News

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

By Morgan Chalfant A pair of Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation on Tuesday that would give federal grants to states to boost voting system security and increase voter access to elections. Reps. Gerry Connolly (Va.) and Jim Langevin (R.I.) introduced the Fair, Accurate, Secure, and Timely (FAST) Voting Act to improve voter participation and voting system security and encourage automatic voter registration. “Access to the ballot is fundamental to American democracy,” Connolly said in a st... 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

Joe Davidson A bicameral but uni-partisan parade of legislators rallied with federal employees outside the Capitol on Thursday in a vigorous display of support for their pay, benefits and jobs. Seven representatives and one senator joined members of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) in an enthusiastic demand for fair pay, fair play and respect. “In times of change and in times of transition, when everyone at the top is either coming or going, you are the people who keep our great coun... Read more

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) released the following statement after reports Attorney General Sessions’ may have lied under oath about meeting with Russian officials: "Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn and now Attorney General Sessions. Each day there are more troubling revelations that make clear senior level Trump officials had direct contact with the Russians. Even more concerning, each of these individuals were willing to lie about those meetings. We need answers immediately. Congress must la... Read more

Alex Koma Several members of Northern Virginia’s Congressional delegation are now joining dozens of other lawmakers in demanding that Attorney General Jeff Sessions either resign his post or recuse himself from the investigation into the Trump campaign’s potential contact with Russian officials. Those calls follow revelations late March 1 that Sessions met twice with Russian envoys when he was still a U.S. senator, a pair of meetings that he failed to disclose while under oath during his confirm... Read more

Lisa Rein Federal workers are growing increasingly anxious at the prospect of massive budget cuts President Trump proposed this week as a way to pay for increased military spending. Employees who list endangered species, collect taxes and distribute aid to foreign countries are fearing for their livelihoods as they sift through rumors and wait to see whether their offices will be targeted for steep reductions. The president said he’ll call for $54 billion in reductions to offset new spending for... Read more

Ryan W. Miller One of its stamps lasts forever, but the future of the U.S. Postal Service? Less clear. The "Forever" stamp turns 10 years old in March. That's about how long the postal service has faced declining mail volumes and a growing mountain of debt. Mail volume is now at a 29-year low, and for the past 10 years, USPS recorded annual losses as high as $15.9 billion. Last year, it tallied a $5.6 billion loss. The beleaguered service, its regulatory agency and members of Congress hope 2017 ... Read more

Joe Davidson Leave it to Donald Trump to bring a cold front to Washington’s warm winter. His plan to cut $54 billion in domestic discretionary spending could make his hiring freeze look like a sunny day. Yet the president’s budget plans are so vague at this point, federal employees don’t know how to dress. They should prepare for the worst. Taxpayers too. “I don’t see how you do what he is proposing to do without RIFs (reductions in force) and layoffs,” said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), the ... 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