Amidst the latest Supreme Court fight, Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17) will introduce the Supreme Court Term Limits Act to fundamentally reframe the power of our nation’s highest court. Khanna’s bill would establish 18-year term limits on any Supreme Court Justices approved after his bill’s passage. After their 18-year terms, justices would then be allowed to continue their service on lower courts, as form... Read More »
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today testified before the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security in its hearing, “Save Our Social Security Now.” Beyer, whose district includes the largest number of civilian federal employees of any member the House as well as the Pentagon and a number of other military installations, spoke to the damaging effects that the policy will have on mili... Read More »
In an appearance on Government Matters, Rep. Don Beyer strongly urged federal agencies to increase and improve communications with federal workers and military service members about changes in their paychecks which will begin in the current pay period as a result of President Trump’s payroll tax deferral. His interview came ahead of a Thursday hearing on the payroll tax deferral by the House Ways ... Read More »
Last night the House of Representatives passed two bipartisan bills coauthored by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who serves as co-chair of the House Suicide Prevention Task Force. The Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act, co-led by Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-MT), which would set up an educational campaign to change American culture confronting suicide and raise awareness for the three-digit suicide lifeline phone ... Read More »
Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Francis Rooney (R-FL) today introduced the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act, bipartisan legislation that would direct offshore wind revenues to NOAA’s Coastal Resilience Grants Program. The grant program “funds projects that are helping coastal communities and ecosystems prepare for and recover from extreme weather events, climate hazards, and changing ocean conditi... Read More »
Late last night President Trump made clear that his Executive Order allowing employers to defer payroll taxes until 2021 was intended as coercion, tweeting, “When we win I, as your President, will totally forgive ALL deferred payroll taxes with money from the General Fund.” The Constitution vests tax powers with Congress, meaning the President cannot deliver the political bribe he offered. Trump’s... Read More »
Across the country implementation of President Trump’s executive order to provide cut-in-half enhanced unemployment benefits continues to result in chaos. The White House initially promised $400 per week would reach unemployed workers “immediately” under the order issued after its negotiators walked away from economic stimulus talks. Administration officials subsequently clarified that the federal... Read More »
Following initial reporting from Federal News Radio on Friday night, the Trump Administration confirmed over the weekend that all members of the United States military in the income range specified by President Trump’s executive order will have their Social Security payroll taxes deferred. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), which administers payroll for Department of Defense employ... Read More »
Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) today led his National Capital Region colleagues in urging the Administration to make President Trump’s payroll tax deferral program optional rather than mandatory for the nation’s 1.3 million federal workers. Since President Trump’s August 8th announcement of the mandatory payroll tax deferral, federal employees, industry stakeholders, and employers have expressed... Read More »
Today, the Co-Chairs of the Endangered Species Act Caucus Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and Congressman Don Beyer led a letter with over 100 Members of Congress to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith opposing the Trump administration’s recent proposal to weaken the Endangered Species Act. The administration’s proposed rule would narrow the definition ... Read More »
Labor Department statistics this morning showed that initial unemployment claims rose again, for the fourth week in a row, to just under 1.6 million total. This report marks the 24th week in a row with more initial jobless claims than any week of the Great Recession, and points again to a stalling economic recovery amid declining government stimulus. While some headlines wrongly reported the figur... Read More »
17 House Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee today sent an oversight letter to the Trump Administration seeking clarity on the chaotic rollout of the President’s executive order on deferral of payroll taxes. In their letter, which was led by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), the Representatives pointed to contradictory statements and publications by Trump Administration officials in the order’s i... Read More »
Originally published at the Washington Post Federal workers will have taxes deferred under Trump’s order, sparking outcry they’re being treated as a ‘guinea pig’ Few businesses so far have shown interest in adopting Trump’s payroll tax deferral By Tony Romm and Eric Yoder September 2, 2020 at 8:24 a.m. EDT The U.S. government will implement an across-the-board payroll tax deferral for about 1.3 mi... Read More »
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Arlington County Board of Supervisors Chair Libby Garvey today wrote to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Trump Campaign Chair Bill Stepien urging the President and his aides to comply with public health rules and pandemic safety measures while in Arlington. Their letter came in the wake of President Trump’s speech at a conference in Pentagon City to a large, cl... Read More »
Published at the Washington Post Local officials beseech Trump, Pence to wear masks while in Arlington By Patricia Sullivan September 1, 2020 at 2:51 p.m. EDT A Northern Virginia congressman and the chair of the Arlington County Board wrote to President Trump’s chief of staff and campaign manager Tuesday, expressing concern that the president and vice president had attended events in Arlington wit... Read More »
