Friday, March 1, 2013
The March 1 deadline for sequestration is here.
Northern Virginia Congressmen Gerry Connolly (D-11th) and Jim Moran (D-8th) said Congress is "dysfunctional," as the midnight deadline on sequestration steadily approached. "It's a dysfunctional Congress," said Moran, who spoke with Patch at a ribbon-cutting Friday in Lorton. "I think it ill-serves the people of the United States today. It's very frustrating, very disappointing. It's an institution that is not serving its functions." Connolly does not expect a last-minute compromise on $1.2 trillion in debt reduction, and the U.S. military will be forced to cut $46 billion and domestic defense spending will be cut by $85 billion this year alone. "It is the consequence of a dysfunctional Congress," he said. "It's the consequence of …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
President Obama spoke in Virginia today, and targeted Congress for putting "games" over the jobs of tens of thousands of Virginians, and asked for help to prevent sequestration. Here's how to contact your congressman.
President Obama dropped by Virginia on Tuesday, railed against Congress for yet another "manufactured crisis" -- this time sequestration 2013 -- and asked for help pressuring lawmakers to solve the budget impasse that could cost the state more than 200,000 jobs. "If you agree with me, I need you to make sure your voices are heard," Obama told employees and television cameras at Newport News Shipbuilding. "Let your leaders know what you expect of them. Let them know what you believe." The company receives Defense Department funding that's being threatened by drastic, mostly indiscriminate cuts that begin March 1 if no agreement is reached on debt reduction. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner has already warned that sequestration will be "worse than …
Sunday, February 3, 2013
What will it mean for the Northern Virginia economy?
Sequestration — $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts to defense and civilian programs over the next decade — will likely happen, and it will mean thousands of layoffs, program eliminations and near-certain economic devastation for Northern Virginia, said Virginia Congressmen Jim Moran (D-8th) and Gerry Connolly (D-11th) on Saturday at a town hall meeting in Mount Vernon. "You need to be aware that this is probably going to happen," said Moran, who spoke at an annual meeting conducted by Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland. "It's a democracy and things will ultimately play themselves out, but things are not going well right now (in Congress)." Congress averted the fiscal cliff crisis at the beginning of the year, and …
Friday, January 4, 2013
Virginia's 11th District congressman surrounded by family and friends at ceremony on first day of 113th Congress.
Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-11th) was sworn in for a third term on Thursday by Speaker of the House John Boehner. Connolly was re-elected Nov. 6, beating out Republican Chris Perkins. Connolly was surrounded Thursday by family and friends at his swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill. The oath of office officiated by the speaker is ceremonial, conducted after an official swearing-in of the entire Congress at noon on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. The first day of the 113th Congress Thursday came on the heels of a tumultuous debate over the "fiscal cliff," voted on by the House on New Year's Day. Though he had reservations, Congressman Connolly was the only House member in Virginia to vote for the bill, siding with…
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Virginia Democrat says he's "holding his nose," but wants to avoid fiscal cliff, sequestration and extend middle class tax cuts.
Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-11th) said Tuesday afternoon that while he is "holding his nose," he is urging his colleagues to vote for a fiscal cliff deal that the Senate passed in the early hours of the new year. “This is not a perfect package, but it is something that gets us by until we can tackle the larger issues in the next Congress,” Connolly said. “I pray God that the next Congress is more willing to compromise than this one.” It was not certain Tuesday when the House, controlled by Republicans, would take up the fiscal cliff legislation. The Virginia Democrat said the Senate-passed measure provides an opportunity to: “There is a lot of good in this package," Connolly said. "But there is also a lot that is not addressed …
Joe Callahan
11:00 am on Saturday, March 2, 2013
The federal government will spend more money this year then last year even with Sequestration. The failure of the democrat led senate to pass a budget in the last 5 years has resulted in funding the government by continuing resolution. Each year the resolution provides funds equal to the prior year plus an increase of 3 to 7%. The Sequestration does not cut funds but does reduce the rate of … more ›