Foreign Policy

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced today that Hatice Cengiz, Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancée, will be his guest for Tuesday’s State of the Union Address. “Hatice’s courage to sit in the House Chamber Tuesday night should serve as a clarion call to the President that no matter how high it goes, Saudi Arabia must be held accountable for the murder of this loving father and fiancée, respected journalist, U.S. resident, my constituent, and ... Read more

Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) More than 170 people have died. More than 7,800 are infected in more than twenty countries and officials expect the already grave situation to worsen. While it may seem a world away, the new coronavirus out of Wuhan, China is a crisis in its own right that is demanding a vigorous response. The World Health Organization has now declared that this outbreak constitutes a global health emergency. Domestically, the Centers for Disease Control and... 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

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

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly, Chairman of the Government Operations subcommittee, released the following statement on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform second interim staff report, “Corporate and Foreign Interests Behind White House Push to Transfer U.S. Nuclear Technology to Saudi Arabia.” “The gravity of this report cannot be ignored. While it’s unsurprising that senior Trump Administration officials ignored obvious conflicts of interest and covered up unethical communications t... Read more

Today, the House of Representatives adopted a measure offered by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the House Government Operations subcommittee, that would provide federal grant funding to states to upgrade cybersecurity protections of their election systems. The measure was included in H.R. 2722 the Securing America’s Federal Elections Act, which passed the House 225-184 today. “Safeguarding our election systems from cyberattacks and data breaches isn’t a partisan issue,” said Chai... Read more

Mike Lillis House Democrats on Thursday introduced legislation to increase the number of refugees allowed into the United States, taking a direct shot at the Trump administration's move to cut the figure drastically. The legislation has little chance of passing through the Republican-controlled Senate, where GOP leaders have consistently backed President Trump's hardline positions on immigration, the central issue of his 2016 campaign and a major plank of his presidency. But it signals that Dem... 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

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reintroduced the National Security Diversity and Workforce Inclusion Act, legislation that would promote diversity in federal national security offices. Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD). Connolly was joined by Representatives Meeks (D-NY), Hastings (D-FL) and Bass (D-CA). “Diversity is a unique source of strength for American society, our economy, ... Read more

U.S. Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) introduced H. Con. Res. 42, a resolution to ensure that countries that enter into trade agreements with the United States provide transparent and efficient support in the research and recovery efforts of our nation’s missing service members. Reps. Thompson and Connolly introduced the resolution in advance of Memorial Day Weekend, when the nation pays tribute to our fallen veterans who never returned home. “We have a sacred... Read more