Veterans

Chad Pergram Beware the “Ides of August.” That’s what we often write in this space when the eighth month on the Gregorian calendar comes round. Shakespeare warned “Beware the Ides of March” in Julius Caesar. But anyone who’s ever spent any time on Capitol Hill knows “Beware the Ides of August.” August is the most volatile month of… Read more »

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, released the following statement after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced suspension of his operational changes. “Postmaster General DeJoy cannot put the genie back in the bottle. Sunshine in the form of public pressure has forced Mr. DeJoy to completely reverse himself. While this is… Read more »

Lisa Rein A veteran, suffering in pain and out of medication, turned last year to the Veterans Affairs’ hospital in D.C. for help. Instead of receiving aid, a new report says, a cascade of failures by the medical staff resulted in him being forcibly expelled. The veteran shot and killed himself six days later.   A VA… Read more »

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, released the following statement on the Veterans Administration Office of Inspector General report on the Washington, D.C. VA Medical Center.   “This is a very troubling report that describes a culture of indifference and callousness to patients experiencing mental health… Read more »

Congressman Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14), Chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee, introduced legislation today that would better address domestic violence in the U.S. military. The provisions included in the legislation were also included in the House-passed version… Read more »

Today, the House of Representatives passed the FY21 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, Safe Homefront Act, and protections for whistleblowers and expansion of… Read more »

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) joined Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and 115 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Attorney General William Barr, calling on the agencies to eliminate the ban on open transgender military service. This follows the June 15, 2020 Supreme Court ruling that Title VII of the Civil Rights… Read more »

Today, the House of Representatives adopted the conference report for the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act, which included amendments offered by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) regarding the proposed elimination of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the government-wide backlog of security clearance adjudications, and the loopholes that still allow servicemembers who have… Read more »

Yesterday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 598, the Georgia Support Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). The legislation asserts the United States’ continued support for the independence and sovereignty of Georgia, recognizes Georgia’s commitment to democratic values including free and fair… Read more »

By Rep. Gerald E. Connolly Connolly is a Democrat in his sixth term representing some of the Virginia suburbs of Washington in the House of Representatives. For the first time in more than two decades, the House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing last month to examine the potential admission of Washington, D.C., as our… Read more »