Equality

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) applauded passage of H.R. 984, the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017 on Tuesday. The bill, which passed the House unanimously, fixes a persistent injustice by granting long-overdue federal recognition to six of Virginia’s Native American tribes. The legislation was introduced by Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) and was supported by Virginia Representatives Bobby Scott, Don Beyer, Scott Taylor, and Don McEachin. The tribe... Read more

by Dave Emke — April 24, 2017 As the federal government inches closer to a possible shutdown at the end of the week, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) says the local economy would be severely affected if no agreement is found. “As we witnessed during the 2013 Republican government shutdown, Northern Virginia’s economy would be significantly affected. That 16-day shutdown cost nearly $24 billion in lost economic output,” Connolly said in a prepared statement Monday. “It is a reckless way to govern that... Read more

Lori Aratani Wheelchair attendants, baggage handlers and food workers at Reagan National and Dulles International airports will get a boost in pay starting next year – the result of a two-year campaign for higher wages. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s board of directors voted 15 to 1 to approve the plan, which will require companies that do business at the airports to pay a base hourly wage of $11.55 starting in January. In all, 4,500 workers – responsible for keeping terminals ... Read more

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

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

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

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

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) released the following statement after President Trump’s executive order seeking to reinstate his Muslim and Refugee ban: "This Muslim Ban 2.0 is still rooted in the same bigotry and discrimination that’s come to define this Administration. It’s un-American and antithetical to our values." Read more

Jenna Portnoy Health-care recipients. Immigrants with relatives who are barred from entering the United States. A champion of science education. Some Democratic members of Congress from Virginia and Maryland are protesting the policy goals of President Trump and the Republican majority with the guests they plan to bring to his big speech Tuesday night. A few of these members skipped Trump’s inauguration last month but have settled on a different approach to express their displeasure. Here’s a sa... Read more

It's Time For Cameras in the Court President Trump’s possibly unconstitutional ban on the entry of people from seven predominantly Muslim countries into this nation is likely headed for the Supreme Court. As the Feb. 8 editorial “Justice in full view” pointed out, thanks to technology, any member of the American public could witness the oral arguments in District Court Judge James L. Robart’s court and listen to the arguments in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. When this case almos... Read more