Veterans

House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations Chair Gerry Connolly (VA-11), House Armed Services Committee Vice Chair Anthony G. Brown (MD-04), and House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel Chair Jackie Speier (CA-14) wrote a letter to Virginia Governor Ralph Northam calling for additional action to address persistent threats, hostility directed toward Black cadets at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). On October 17th, the Washington Post reported on an “atmosphere of h... Read more

Today, U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly (VA-11) joined Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), in introducing new bipartisan legislation to help ensure disabled veterans are able to fully utilize their benefits amid disruptions in veterans’ health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facilities to cancel or delay non-emergency in-person appointments, including a significan... Read more

On Monday, September 14, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. E.T, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, will hold a hearing to examine Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s potential conflicts of interest and evaluate how his continued leadership could jeopardize the Postal Service and the mail-in voting process for the 2020 election. DeJoy’s short tenure has been marked by controversy and poor service, with actions that appear in line with his financial interests and co... Read more

Opinion by Greg Sargent Because the crush of President Trump’s corruption and wrongdoing has been so relentless, it often can seem like media scrutiny and congressional oversight have been reduced to nothing more than dead letters. But in the case of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s operational changes to the U.S. Postal Service, the scrutiny might actually be having a real impact: The U.S. Postal Service will halt its controversial cost-cutting initiatives until after the election — canceling ... Read more

Chad Pergram Beware the “Ides of August.” That’s what we often write in this space when the eighth month on the Gregorian calendar comes round. Shakespeare warned “Beware the Ides of March” in Julius Caesar. But anyone who’s ever spent any time on Capitol Hill knows “Beware the Ides of August.” August is the most volatile month of the 12. And sure enough, the Ides of August – Aug. 15th - disrupted Congress again. That’s when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., decided to bring the House back ... Read more

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, released the following statement after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced suspension of his operational changes. “Postmaster General DeJoy cannot put the genie back in the bottle. Sunshine in the form of public pressure has forced Mr. DeJoy to completely reverse himself. While this is a victory for all voters and every American that relies on the USPS, congressional oversight cannot be interrupt... Read more

Lisa Rein A veteran, suffering in pain and out of medication, turned last year to the Veterans Affairs’ hospital in D.C. for help. Instead of receiving aid, a new report says, a cascade of failures by the medical staff resulted in him being forcibly expelled. The veteran shot and killed himself six days later. A VA inspector general’s report released Tuesday revealed not only poor communication and poor judgment by multiple mental health and emergency room staff, but it exposed an insensitive c... Read more

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, released the following statement on the Veterans Administration Office of Inspector General report on the Washington, D.C. VA Medical Center. “This is a very troubling report that describes a culture of indifference and callousness to patients experiencing mental health issues. Veterans must be treated with care and sensitivity. For a physician to actually say,“[the patient] can go shoot [themself]. I... Read more

Congressman Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14), Chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee, introduced legislation today that would better address domestic violence in the U.S. military. The provisions included in the legislation were also included in the House-passed version of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. Specifically, the legislation would create a syste... Read more

Today, the House of Representatives passed the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act, which included amendments offered by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the House Government Operations Subcommittee. Connolly’s provisions included the FedRamp Authorization Act, Global Health Security Act, Safe Homefront Act, and protections for whistleblowers and expansion of telework. “I thank the House Armed Services Committee, Chairman Smith, and Ranking Member Thornberry, for including thes... Read more