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Voters may have elected Biden to be ‘normal’, but they also need action
In the fallout over this month’s crushing elections, Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger took President Joe Biden to task: “Nobody elected him to be F.D.R.,” she snipped to The New York Times. “They elected him to be normal and stop the chaos.” Biden, of course, won a solid victory over Donald Trump, but nothing close to […]
Cleaning up ‘forever chemicals’ must be a federal priority
The U.S. Senate faces a long to-do list when it reconvenes next month. U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Fairfax, wants to be sure an important but fairly obscure environmental health bill makes the list. It passed the House in July, thanks in part to Democratic members of our congressional delegation, and now awaits action in the […]
What grads really need to hear about the problems confronting us and the prospect of progress
FALLS CHURCH — Gov. Ralph Northam traveled to Northern Virginia last week with a timeworn message for this year’s high school graduates as they enter adulthood: Anything is possible in America. “The sky is the limit,” he said during an in-person outdoor ceremony at George Mason High School in Falls Church City. “Don’t ever, ever […]
Not so Good for Virginia
Georgia and Colorado have been getting a lot of attention for sending people who have spread lies and hate to the halls of Congress. Virginia deserves a share of the limelight too. Last summer, conservative Republicans in the state’s 5th congressional district — which stretches through the middle of the state from its southern border […]
Virginians have a lot to gain from D.C. statehood
For years, I worked in the U.S. Capitol building as a political reporter and lived in its grand shadow on Capitol Hill. I interviewed lawmakers from around the country about issues facing their constituents, but I never talked to a voting member who represented my concerns in Congress. I paid my share of federal taxes […]
‘I just don’t trust the system any more’: Voters on edge as election nears
WASHINGTON— Widespread anxiety and confusion around voting, compounded by the pandemic that has spread to millions of Americans, including President Donald Trump. A vastly underfunded and decentralized electoral system that could take days and possibly weeks to certify results. Attempts to suppress voting, interfere with elections and cast doubt on the integrity of mail-in ballots […]
Bush administration ethics lawyer slams hiring of DeJoy as postmaster
WASHINGTON — A top ethics lawyer to President George W. Bush on Monday decried Louis DeJoy’s appointment to postmaster general and called for a congressional investigation into allegations of criminal activity. Richard Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer and associate counsel to Bush, said DeJoy should not have been allowed to take […]
Transgender students from Virginia, Florida, score victories in landmark lawsuits
WASHINGTON — Transgender teen Andrew Adams used the boys bathroom, which aligned with his gender identity, when he enrolled as a freshman in 2015 at Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Fla. Then two girls lodged a complaint and school authorities ordered Adams to use a gender-neutral or girls restroom instead. In 2017, […]
Senate GOP emergency relief plan leaves out direct aid to states
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans unveiled their latest coronavirus relief proposal Tuesday but were met with swift objections from Democrats. The GOP plan failed to include direct aid to cities and states, a priority for Democrats, or rental relief or nutrition assistance, and it appeared it wouldn’t go far enough to resolve a monthslong stalemate over […]
‘You just have to act’: Thousands outraged by police brutality rally at March on Washington
WASHINGTON – On the 57th anniversary of the original March on Washington and in the throes of a pandemic, thousands of demonstrators on Friday joined Democratic lawmakers on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to demand Congress act on police brutality and voter suppression. The event, organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, […]
House Democrats pummel postmaster over sharp declines in on-time mail delivery
WASHINGTON — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy came under heavy fire Monday for withholding key information about delays in the delivery of mail since he took over the Postal Service just two months ago. In a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Democrats pressed DeJoy over an internal report made public over the weekend showing steep […]
House passes bill to boost post office funding by $25 billion, block service changes
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House convened a rare weekend session Saturday amid Democratic fears the U.S. Postal Service’s leadership could disrupt mail service and sabotage the November elections. Republicans called those concerns overblown and sensationalized. The Democratic-led chamber passed a bill 257-150 that would infuse $25 billion into the agency as it prepares for a surge in mail-in […]