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, February 7, 2013
Connolly writes letter to Postmaster General, asking for legal justification; cites study that says reducing mail volume will lead to revenue loss of $5.2 billion in first year.
Stopping the mail on Saturdays? Not so fast, say two members of the Northern Virginia congressional delegation. Northern Virginia's U.S. Rep. James Moran (D-8th) and U.S. Rep Gerald Connolly (D-11th) expressed concern Wednesday about the U.S. Postal Service's announcement that it plans to suspend delivery of first-class mail service on Saturdays beginning in August. The USPS released a fact sheet Wednesday. “I have great concerns about eliminating Saturday mail delivery," Moran wrote in an email to Patch. "The Postal Service is grappling with major forces outside of its control: an economy increasingly relying on email and the Internet for communication, and a Congress that refuses to address the redundant pension pre-funding requirement…
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Democratic Rep. Jim Moran says the new tax-cut legislation puts Northern Virginia on the chopping block.
Although feuding lawmakers on Capitol Hill finally reached a deal Tuesday night preventing the nation from diving off the now world-famous “fiscal cliff,” Northern Virginia Democratic Rep. Jim Moran is not happy with the new legislation. Moran, who represents Virginia’s 8th District, called the bill “hastily crafted,” “wholly inadequate” and said the measure puts Northern Virginia “on the chopping block.” Moran said the bill leaves the country with three more fiscal cliffs to negotiate over the next three months. “Each of these deadlines represents a major political battle in which nearly 40 percent of Northern Virginia's economy in terms of federal contracts and federal employees will be on the chopping block," he said. "Our leverage to …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Lawmakers ask GSA to consider the area, noting that many FBI employees already live in Northern Virginia.
Rep. Jim Moran (D-8th) along with several other lawmakers sent a letter to the administrator of the General Services Administration urging him to consider Northern Virginia as a possible home for a new FBI headquarters location. Moran, whose district includes Alexandria, was joined by Reps. Frank Wolf, Gerry Connolly and Rob Wittman as well as Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner in signing the letter. Their letter follows GSA’s request for information seeking input on a new location for a consolidated FBI headquarters in the Washington, DC region. In their letter to GSA Acting Administrator Daniel Tangherlini, the lawmakers asked GSA to undertake a qualitative “source selection” procurement, rather than cost-only process, noting that Northern …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Department of Defense released $180 million to the Federal Highway Administration to start construction on Route 1.
The Department of Defense released $180 million on Monday to fund the widening of Route 1 in Mount Vernon through Fort Belvoir. These funds will go to the Federal Highway Administration to start construction on the widening of Route 1, which will accommodate increased traffic at Fort Belvoir due to the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005, or BRAC. These funds, awarded in November, are part of a $300 million appropriation secured by the Maryland and Virginia delegations for BRAC-related transportation improvements across the country. BRAC and the recent opening of Fort Belvoir Community Hospital are expected to bring more than 11,000 new DoD employees and 574,000 annual hospital patients onto Route 1, according to a statement issued by…
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, 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, September 28, 2011
Webb, Warner, Moran and Connolly question DoD Transportation Management and Occupation Plans for Mark Center property
Today, U.S. Reps. Jim Moran (D-8), Gerry Connolly (D-11) and Democratic Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner sent a letter of concern to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. They're worried that Interstate 395 will be a traffic-choked mess because of inadequate transportation planning at the Mark Center by the Department of Defense. The Base Realignment and Closure move at the Mark Center property near I-395 and Seminary Road, is home to Washington Headquarters Services, which will receive 5,000 of its 6,400 total relocated employees by this December. Known as BRAC #133, the project has been viewed with skepticism. "We are concerned that the Department’s occupation plan is not being adequately coordinated with appropriate transportation …
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) …
Erik Kengaard
8:00 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Connolly, Moran - everyone gets the government some people deserve. more ›