity for Russia to recover, rearm, and reinvade in the near future. Crucially, a Russian victory would be an invitation to dictators around the world to take aim at other democratic nations. “
“History makes that lesson plain. Neville Chamberlain did not secure peace by forfeiting Sudetenland. Donald Trump will not secure peace by gifting Putin the Donbas. Appeasing a dictator does not sate his hunger for expansion; it only makes him crave it more.”
“Many of my Republican colleagues profess to know that lesson. Now is the time to prove it. Do not let our Congress – and our country – abandon Ukraine.”
The Eastern Shore needs a Congressional representative who represents its residents, not Donald Trump. I would trade Harris for Hoyer in a microsecond.
Did you know that Andy Harris claims his mother was Ukrainian? I wonder what she would think about her son’s cozying up to Trump as the president abandons Ukraine.
The First District needs someone other than Andy “Handgun” Harris in Washington. You know that. You have heard it before.
J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s List on Medium and Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.
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