Today, the House of Representatives passed the FY22 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, Protection of Saudi Dissidents Act, and an amendment to provide oversight of security cooper... Read more »
Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY), members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to do everything in his power to ensure the safe departure of remaining students and staff from American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), including by granting them presumptive eligibility for Priority-2 (P-2) desi... Read more »
Today, Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA) joined Representatives Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA), Zoe Lofgen (D-CA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), and 11 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging them to provide timely guidance on how the Administration will evacuate remaining Americans, lawful permanent residents, and vul... Read more »
The Americans trying to evacuate hundreds of Afghans and American citizens — including one Afghan who worked as a U.S. military translator and says he is anticipating his beheading by the Taliban — pleaded for action from the Biden administration to get the would-be evacuees aboard charter flights that are standing by to fly them from Afghanistan. “Unfortunately we are left behind now,” the former... Read more »
Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) sent a letter to President Biden urging him to remain flexible on the date of departure for the last American troops in Afghanistan, currently planned for August 31, and to commit to bringing as many at-risk individuals to safety as possible. “I was pleased to hear you say in your press conference on August 20th that you’re committed to evacuating every Ame... Read more »
Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11) joined Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) and 47 members of Congress in sending a bipartisan letter to the White House, seeking answers on the Biden Administration’s plans to evacuate U.S. citizens, Afghan allies and their families, women, NGO employees, journalists, and others from Afghanistan. The letter states that “it is this Administration’s moral ... Read more »
By Sam Brodey, Scott Bixby, and Asawin Suebsaeng In May, Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan appeared before lawmakers and heard their alarm about what the upcoming U.S. military withdrawal from the country would mean for the thousands of Afghans who stood against the Taliban during the 20-year war. A senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), told Amba... Read more »
Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, released the following statement regarding the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. "What we are witnessing in Afghanistan is deeply concerning. As I said in May, the situation has an eerie resemblance to the end of the Vietnam war. The Biden administra... Read more »
Today, Congressmen Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Adam Kinzinger, Co-Chairs of the House Georgia Caucus, released the following joint statement on the latest political developments in the nation of Georgia: “Today’s news that Georgian Dream will walk away from the April 19th parliamentary deal sadly highlights the ongoing challenges to Georgia’s democracy. We are disappointed by this development and by... Read more »
Today, the House passed the Global Health Security Act, bipartisan legislation offered by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and Congressman Steve Chabot (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation. The legislation, which previously passed the House in September 2020, emphasizes the United States’... Read more »
