RICHMOND, VA - Governor Glenn Youngkin and Virginia education leaders expressed support for the Executive Order issued by President Donald J. Trump returning education to the states. The Executive Order directs U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to take all steps within her authority to return education to the states and requires her to ensure all recipients of federal education dollars are properly following all federal civil rights laws and administration policy, effectively ending all taxpayer support for “DEI” and institutions that use race and sex as a deciding factor in policies and procedures.
“Virginia is ready to take full responsibility for K-12 education. We have implemented a high-expectations agenda that sets rigorous standards, holds schools accountable for results and prioritizes resources to the students and schools that need the most support,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “We welcome the federal government’s shift of responsibility to the states—and we are grateful that President Trump’s executive order does just that. The EO also makes it clear that there will be no discrimination in the classrooms. We will continue to ensure every student graduates career-, college-, or military-ready.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced that Virginia state Del. Adele McClure is a nominee for the 2025 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award. EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler released the following statement:
“State Del. Adele McClure is a groundbreaking public servant who overcame adversity to become a fierce voice for working families in the Virginia state House. When the fate of our country hangs in the balance, it is critical that we have women like state Del. McClure in office who champion legislation protecting reproductive rights, making housing and child care more affordable, and protecting our freedoms. EMILYs List is excited to nominate state Del. McClure for the 2025 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award, and we look forward to watching her continue her impactful work for Virginians.”
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert of the Eastern District of Virginia along with federal and state partners announced today the recently established Virginia Homeland Security Task Force (VHSTF), an interagency group founded to combat transnational organized crime and coordinate ongoing immigration enforcement efforts across Virginia. In the two weeks since the VHSTF’s creation on March 3, task force members have arrested 223 individuals.
Hundreds of personnel are supporting the task force, including representatives from U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia; Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI’s Washington, Norfolk, and Richmond Field Offices; Homeland Security Investigations; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Marshals Service; Virginia Department of Corrections; Virginia Office of the Attorney General; Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security; Virginia State Police; and the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
Tysons. VA, March 11 — Preparing to combat that time of the year when, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half (45%) of U.S. traffic deaths involve drunk drivers, a local nonprofit organization announced today that free safe rides will be offered to would-be drunk drivers throughout the Washington-metropolitan area during this St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day SoberRideⓇ program will be in operation each evening (4:00 pm to 4:00 am) from Saturday, March 15th through Monday, March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day) as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers during this traditionally high-risk period.
March 10, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today announced that he will oppose the Republican appropriations bill scheduled for a vote in the House later this week. The partisan measure cuts funding for veterans’ medical benefits, evicts 32,000 households from their homes, and cuts funding for critical medical research, while failing to incorporate guardrails to ensure money is not shut off, only spent in Republican districts, or repurposed. The bill was introduced against a backdrop of a Musk-Trump Administration impounding federal funds previously appropriated by Congress, while conducting a political purge of the federal workforce, both in obvious violation of law.
Beyer said:
Rep. Beyer today issued the following statement on ICE activities in Northern Virginia this week:
“We must be able to enforce the law and protect the public without creating a climate of fear. This week’s ICE enforcement activities in Northern Virginia were designed to instill fear and generate photo ops for Secretary Noem, not to make us safer.
Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents a Northern Virginia district in the U.S. House that includes National Airport (DCA), today delivered floor remarks during debate on House Resolution 153, “Expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the crash of American Eagle Flight 5342 and PAT 25, and for other purposes.” The legislation passed without objection on a voice vote.
Beyer’s remarks follow below.
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, Jennifer McClellan, Suhas Subramanyam and Eugene Vindman (all D-VA) urged President Trump to halt any proposal that would alter the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) without congressional consultation and approval.
“We write to express our great concern regarding reports that you intend to dissolve the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) bipartisan Board of Governors and move the independent agency under the control of the Department of Commerce. The Postal Service plays a crucial role in keeping our communities, especially in our rural areas, connected to each other and to the wider world. From delivering prescription medications and household goods, to election ballots, paychecks, and critical bills, USPS continues to be an essential part of Americans’ everyday lives. However, press reports indicate you are planning to upend over 50 years of Congressionally-mandated independence at USPS with no clear strategy for continuing essential mail delivery services or achieving financial sustainability,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to President Trump. “We urge you to cease the advancement of any proposal that would alter the USPS without congressional consultation and approval.”
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, Jennifer McClellan, Suhas Subramanyam and Eugene Vindman (all D-VA) pushed the Trump administration to reverse staffing cuts at the National Park Service (NPS), outlining the effect directives to eliminate employees and rescind and delay job offers will have on safety at Virginia’s 22 national park units, which serve 22 million visitors and contribute $1.5 billion to local economies each year.
“We write today to express our deep concern over alarming directives issued to eliminate roughly one thousand full-time employees, rescind hundreds of offers for full-time positions, and delay thousands of offers for seasonal positions at the National Park Service (NPS). These roles are critical to protecting America’s treasured natural assets, maintaining public safety, and promoting exceptional standards expected at national parks across Virginia and the nation,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “We urge you to reverse these directives and prevent additional cuts to existing staffing going forward given the critical role that the vast majority of NPS staff play in ensuring public safety. If these directives are not reversed, we fear it will significantly undermine the Park Service’s ability to protect both visitors and park resources, particularly as we approach peak visitation season.”
February 20, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), today issued the statement below responding to the reported firing of thousands of federal employees at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Beyer serves on the House Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee, and represents a Northern Virginia district containing one of the largest concentrations of federal employees in the U.S. House.
Beyer released resources for federal employees last week. He also highlighted a recent hearing exchange in which a tax law expert testified that unauthorized access of sharing of taxpayers’ personal information held by the IRS could be a crime punishable by up to five years in prison, with a statute of limitations that could run past the Trump presidency.
Arlington, Va. — Marymount University has reached a significant milestone in its Strategic Plan trajectory as it has been designated a Research University for 2025 by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation. This recognition reflects the institution’s commitment to advancing knowledge, fostering innovation and addressing pressing societal challenges through impactful research initiatives.
The classification was determined based on Marymount’s 2023 annual research expenditures of $2.6 million and the awarding of 63 research doctorates. This marks a significant step towards the University achieving Research 2 (R2) status, a longtime strategic goal. R2 institutions are distinguished by high levels of research spending and doctorate production, requiring an annual expenditure of at least $5 million and the awarding of at least 20 research doctorates.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks (both D-MD), along with U.S. Reps. Don Beyer, Gerald Connolly, Suhas Subramanyam (all D-VA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today requested answers and commitments from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on its plans to protect the flying public in the wake of the January 29 collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines airplane. In the letter, the lawmakers applauded the precautionary safety measures put in place by the FAA, as well as the agency’s collaboration with the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation into the causes and factors behind the collision. They also stressed the need to carefully review existing protocols to ensure that flight operations do not simply return to business as usual.
The lawmakers also expressed serious concern with potential interference with the FAA by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has caused mayhem across the government, from attempting to push out nonpartisan civil servants, to reportedly accessing the U.S. Treasury’s payment system, as well as systems at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
