Economy

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) introduced H.R. 790, the Federal Civilian Workforce Pay Raise Fairness Act of 2019, which would bring the 2019 pay increase for civilian federal employees in line with the raise given to members of the military. Currently, under President Trump’s outrageous pay freeze, civilian employees will see no increase in pay, while members of the military received an increase of 2.6 percent for calendar year 2019. “Federal emp... Read more

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), was named Chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations. The Subcommittee will conduct oversight of the federal civil service, whistleblower protections, the Postal Service, government management and accounting measures, the economy, efficiency and management of government operations and activities, government reorganization, intergovernmental affairs, federal information technology security, acquisition policy... Read more

Virginia Representatives Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer and Jennifer Wexton sent a letter to Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser today opposing a plan by the D.C. Health Department to unilaterally end a 28-year agreement for the administration of HIV/AIDS funding. Pursuant to the agreement, the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) has administered Part A funding from the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. “We write to express our profound concerns regarding a propos... Read more

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement regarding President Trump's announcement that he will hold a second meeting with Kim Jong Un in February. “President Trump gambled and lost on his first Summit with North Korea. He gave Kim Jong Un the prestige and legitimacy the dictator craves and got nothing in return. North Korea lied to the president and there has been no progress made towards denuclearization. I would... Read more

Today, Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and David McKinley (R-WV) reintroduced H.R. 597, the Postal Employees Appeal Rights Amendments Act, to expand U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board appeals rights to mid-level U.S. Postal Service Management. Connolly and McKinley previously introduced the legislation in the 115th Congress. “This is about ensuring a fair review process. All Postal Service employees should have the basic right to appeal an adverse personnel action,” said Connolly. “Unfort... Read more

Today, co-chairs of the Georgia Caucus Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), introduced H.R. 598 the Georgia Support Act. The legislation asserts the United States of America’s continued support for the independence and sovereignty of Georgia, recognizes Georgia’s commitment to democratic values including free and fair elections, and affirms U.S. opposition to Russian aggression in the region. In Georgia’s occupied regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russia has fome... Read more

Today, Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Sam Graves (R-MO) introduced a bipartisan House Resolution to preserve six-day mail delivery, including Saturday delivery, by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). H.Res. 54 expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the USPS should take all appropriate measures to preserve a vital component of our Nation’s long-standing Universal Service Standard, Saturday Mail Delivery. A similar Graves-Connolly resolution introduced in the 115th Congres... Read more

Today, Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Steve Chabot (R-OH) re-introduced H.R. 596 the Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act, legislation prohibiting federal agencies from taking action that recognizes Russian sovereignty over Crimea. The legislation was previously introduced in the 115th, 114th, and 113th Congress. “Congress must lead the way in refusing to acknowledge the forcible and illegal annexation of Crimea. Failure to stand up to Russian aggression in the region will only embol... Read more

Jessica Taylor and Peter Overby Officials leasing the Old Post Office Building for the the Trump International Hotel in Washington improperly ignored the Constitution's anti-corruption clauses when they continued to lease the government property to President Trump even after he won the White House, according to an internal federal government watchdog. The Inspector General for the General Services Administration, the agency that leased the building to Trump in 2013, said in a report published W... Read more

David A. Fahrenthold The General Services Administration “ignored” concerns that President Trump’s lease on a government-owned building — the one that houses his Trump International Hotel in Washington — might violate the Constitution when it allowed Trump to keep the lease after he took office, according to a new report from the agency’s inspector general. Trump’s company won the lease several years before he became president. After Trump was elected, the agency had to decide whether his compa... Read more