Foreign Policy

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

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) released the following statement on U.S. airstrikes in Syria: "We must respond to the use of chemical weapons. We should have responded in 2013 and it was Congress that balked. A fifty-nine cruise missile strike can't be a substitute for a policy going forward. Congress and the new Administration must begin a dialogue and debate about our Syria policy." Read more

Today, Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Eliot Engel (D-NY) and David Cicilline (D-RI), led a letter with other House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats urging Speaker Ryan to immediately require Chairman Nunes be recused from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The letter was signed by Representatives Connolly, Engel, Cicilline, Sherman, Meeks, Sires, Bass, Keating, Bera, Frankel, Gabbard, Cas... Read more

This week, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) was presented with the Save The Children’s “Congressional Champion for Children" Award. The reception was held on Capitol Hill in front of more than 400 people. Also receiving awards were Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA). “Thank you, Save the Children, for hosting this advocacy summit and presenting me with this special “Congressional Champion for Children Award,” said Connolly. “I am honored by this designation and proud ... Read more

Today, Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and David Price (D-NC) sent a bipartisan letter signed by 191 of Members of Congress urging President Trump to reaffirm support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “There must be absolute clarity regarding the United States’ continued support for a negotiated settlement leading to a sustainable two-state solution,” Connolly and Price said. In their letter the Members of Congress wrote, “For decades, American presidents and Is... 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

At a press conference today, Democratic members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs spoke out against the Trump Administration’s budget proposal, which would cut the international affairs budget by nearly a third. The members underscored that cutting diplomatic and development efforts would harm American security and diminish American leadership on the global stage. At the press conference, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) delivered the following remarks: “You don’t make America great aga... 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

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) released the following statement after today's House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Russian interference into U.S. elections: "More than three months ago, I led a letter with 15 members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee calling for a hearing into Russia’s deliberate interference in our presidential election. The hearing held today offered a thoughtful discussion, but only scratched the surface of this issue. "I was gratified to hear some of my Republi... 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