Seniors

Mitch Miller Political winds are again swirling around FEMA as the organization races to get ready for Hurricane Florence and what’s expected to be a major recovery effort after it makes landfall. FEMA Administrator Brock Long and the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday rejected a Democratic senator’s claim that nearly $10 million was diverted from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) charged that the Trump ad... Read more

By Rep. Gerry Connolly President Trump and Republicans in Congress rammed their tax scheme through Congress without a single hearing or considering any Democratic amendments. Unlike many members of Congress, I met with community stakeholders and held a public roundtable to hear firsthand how the bill would affect our region. Overwhelmingly, I was told the bill would hit most Northern Virginian taxpayers hard in their pocketbooks. On top of that, it added $1.9 trillion to the deficit, completely... Read more

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released the following statement on President Trump’s decision to cancel a 2.1 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees scheduled to take effect in January of next year: “President Trump is feeling cornered and lashing out by cancelling a modest, planned pay increase for our dedicated federal workforce. His tax bill exploded the deficit, and now he is trying to balance... Read more

Today, Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Vice Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, released a new congressional report that found the Republican tax law will disproportionately hurt Northern Virginia homeowners, especially those with home equity loans. The report, prepared by the Democratic staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, details how the new law’s changes to the mortgage interest deduction, home equity loan deduction and state ... Read more

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Vice Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) voted against H.R. 50, legislation that would impose numerous new requirements that will slow down the regulatory process and give regulated industry an unfair advantage over public health organizations, doctors, scientists, and ordinary Americans when new rules are made. “We have seen this bill before. It was a bad idea then and it is a ... Read more

By Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) The president is once again rooting for a “good government shutdown.” This is a reckless and irresponsible threat. We have a fundamental obligation to keep government open, and I think members of both parties can agree that there are no winners in a government shutdown. Budget brinksmanship has many victims, notably among which are the grieving families of fallen service members. When a military family loses a loved one serving on active duty, they are entit... Read more

Today, Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, Vice Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, requested a congressional hearing on the recent failings at the Washington, DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In a letter sent to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Connolly requested an immediate hearing to “examine t... Read more

Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, Vice Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, released the following statement on President Trump’s decision to pardon Scooter Libby: “First, Sheriff Arpaio. Now, President Trump pardons Scooter Libby. This is a perversion of the pardon power and an instrument for obstruction of justice. The President is sending a clear signal to others that he will reward obstruction of justice. This is a sad moment for our democracy and justice syst... Read more

Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Committee Members Gerry Connolly, Carolyn B. Maloney, Eleanor Holmes Norton, William Lacy Clay, and Jimmy Gomez sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and the Acting Director of the Census Bureau, Dr. Ron Jarmin, Ph.D., requesting all documents relating to concerns expressed by the Census Bureau relating to the decision to add a question on citizenship to the 2020 census.... Read more

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for our area this evening into tomorrow. Here is some helpful information from Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fairfax and Prince William counties. VDOT is responsible for plowing most roads in Northern Virginia. To report a road problem, call 1-800-367-7623 (1-800-FOR ROAD). VDOT has a new web tool that shows the status of plowing in northern Virginia neighborhoods at: www.vdotplows.org. You can also follow VDOT's local updates on Twitter @vado... Read more