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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13)

NEW YORK, NY – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) will deliver the Democratic Spanish language response to President Trump’s Joint Address on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.  

Said Rep. Espaillat, “Democrats must lead the American people’s response to many of the Trump administration’s most egregious violations of our laws, our social norms and of the principles that bind us together as Americans. As chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), it is my honor to bring that response to the millions of people in our comunidad who speak Spanish, whether at home, at work, at church, or just out of choice. Our diversity is a source of strength when we tap into it – that’s why I’ll be elevating the Democratic message to more than 50 million Americans in the language they choose.” 

“Adriano Espaillat embodies the very essence of the American dream. Throughout his career, Adriano has fought to keep that same promise of the American dream alive for millions of American families. As Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, he has worked tirelessly to advance an agenda for all Americans by lowering the price of groceries, making homes more affordable, and providing stability,” said Leader Chuck Schumer.     

Leader Jeffries said, “Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Adriano Espaillat is an extraordinary trailblazer and advocate on behalf of his constituents in New York’s 13th congressional district, the Dominican American community and the country. He has been a critical voice in creating opportunities for Latinos and immigrants all across the United States and a courageous leader as we fight for social and economic justice for everyone. House Democrats are proud to have Chair Espaillat leading the way as we reach out to Spanish-speaking households across the country.”

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fifth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 119th Congress. He is Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents a Northern Virginia district in the U.S. House that includes the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency, today called for the resignations of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in the wake of reporting by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg that they and other Trump officials discussed military strikes on Yemen over Signal:

“This is one of the dumbest security breaches in American history, and it suggests a larger pattern of potentially criminal behavior. If the information Trump Administration officials incompetently and carelessly discussed in obvious violation of secure procedures had fallen into the wrong hands, it might have jeopardized the lives of Americans serving in harm’s way. That cannot be allowed to happen.

“The response by Trump’s people to this story has been, if possible, worse. They are attacking and discrediting the media, even after they confirmed the story themselves. They are denying, ludicrously, that the information they disclosed was sensitive or classified. And as we saw repeatedly in today’s Senate hearing, they are trying to deceive the country about the severity of this incident.

“Consider what we know. We know National Security Advisor Waltz convened what was essentially a National Security Council principals meeting via Signal, an act of extraordinarily bad judgment that may have broken the law. We know Special Envoy Witkoff participated in the same conversation while he was in Russia, where he knew his electronic devices would be targets of surveillance. We know DNI Gabbard was overseas while discussing impending military strikes using an improper messaging app, likely on an insecure phone, and then refused to answer Senators’ questions about it. We know Secretary Hegseth claimed to deliver ‘100% operations security’ as he unknowingly shared details about an upcoming airstrike with a reporter. We know that when confronted with his mistake, Hegseth chose to attack that reporter’s credibility, despite the entire story having already been confirmed by the White House. And we know that no one on this Signal, which also included the Secretaries of State and Commerce as well as the White House Chief of Staff, raised concerns that what they were doing violated security protocols.

“Now consider what we don’t know. We don’t know what sensitive or classified information may have been shared on this chat. We don’t know whether Russia or other adversaries obtained that information. We don’t know what might have happened to American pilots or other servicemembers if that information had been shared with the Houthis. We don’t know what other Signal chats Trump officials have on other sensitive topics or what security breaches may result from them. The Trump Administration is arguing that they did nothing wrong here, so no one should assume this was an isolated incident. And no one should doubt that Russia, China, Iran, and other global adversaries are stepping up efforts to target American officials.

“It is a challenge to respond to a breach this severe, but Congress and the appropriate authorities elsewhere must step up to provide necessary oversight. At a minimum, Hegseth, Waltz, Gabbard, and Witkoff must resign or be fired. There should be robust investigations by committees of jurisdiction to determine where other breaches may have occurred and take appropriate action. Republicans who fail to stand for their country in this moment will forever surrender all credibility on national security issues.

“The Inspectors General for the Departments of Defense and State should be reinstated and should investigate this matter along with the Intelligence Community IG. The Justice Department and FBI would under ordinary circumstances investigate this incident and any other related breaches and hold anyone who committed crimes accountable. Since the current leadership of the DOJ and FBI are incapable of doing that without political interference, a special counsel should be appointed to take these steps.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), joined by Representatives André Carson (D-IN), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), April McClain Delaney (D-MD), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today called for immediate and permanent changes to ensure airspace safety at Washington National Airport following the release of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s preliminary report on the tragic midair collision at National Airport on January 29.

The lawmakers expressed deep concern over the findings in the NTSB preliminary report, voiced support for NTSB’s recommendations, and commended Secretary Duffy for the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) prompt response to the NTSB’s preliminary report, including the decision to close helicopter Route 4. The lawmakers also urged relevant agencies to take further precautions including by decreasing the total helicopter volume in the National Capital Region, reviewing helicopter routes in the National Capital Region with a specific focus on lateral dimensions, establishing an alternative helicopter route that avoids redirecting air traffic over residential areas, and conducting a review of the existing flight volume in and out of National Airport. 

In the letter, the lawmakers write:

“Following last week’s release of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s preliminary report on the tragic midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (“National Airport”) on January 29, 2025, we write to express renewed concerns and echo NTSB’s call for permanent changes to address contributing factors to this collision.

“We echo Chair Homendy’s concern that the history of close proximity incidents at National Airport and this collision at National Airport demonstrate an ‘intolerable risk to aviation safety.

“We resoundingly support NTSB’s recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take the following actions: 

1.      Prohibit operations on helicopter Route 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when runways 15 and 33 are being used for departures and arrivals, respectively, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 

2.      Designate an alternative helicopter route that can be used to facilitate travel between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when that segment of Route 4 is closed.

“The airspace around National Airport is oversaturated—this has become abundantly clear by both the NTSB preliminary report and years of reports of near miss encounters within National Airport’s airspace. Prohibiting helicopter traffic within the immediate area adjacent to National Airport is a necessary safety measure to protect American lives. And while we agree with the recommendation to consider alternate flight routes for helicopter traffic, we believe that this recommendation should not result in relocating helicopter traffic over nearby residential areas. We request that the FAA keep Congress apprised of and involved with the planning process when evaluating and selecting an alternative helicopter route. 

“We also request that the FAA and NTSB review the existing flight volume in and out of National Airport, to ensure that the current volume of flights is compatible with the workload that our aviation safety personnel can handle. While moving helicopter traffic further from National Airport would alleviate some burden on aviation safety personnel, we remain concerned by historical near miss statistics identified by the NTSB report and by the lower than recommended number of air traffic controllers currently working at National Airport. We must ensure that the volume of flights is manageable for our aviation safety systems, and does not cause compounded delays pushing flights into unnecessarily late hours and causing further complications. National Airport’s aviation safety personnel and systems must be able to reasonably accommodate the airport’s flight volume within normal flight hours. 

“The NTSB preliminary report documents the confluence of circumstances under which this tragic collision occurred. We stand ready to support NTSB as it continues its full investigation of the root causes of this collision. The federal government’s work in response to this collision will be far from finished even when these preliminary recommendations are adopted. It is imperative that we begin to act now to prevent the known dangers of an overcrowded airspace and close proximity of airplane flight paths and helicopter routes from contributing to a future collision. 

Full text of the letter follows below, and a signed copy is available here.

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Dear Secretary Duffy, Acting Administrator Rocheleau, Secretary Hegseth, and Secretary Driscoll: 

Following last week’s release of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s preliminary report on the tragic midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (“National Airport”) on January 29, 2025, we write to express renewed concerns and echo NTSB’s call for permanent changes to address contributing factors to this collision. 

This collision and its aftermath are among the most devastating events in our region in recent history and have left families and entire communities in mourning. This event has also instilled unease and uncertainty for many in the flying public. America’s airspace has long been the safest in the world—many Americans have never witnessed such an accident during their lifetime. It is now the federal government’s task to ensure that the American public has no need for fear and does not witness another accident like this in their lifetimes. 

We commend the NTSB on its dedication to this investigation and on its thoroughness. Chair Homendy and her team have been excellent partners to all parties involved, including Congress, federal departments and agencies, and the families and loved ones of the victims. We appreciate NTSB’s dedication to this investigation, and believe this preliminary report lays the groundwork necessary to begin making necessary safety changes in the airspace surrounding National Airport.  

We echo Chair Homendy’s concern that the history of close proximity incidents at National Airport and this collision at National Airport demonstrate an “intolerable risk to aviation safety.” We want to highlight that between October 2021 and December 2024, there were 15,214 close proximity events that triggered a resolution advisory from the traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), and 85 incidents where aircraft were within less than 1,500 ft of lateral separation and under 200 feet of vertical separation. Despite these numbers, there was no significant, long-term response to prevent future occurrences until this report. We are also particularly alarmed by the close proximity of helicopter Route 4’s flight path to the landing path for aircraft using runway 33, which could result in the aircraft traveling within 75 feet of each other. We concur with NTSB in its findings, which read: 

“Existing separation distances between helicopter traffic operating on Route 4 and aircraft landing on runway 33 are insufficient and pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety by increasing the chances of a midair collision. 

When Route 4 operations are prohibited as recommended in Safety Recommendation A-25-1, it is critical for public safety helicopter operations to have an alternate route for operating in and around Washington, DC, without increasing controller workload.” 

We resoundingly support NTSB’s recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take the following actions: 

3.      Prohibit operations on helicopter Route 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when runways 15 and 33 are being used for departures and arrivals, respectively, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 

4.      Designate an alternative helicopter route that can be used to facilitate travel between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when that segment of Route 4 is closed.

Secretary Duffy: we appreciate your prompt response to the NTSB’s preliminary report and adoption of the NTSB’s preliminary recommendations, including by closing helicopter Route 4. We have provided additional insights in this letter to guide your further implementation of the recommendations. We look forward to partnering with you on this endeavor.

The airspace around National Airport is oversaturated—this has become abundantly clear by both the NTSB preliminary report and years of reports of near miss encounters within National Airport’s airspace. Prohibiting helicopter traffic within the immediate area adjacent to National Airport is a necessary safety measure to protect American lives. And while we agree with the recommendation to consider alternate flight routes for helicopter traffic, we believe that this recommendation should not result in relocating helicopter traffic over nearby residential areas. We request that the FAA keep Congress apprised of and involved with the planning process when evaluating and selecting an alternative helicopter route. 

We believe that decreasing the volume of helicopter traffic in the region would alleviate congestion in the airspace and an overburdened air traffic system, and prevent potential conflicts derived from redirected aircraft. We request the FAA and the Department of Defense permanently reduce significant aviation traffic within the region surrounding National Airport, short of emergency response services. To the maximum extent practicable, military training flights should be conducted outside the National Capital Region. When training necessitates use of routes within the region, they should be conducted in strict compliance with the timing constraints NTSB recommended and alternate routes that FAA will provide, or avoid using Route 4 altogether and instead use other FAA-approved preexisting routes to circumvent the airport. VIP travel can often be feasibly substituted for vehicular travel or flight paths that route further outside of the region, and other helicopter flights are simply not necessary to complete within this oversaturated airspace. As we await more clarity in the forthcoming NTSB full investigation, we request that the Department of Defense require pilots within the National Capital Region to use ADS-B Out, and to limit permissible exceptions to such requirement. 

We also request that the FAA and NTSB review the existing flight volume in and out of National Airport, to ensure that the current volume of flights is compatible with the workload that our aviation safety personnel can handle. While moving helicopter traffic further from National Airport would alleviate some burden on aviation safety personnel, we remain concerned by historical near miss statistics identified by the NTSB report and by the lower than recommended number of air traffic controllers currently working at National Airport. We must ensure that the volume of flights is manageable for our aviation safety systems, and does not cause compounded delays pushing flights into unnecessarily late hours and causing further complications. National Airport’s aviation safety personnel and systems must be able to reasonably accommodate the airport’s flight volume within normal flight hours. 

Finally, NTSB found that helicopter routes have “no defined lateral boundaries and are drawn to depict linear paths along defined surface features in a manner legible to flight crews.” This lack of any lateral parameters on current routes allows operators to deviate close to National Airport runways on Routes 1 and 4 and over residential areas while traversing the other routes. We request that FAA conduct a review of Routes 1 and 4 over the river, and all helicopter routes in the National Capital Region with a specific focus on lateral dimensions. 

The NTSB preliminary report documents the confluence of circumstances under which this tragic collision occurred. We stand ready to support NTSB as it continues its full investigation of the root causes of this collision. The federal government’s work in response to this collision will be far from finished even when these preliminary recommendations are adopted. It is imperative that we begin to act now to prevent the known dangers of an overcrowded airspace and close proximity of airplane flight paths and helicopter routes from contributing to a future collision. 

We request a briefing by March 31^st to discuss the implementation of these recommendations. We thank you for your collaboration, and in advance, for your swift actions to protect our aviation safety.

Sincerely, 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement today after his constituent, Georgetown postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri, was arrested and detained outside his home in Rosslyn:

“Badar Khan Suri’s detention is a clear violation of his constitutional rights, and he must be released. Mr. Suri is here lawfully and is not accused of a crime, yet he was surrounded outside the Northern Virginia home where he lives with his wife – an American citizen – and their children, arrested by masked authorities without explanation, disappeared, imprisoned, denied access to legal counsel, and had his student visa revoked.

“The ‘justification’ given for these violations of Mr. Suri’s right to due process is another violation of the Constitution: a blatant attack on the First Amendment. Mr. Suri and his family are unfortunately the latest victim of President Trump’s assault on the freedom of speech. Trump has made no effort to disguise the fact that the arrests of academics like Suri and Mahmoud Khalil is intended to have a chilling effect and discourage the free expression of political views which Trump dislikes.

“In both cases, the administration has punished speech with frightening, extreme measures that, if it happened in another country, most of us would not hesitate to call ‘authoritarianism.’ It is authoritarianism, and while some will find false consolation in their own disagreements with the views expressed by those detained, the truth is that the horrifying precedent established by these cases may lead to the persecution of other individuals and groups with unforeseen consequences.

“The courts must consider Mr. Suri’s case with all possible speed, given the administration’s track record of attempting to deny constitutional rights in ways that are difficult to undo before judicial remedies can be provided. Above all, the administration must stop its assault on the Bill of Rights, and until it does all reasonable people who claim to defend the Constitution must oppose what is happening to Badar Khan Suri.”

Rep. Beyer previously called for the release of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, and joined other members of the U.S. House demanding answers from the Trump Administration about his case.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

March 18, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – Following passage of H. Con. Res. 14, the House budget resolution setting up Republicans’ reconciliation legislation to cut Medicaid to pay for lower taxes for the wealthiest Americans, U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) hosted a roundtable discussion with local elected leaders, healthcare providers, advocates, and affected Virginians to underscore the harms of the nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts proposed.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, nearly 2 million Virginians on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) would be at risk of losing their health care under Republican budget plans. Virginia is also one of nine trigger states, meaning over half a million Virginians will automatically lose their health insurance if these cuts go into effect, not to mention the healthcare providers that might have to close their doors or limit their services, especially in rural areas.

ALXnow: Congressman Beyer warns of devastating impact of Medicaid cuts

 

Alexandria Congressman Don Beyer (D-8th) is sounding the alarm about proposed Medicaid cuts that could have devastating consequences for hundreds of thousands of Virginians who rely on the program for healthcare.

Beyer hosted a roundtable at his Alexandria office Friday with elected leaders, healthcare providers, advocates, and affected Virginians to discuss the potential impact of nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts proposed in a budget resolution passed by House Republicans last week.

“The House passed on a 217 to 215 vote last week the budget resolution that sets up reconciliation,” Beyer explained. “They are looking for $2 trillion in cuts and they charged the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, with $880 billion of those cuts.”

According to Beyer, the Congressional Budget Office indicates these cuts cannot be achieved without reducing Medicaid funding. This poses a particular threat to Virginia, which Beyer describes as a “trigger state.”

“If you cut 1%, all of the Medicaid expansion money goes away,” Beyer said, noting that approximately 681,000 Virginians currently receive healthcare through Medicaid expansion.

DC News Now: Northern Virginians share concern over potential Medicaid cuts to Congressman

 

Republicans need to slash $880 billion from government programs to pay for President Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts. But a new report just out from the Congressional Budget Office says lawmakers can only cut $135 billion without impacting Medicare or Medicaid.

For so many families in the DMV who rely on Medicare or Medicaid coverage, they’re fearful of what these funding cuts will mean. Some said their coverage is so limited already, so any changes could be devastating.

“I don’t know what [my family] would do,” said Mary Lee Ruby, whose grandson had a brain bleed at birth and now requires complete care. Medicaid covers his daycare. “It’s really important that his mother be given the break when he goes to the daycare center during the day, and she gets a chance to do some of the things she has to do.”

Meanwhile, Michael Thomas, whose son has intellectual and developmental disabilities, said his Medicaid waiver allows him to live in a group home with 24-7 care.

“He can have support from care attendants who are well-trained, who understand that, and he’s still within his community,” Thomas said. “Any reduction or elimination of that would be devastating.”

Ruby and Thomas’s stories are just two of many, and central to the roundtable discussion they attended hosted by Rep. Don Beyer (D).

Beyer said he’ll fight the proposed cuts and called on Virginians to share their stories hoping that public opinion can sway his colleagues on the Hill and at the White House.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Beyer Applauds Closure Of DCA Helicopter Route

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

Appearing before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies for the panel’s “Member Day”, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) testified in support of the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program. 

The Subcommittee is responsible for drafting the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill.

Rep. Griffith’s opening testimony can be watched here.

BACKGROUND

Administered by the Virginia Department of Energy, AMLER projects include but are not limited to infrastructure improvements and site redevelopment. Such work may also include cleaning up gob piles and taking down high walls to make the area safe and developable.

As the leading advocate in Virginia for the AMLER program, Rep. Griffith was instrumental in ensuring the inclusion of the Commonwealth in the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) pilot program. Since then, Southwest Virginia has been able to obtain tens of millions of federal dollars.

Last year, Rep. Griffith successfully added an amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill to make the AMLER program run more effectively.

In 2024, AMLER awarded $10 million to projects in deep Southwest Virginia.

Rep. Griffith celebrated recent AMLER projects by attending ribbon-cutting events for Big Cherry Lake in Wise County and Devil’s Bathtub in Scott County.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

The U.S. Senate voted and passed a continuing resolution, H.R. 1968 – the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025. This continuing resolution now heads to President Trump’s desk to avoid a government shutdown. Government funding runs out at 11:59 pm on Friday, March 14.

Following passage of the continuing resolution, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“This government funding bill delivers critical funding to our border enforcement authorities and helps President Trump carry out his popular agenda of making government work more efficiently for the American people.”

BACKGROUND

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1968 – the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 on Tuesday, March 11.

While Congressman Griffith generally does not support continuing resolutions, he issued a press release explaining his vote in favor of this bill.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

Griffith Statement on Justice for Fallen Big Stone Gap Officer

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

In what is being deemed as possibly the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history”, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans for the agency to reconsider numerous EPA regulations. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee Chair and U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“Excessive overregulation of American industries is partly responsible for the demise of good-paying manufacturing jobs and affordable American energy.

“I welcome Administrator Zeldin’s actions to perform an agency review over many of these regulations.

“In line with the EPA’s ‘Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative’, I look forward to supporting thoughtful policies that restore American energy dominance, prepare the United States to lead on artificial intelligence, and enable our industries to deliver American-made goods and affordable, reliable energy across the country.”

BACKGROUND

In the 118^th Congress, Rep. Griffith chaired the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations.

The Environment Subcommittee’s first two hearings of the year focused on the EPA’s regulation of chemical manufacturing and the administration of the Brownfields Program.

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