Monday, February 25, 2013
Sequestration could affect every traveler at airports nationwide, say U.S. Reps. Jim Moran, Gerry Connolly and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine speaking from Reagan National Airport Monday.
Federal sequestration could mean fewer flights and increased wait times at airports, Virginia lawmakers said Monday. In addition to flight delays caused by sequestration, it threatens to close small- to mid-sized airports across the country. The massive, indiscriminate spending cuts Congress put in motion to force a budget compromise would cut $600 million from the Federal Aviation Administration if they go into effect Friday. Jobs on the Line Under sequestration, the FAA would have to furlough employees for 11 days — with as much as 10 percent of its workforce furloughed on any given day — and the agency would be unable to hire replacements for the 30 percent of its workers eligible to retire. Up to 2,200 air traffic controllers would be …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Officials from Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties met in Arlington to discuss six potential sites Thursday.
Local, state and congressional leaders met Thursday in Arlington to discuss six potential sites for a new FBI headquarters and to present a unified front in their commitment to landing the new federal complex somewhere in Northern Virginia. Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, who called the meeting, said leaders from Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties had a "singular focus" in bringing the FBI headquarters to the Old Dominion. "We're all committed to finding a home for the FBI in the commonwealth of Virginia," Moran said during a news conference following the meeting. "We are all going to promote Virginia as the best place for this relocation." Arlington's role was simply as host. It has not put forth any potential sites …
Monday, July 30, 2012
Democrats, Republicans and hundreds of private sector government contractors gathered at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott on Monday afternoon to protest sequestration, which would cut $500 billion of federal defense spending.
ARLINGTON — U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly on Monday called on Congress to cancel its upcoming five-week recess in order to solve looming $500 billion defense cuts that could cost Northern Virginia thousands of jobs. That sentiment was echoed by Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce President Jim Corcoran, who said the federal government shouldn't balance its budget on the backs of the defense industry. And Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, who arrived late to the "Stop Sequestration" rally thanks to a flight delay, said afterward he supported Connolly's idea. "Sequestration" is the name given to $1 trillion federal budget cuts that will happen in January if Congress doesn't reach a compromise. Half of that would affect the defense industry, which …
Friday, July 13, 2012
Moran, Connolly, Wolf want the FCC to reconsider a regulation concerning backup power that the commission proposed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Northern Virginia's three congressmen called on the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday to take action that will prevent future outages to the region's 911 systems. In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, U.S. Reps. Jim Moran, Gerry Connolly and Frank Wolf asked that the commission dust off a post-Hurricane Katrina regulation that would have required all telecommunications companies to provide at least eight hours of backup power for all cell phone towers. The regulation was subsequently struck down on a technicality related to how the commission handled public comments, according to a news release. “In the event of an emergency situation, whether it be a natural disaster or man-made threat, the public needs confidence …
Thursday, July 12, 2012
As Virginia lawmakers disagree over Affordable Care Act provision, tell us: Would participating in the expansion help or hurt the state?
As Gov. Bob McDonnell considers opting out of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, Virginia lawmakers are divided on whether the program would help or hurt the state. In a letter to McDonnell on Thursday, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican who has announced a 2013 gubernatorial bid, encouraged the governor to reject the program, saying Medicaid expansion — which he says accounts for nearly 20 percent of Virginia's total general fund spending — would place "tremendous fiscal pressure on the Commonwealth and divert funds from other state programs, such as public education, higher education, public safety, natural resource protection and even other critically important health care programs." McDonnell sent a letter to Virginia …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
High Court ruled 5-4 today to uphold what some call 'Obamacare.'
Area leaders were quick to react today to the news that the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's health reform law. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R): "Today's Supreme Court ruling is extremely disappointing for Virginia and for America. The PPACA will create a costly and cumbersome system that will impair our country's ability to recover from these challenging economic times, infringes on our citizen's liberties, will harm small businesses, and will impose dramatic unfunded mandates on Virginia and all states. Simply put, this is a blow to freedom. America needs market-based solutions that give patients more choice, not less." (For the governor's full statement, visit his Web site.) On his Twitter feed, the governor wrote: "Simply …
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Five things to know about what's going on in and around Arlington.
1. Today is the last day to nominate local businesses for the 2011 Arlington's Best Business (ABBIE) Awards! The 15 categories include Best Brunch, Best Happy Hour and Best Community-Based Nonprofit. Here's the link to cast your votes! 2. The Arlington Public Library has unearthed a circa 1951 photo of the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department. Check out that and a short history of early Arlington County fire service here. 3. Democratic U.S. Reps. Jim Moran and Gerry Connolly were slated to sign a petition this morning in Washington calling on Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell to reject new rules on abortion clinics -- rules they say would force most of the 23 providers in this state to close. The regulations in question were approved by the …
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Senators Webb and Warner, and Reps. Moran and Connolly express concerns in letter to Defense Secretary.
The Department of Defense's occupancy plans for the Washington Headquarters Services facility at Alexandria's Mark Center property has been met by "strong opposition" by members of Northern Virginia's congressional delegation. It is widely agreed that the road network surrounding the facility cannot currently meet rising demand. The facility has to be ready for operation by Sept. 15, 2011. "The plan… contravenes the department’s assurances to work with the Virginia delegation and local governments to ensure that the occupation of the Mark Center does not cause failing levels of service to surrounding roadways and intersections, including Interstate I-395," wrote U.S. Senators Jim Webb (D) and Mark Warner (D), and Reps. Jim Moran (D-8th) …
Greg Wheaton
5:02 pm on Tuesday, July 31, 2012
One of the reasons Virginia is one of the only states in the country who's budget is in the black is due to the high employment factor in Northern Virginia, and much owing to the Defense Department and supporting economies along with many other Pentagon and government jobs is D.C. The sad fact is that there is a huge deficit hanging out there, so unless we are to have another war, downsizing is … more ›