ARLINGTON, VA.— Following the announcement that the Virginia Dream Act had been upheld in federal court, Delegate Lopez made the following statement:
“After years of work, in 2020 I was proud to finally pass the Virginia In-State Tuition/Dream Act into law. Children who graduate high school in Virginia deserve a shot at affordable education. In-state tuition access fulfills the promise and investment we’ve made in thousands of students, many of whom were brought to this country at a young age through no fault of their own – and who know no other home but Virginia and the United States. At its core, this is an issue of fairness and economic competitiveness. College access is critical for the future of Virginia students and our economy. Protecting in-state tuition for DREAMers is the right thing to do for these children and for Virginia’s growth.
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representatives James Walkinshaw (Va.-11), Eugene Vindman (Va.-07), Bobby Scott (Va.-03), Don Beyer (Va.-08), Jennifer McClellan (Va.-04), and Suhas Subramanyam (Va.-10) released the following statement on the eighth anniversary of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
Eight years ago today, Virginia resident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. His murder was an unconscionable attack on a journalist and a Virginia resident, and his family and the American people deserve the full truth about what happened and what followed.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and a coalition of bipartisan lawmakers sponsored the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, legislation to create a federal film tax incentive.
“Film and television production supports good-paying jobs and small businesses across Virginia and across the country. This bill will help keep more productions — and the jobs they create — here at home, while giving Virginia’s talented artists and production workers more opportunities to succeed. I’m proud to support this effort,” said Sen. Warner.
ARLINGTON, VA, Sept. 29, 2026 – The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) brought together more than 400 animal lovers, raising a total of $11,702 for Arlington animals in need, during the 4th Annual Reason to Rock Music Festival on September 19, 2026 at Solace Outpost in Falls Church, VA. This year’s Reason to Rock event tops previous years’ attendance records.
Reason to Rock Music Festival was founded in 2023 by four local dad band members, Scott Schreiber, Dru Fearing, Gregg Shively and Greg Hamilton. Each year, attendees enjoy a selection of local bands, brews, and the opportunity to learn about the organization their presence supports. AWLA and their mission to support the pets and people of Arlington was selected as this year’s beneficiary.
September 24, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents a Northern Virginia district that includes Arlington National Cemetery and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), issued the following statement after visiting the site of President Trump’s proposed 250-foot arch in response to reports from constituents of construction equipment at the site:
“This morning, after hearing from constituents who saw construction equipment at the site of Trump’s proposed vanity arch, I drove down to Columbia Island to see for myself. When I arrived, I found workers operating heavy equipment who told me they were conducting archaeological work to evaluate the composition of the soil. When I asked whether this work was a precursor to construction of the arch, they said that they could not answer. The logical conclusion, however, is that the presence of this heavy equipment and additional surveyors is a clear indication that the Trump Administration is preparing to move forward with construction.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today introduced two bills to strengthen the federal response to tick-borne diseases and better protect Americans living with alpha-gal syndrome (AGS).
“Cases of alpha-gal syndrome are rapidly increasing in Virginia and across the country, and nearly everyone I meet has or knows someone whose life has been affected by this disease. We must do more to understand, prevent, and treat AGS and other tick-borne diseases,” said Sen. Warner. “I’m proud to introduce these two bills to strengthen our efforts to combat tick-borne diseases by expanding the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, supporting research through targeted grants, and giving those living with AGS greater support by adding the condition to the major food allergen list.”
Arlington, Va. — Marymount University remained in the National Universities category and ranked #1 among Virginia private institutions in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges Rankings, a reflection of the University’s commitment to preparing students to thrive at Marymount and beyond graduation.
That strength also carried into undergraduate programs, where Nursing jumped 42 spots and retained the best mark among Virginia’s private institutions, and Computer Science climbed 14 spots, to the second-highest ranking in the Commonwealth. Marymount’s positive results also showed in Social Mobility, a measure of how well a college turns access into opportunity regardless of where a student starts, as the University rose to #188 nationally.
September 21, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who serves as co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Artificial Intelligence (AI) Caucus and represents a Northern Virginia district that includes Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in the U.S. House, issued the following statement today on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) deployment of an AI Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (“SMART”) system to manage flights at Washington area airports including DCA:
“The FAA should not use my constituents as guinea pigs for an unproven AI air traffic control system. The safety of the 24 million people traveling through DCA each year must be the top priority. Residents of this region are still uncertain about air safety after last year’s fatal accident, and the Administration did shockingly little to educate the traveling public about this development before implementing it in one of the most complex airspaces in the world.
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced that August revenues increased 2.8 percent compared to last August. On a fiscal year-to-date basis through the first two months of Fiscal Year 2027, collections have grown 5.4 percent. Growth has been driven by strong sales tax receipts. Compared to the official forecast, revenues are ahead of expectations by 1.8 percent.
“Revenue remains generally in line with our forecast through the first two months of the fiscal year, though continued national economic uncertainty means we must stay vigilant,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “With high costs driven by the President’s reckless war and an uncertain labor market remaining areas of concern nationwide, particularly given persistently high inflation, we will continue to responsibly manage the Commonwealth’s finances. Our disciplined fiscal approach will make sure Virginia is prepared to navigate any future challenges as we focus on lowering costs for families, strengthening our business climate, and bringing continued investment to every region of Virginia.”
In accordance with the authority vested in me as Governor, I hereby order that the flags of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Virginia are to be flown at half-staff on all local, state, and federal buildings and grounds in the Commonwealth of Virginia in memory and respect of the nearly 3,000 innocent people killed in the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. I join Virginians in honoring Patriot Day and remembering our fellow Americans who never returned home that day, the families who continue to carry the burden of that loss, and the profound stories of courage and heroism that emerged in the face of unimaginable tragedy. We honor the firefighters, police officers, and first responders who rushed toward danger at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the heroic passengers and flight attendants aboard Flight 93 who prevented another attack, and the countless Americans who came together, comforted strangers, and answered the call to serve our nation and fight terrorism.
I hereby order that the flags shall be lowered at sunrise on Friday, September 11, 2026, and remain at half-staff until sunset.
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced the appointment of Andrea Fletcher to serve as Director of the Virginia Digital Service — a new state team focused on modernizing state government, improving websites and systems, and saving taxpayers money by preventing bad state contracts.
The Virginia Digital Service will bring together an advanced team of engineers, designers, and technical experts to make sure technology is being used effectively, and taxpayer dollars are being spent efficiently, to improve the lives of Virginians. Governor Spanberger proposed the Digital Service in an amendment to Virginia’s bipartisan budget — after uncovering that the Commonwealth had lost $52 million in taxpayer dollars on a failed IT project under the previous administration.
September 3, 2026 (Washington D.C.) – Congressman Don Beyer, who represents a Northern Virginia district that is home to many of the former U.S. Agency For International Development (USAID) employees who were fired by President Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE through no fault of their own last year, spoke yesterday evening on the House floor on the short- and long-term impacts of dismantling the United States’ largest foreign assistance agency.
Along with Representative Beyer, Representatives Lois Frankel (D-FL), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), and Brad Sherman (D-CA) spoke in support of restoring funding to the critical agency, and rehiring the dedicated civil servants who provided essential supplies and assistance to people around the world.
