Economy

Iulia Gheorghiu Some of the Democratic Party’s most liberal members are hoping to push their party further to the left on environmental issues, prioritizing progressive goals over collaboration with the administration of President Donald Trump. The stance can be seen most clearly with a new bill that aims to transition the U.S. to all-renewable energy by 2050, the “100 by ’50” Act, proposed last week by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-O... Read more

William Mauldin and Jonathan Cheng President Donald Trump’s call to rewrite—or rip up—a trade agreement with South Korea is alarming some lawmakers and business lobbyists still unnerved by threats earlier this week to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement. White House officials said Friday that Mr. Trump is dissatisfied with the five-year-old trade deal with one of America’s closest Asian allies. Mr. Trump called it “an unacceptable, horrible deal” in an interview Thursday with Reu... Read more

Today, Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led by Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, sent a letter to Chairman Jason Chaffetz requesting that he allow Committee Members to vote on H.R. 305, the Presidential Tax Transparency Act, which would require President Donald Trump and all future presidents to disclose their tax returns to the American people. The letter was signed by Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, Vice Ranking Member Gerry Connolly, and Reps. Maloney, Holmes... Read more

by Dave Emke — April 24, 2017 As the federal government inches closer to a possible shutdown at the end of the week, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) says the local economy would be severely affected if no agreement is found. “As we witnessed during the 2013 Republican government shutdown, Northern Virginia’s economy would be significantly affected. That 16-day shutdown cost nearly $24 billion in lost economic output,” Connolly said in a prepared statement Monday. “It is a reckless way to govern that... Read more

Lori Aratani Wheelchair attendants, baggage handlers and food workers at Reagan National and Dulles International airports will get a boost in pay starting next year – the result of a two-year campaign for higher wages. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s board of directors voted 15 to 1 to approve the plan, which will require companies that do business at the airports to pay a base hourly wage of $11.55 starting in January. In all, 4,500 workers – responsible for keeping terminals ... Read more

Billy House and Anna Edgerton There may be only one way for Speaker Paul Ryan to avoid a government shutdown: Ask his Democratic counterpart, Nancy Pelosi, for help. The problem is, the two don’t have much history of deal-making together. They don’t even know each other that well. But after spending weeks trying -- so far unsuccessfully -- to ram through legislation to undo Democrats’ signature health-care law, Ryan will almost certainly need Pelosi’s support to keep the government open after Ap... Read more

Anne Kim and Saahil Desai President Donald Trump’s recently proposed 2018 budget calls for massive and unprecedented cuts in domestic discretionary spending, including a 31% cut in the budget for the EPA, a 29% cut for the State Department, and double-digit reductions at a host of other federal agencies charged with everything from maintaining the nation’s national parks to securing the safety of America’s food supply. It’s a down payment on what White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon has c... Read more

Today, with a bipartisan voice vote, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved H.R. 756, the Postal Service Reform Act of 2017 as amended. The legislation is sponsored by Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC), Government Operations Subcommittee Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL). Congressman Connolly released the follo... Read more

Andy Kroll Congressman Gerry Connolly, a five-term Democrat who represents northern Virginia, marched into his office on Capitol Hill and assembled his staff for an impromptu meeting. "I'm going to the airport," he told them, "and I may be arrested." Two days before, Friday, January 27th, President Donald Trump had signed his now-infamous executive order that temporarily banned refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, plunging the nation's immigra... Read more

Today, Representatives Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA) and James Langevin (D-RI) reintroduced the FAST Voting Act. The legislation aims to improve voter participation, encourage automatic voter registration and enhance voting system security. Based on the Department of Education’s successful Race to the Top program, the FAST Voting Act would allow states to apply for funding to implement innovative policy changes designed to increase voter access and voting system security. Rather than prescribe stric... Read more