In the News

From battling ever-intensifying wildfires in California to protecting the Capitol building from violent insurrection, federal firefighters and law enforcement officers put their lives on the line for their fellow Americans every day. We need and depend on them to fill these demanding, arduous, and hazardous duty positions — which they do proudly and with unfailing commitment. But the… Read more »

It is often said that budgets are values-based documents. If we value the future competitiveness of the United States, there are three critical priorities that must be reflected in federal spending: education, infrastructure, and research & development (R&D). While much attention is given to investments in education and infrastructure, these components are three legs of the same… Read more »

The Americans trying to evacuate hundreds of Afghans and American citizens — including one Afghan who worked as a U.S. military translator and says he is anticipating his beheading by the Taliban — pleaded for action from the Biden administration to get the would-be evacuees aboard charter flights that are standing by to fly them from Afghanistan. “Unfortunately we are left behind… Read more »

By Sam Brodey, Scott Bixby, and Asawin Suebsaeng In May, Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan appeared before lawmakers and heard their alarm about what the upcoming U.S. military withdrawal from the country would mean for the thousands of Afghans who stood against the Taliban during the 20-year war. A senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gerry Connolly… Read more »

Lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation on Thursday that would require the Biden administration to submit a plan to eliminate the massive U.S. passport backlog. The Passport Backlog Elimination Act was introduced by Democratic Reps. Gerry Connolly (Va.) and Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.) and GOP Reps. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) and Tim… Read more »

By Rep. Gerry Connolly In Catholicism, one commits a sin of omission when failing to do that which is required. The sin of omission hanging over the June 14 summit with NATO Heads of State and Government is a potential failure by allies to recognize the existential threat posed by the global march of autocracy, which is quickening its step by the day. The alliance stands at a critical… Read more »

Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, sent a letter urging Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Acting Director Kathleen McGettigan to continue placing the health and safety of our dedicated federal and contractor personnel at the forefront of any discussions regarding how and when to bring employees back to their physical… Read more »

By Jacob Bogage, Kevin Schaul The nation’s mail service is slower and more erratic than it’s been in generations, via the confluence of an abrupt reorganization and pandemic-era anomalies that has fueled demands for reform and fundamentally different ideas on how to achieve it. On one side is Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who, with the backing of the U.S. Postal Service’s governing… Read more »

By Joe Davidson (Washington Post) -- A government watchdog study from a generally staid audit agency amounts to a wide-reaching condemnation of President Donald Trump's botched response to the coronavirus pandemic. The 346-page Government Accountability Office document, much longer than most, outlines broad Trump administration failures so alarming that the normally circumspect auditors… Read more »

By Joe Davidson The end of Donald Trump's presidency can be summed up in two words by federal employee advocates: Good riddance. As Joe Biden enters the White House and Trump exits, disgraced by two impeachments, differences in their approach to the federal workforce are evident in their campaign rhetoric. Trump's view was framed by his 2016 campaign declaration to "drain the… Read more »