Montgomery County Council President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) says she is ready to prepare the county for the potential impacts of the upcoming Trump administration.
“I was a mayor of a city when [Trump] was in power before, so I have some experience on what is coming,” Stewart said Monday during her first official media briefing since being unanimously elected council president on Dec. 3. “We also made it through COVID as well … we learned a lot of lessons through those experiences.”
A former mayor of Takoma Park, Stewart has been a councilmember since December 2022 and council vice president since December 2023. She is the chair of the council’s Government Operations and Fiscal Policy committee and serves on its Transportation and Environment Committee.
Stewart represents District 4, which includes Takoma Park, parts of Silver Spring, Montgomery Hills, Kensington, Garrett Park, North Bethesda and parts of Chevy Chase.
The Democratic-led council has voiced concerns about potential challenges and issues that may arise once Donald Trump assumes office on Jan. 20, including the status of federal agencies in the county and immigrant rights. County Executive Marc Elrich (D) has voiced concern that cuts to the federal work force could increase budget constraints, and that he would have to consider tax increases.
Stewart said the council is preparing ways to support and provide resources for local members of the federal workforce.
“We are looking at amplifying programs and services that advance us and continue our work as a welcoming and inclusive community here in Montgomery County,” Stewart said.
She said the council is reviewing its racial equity policies and programs, and is looking toward increasing its focus on providing resources for LGBTQ+ residents. Several LGBTQ+ county residents and advocates expressed concern to MoCo360 last month that their rights may be compromised under the Trump administration.
“[We will] make sure that Montgomery County continues to be a safe haven for LGBTQ+ community residents, and we’ll uplift immigration rights and ensure the safety of all our community members,” Stewart said.
As a councilmember, Stewart has been at the forefront of the council’s efforts to increase reproductive and LGBTQ+ health care access.
When asked how she planned to tackle these initiatives and priorities for at-risk residents when faced with increased budget constraints, Stewart said she has already considered ways the county could benefit from federal and state grants and other sources of funding. She said the county government will also need to work closely in its partnerships with local organizations.
“We are also looking at really prioritizing and working with our partners on the ground, on making sure that residents have the resources they need now as we prepare,” Stewart said.
Priorities for 2025
During the press briefing, Stewart laid out her priorities for the coming year, including growing the county’s economy through continued support for local businesses and entrepreneurs and increasing the county’s presence as a leading life science hub.
Stewart said she also wants to focus on increasing the availability of affordable housing in the county “especially along our transit corridors and job centers.” She also highlighted education as a priority.
“We want to continue our focus on being a world-class place for education and having a very strong public school system,” Stewart said.
Stewart played a large role in the council’s part of the county’s investigation into a 2023 Montgomery County Public Schools sexual harassment scandal, overseeing all county audits as chair of its Government and Operations committee.
Another major priority for Stewart is increasing access to mental health resources and services for county residents, which the new council president also spoke about in her remarks following her election last week.
“We know this is a crisis, not just here in Montgomery County, but across the country. I want to work collaboratively with my colleagues here on the council, our community partners and our government agencies to really highlight the work we’re doing well on mental health and also identify those places [where] we need to be doing more,” Stewart said.
