Veterans

Today, the House of Representatives adopted the conference report for the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act, which included amendments offered by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) regarding the proposed elimination of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the government-wide backlog of security clearance adjudications, and the loopholes that still allow servicemembers who have been convicted in domestic violence cases to purchase firearms. The report also included a provision, backed b... Read more

Yesterday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 598, the Georgia Support Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). The legislation asserts the United States’ 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. “With this vote, the House sends a clear ... Read more

By Rep. Gerald E. Connolly Connolly is a Democrat in his sixth term representing some of the Virginia suburbs of Washington in the House of Representatives. For the first time in more than two decades, the House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing last month to examine the potential admission of Washington, D.C., as our 51st state. But at its core, I believe that hearing examined whether we are truly a democratic republic. Do we as a nation want to continue the disenfranchisement of t... Read more

Today, Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced the Protection of Saudi Dissidents Act. The legislation would hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and impose a cost to Saudi Arabia for continuing to engage in such acts of intimidation and violence going forward. “Almost one year ago my constituent, Jamal Khashoggi, was brutally murdered simply because he believed in the basic right... Read more

Congressman Gerry Connolly, Chairman of the Government Operations subcommittee, released the following statement in advance of today’s House Oversight hearing on “H.R. 51: Making D.C. the 51st State.” Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding today’s hearing on H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. As a longtime supporter of D.C. statehood, I commend Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton for introducing this bill and for her tireless efforts to fight for the rights of District residents. Today’s ... Read more

Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Peter King (R-NY), and Mike Turner (R-OH) introduced H.R. 4264, the Safe Homefront Act, to ensure that no U.S. servicemember with a felony-level domestic violence conviction is able to legally purchase firearms. This bipartisan legislation would codify and strengthen the Department of Defense’s (DOD) policies regarding the reporting of domestic violence convictions and Military Protective Orders (MPOs) to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). ... Read more

Last night, the House of Representatives adopted a bipartisan amendment offered by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Congressman Peter King (R-NY) that would ensure the FBI has the information it needs to keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers. Specifically, the amendment would codify and strengthen the Department of Defense’s (DOD) policies regarding the reporting of domestic violence to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). According to the Department of... Read more

On Thursday, June 20, 2019, Rep. Gerry Connolly, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, will hold a hearing to examine longstanding critical deficiencies at the Washington, D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DC VAMC). WHERE: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building WHEN: Thursday, June 20, 2019 TIME: 2:00 p.m. EST The hearing will be broadcast here. PURPOSE • The Subcommittee will probe the VA’s efforts to address longstanding problems that cause extreme risks to veterans’ healt... Read more

Joe Davidson Key members of Congress want the Trump administration to address charges of a “secret” Veterans Affairs wait list that has a higher number of patients seeking medical care than information publicly available. Allegations about significantly different data regarding veterans awaiting treatment on internal and public records were made by Jereme P. Whiteman, VA’s national director of clinic practice management, in a Washington Post Federal Insider column published online Monday . The ... Read more

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) sent a bipartisan, bicameral letter to House and Senate Appropriators urging them to protect Coast Guard death gratuities in the event of another government shutdown. “The longstanding purpose of the death gratuity payment is to assist families of deceased servicemembers in meeting their financial needs during the period immediately following a loved one’s dea... Read more