Press Releases

Today the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a report which found that over $3.5 million was spent on the personal security detail (PSD) of former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, without justification. Rep. Beyer issued the following statement: “This IG report leaves no doubt that Scott Pruitt wasted huge amounts of taxpayer money… Read more »

Rep. Beyer issued the following statement today on President Trump’s announcement that he would halt pay raises for civilian federal employees, which were due to take effect in the coming year: “President Trump’s decision to deny pay raises is a slap in the face to the hardworking civil servants who help keep us safe, care for our veterans, and faithfully serve the American people. No… Read more »

This week the Inspector General (IG) of the General Services Investigation (GSA) issued a report which found that, despite previous denials, President Trump was personally involved in the decision to overturn years of planning for the relocation of the FBI headquarters. That decision has a significant impact on Trump’s financial interests, given the proximity of the current headquarters… Read more »

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) released the following statement after the Trump Administration released its proposal to gut the Clean Power Plan: “President Trump and Acting EPA head Andrew Wheeler teamed up with their friends in the fossil fuel industry to release a plan that would open the floodgates to more carbon pollution across the country. The Administration’s proposal is a betrayal of the… Read more »

Rep. Don Beyer issued the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed to roll back fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks: “In one of President Trump’s most significant efforts to undo Obama’s environmental legacy, he solidified his own: prioritize the wish list of big corporate polluters… Read more »

Rep. Beyer (D-VA) led a group of House Democrats today asking the Acting Director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) for a review of recent meetings between Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and his former lobbying clients. The inquiry followed reporting by E&E that Wheeler met with at least three clients of Wheeler’s former lobbying firm this summer, which may have… Read more »

A new study released this week by the Center For American Progress suggested that the cumulative effects of Republican efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will raise health care costs for Virginia families by thousands of dollars, on average. Those increases, broken down by Congressional District in the table below, come on top of 2018 premium hikes which averaged 37 percent… Read more »

Today, Representatives Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) and Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Centennial Commemorative Coin Act, which would direct the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in recognition of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’s upcoming centennial in 2021. A companion version of this legislation is being introduced in the Senate under the… Read more »

The announcement by the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that it will open a formal investigation of Secretary Ryan Zinke’s real estate dealings with energy giant Halliburton represents the eleventh federal investigation into Zinke opened to date. Most of those investigations are for potential ethical violations. “Scott Pruitt clearly was not the… Read more »

Safe Climate Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Don Beyer (VA-08) released the statement below following the passage of H. Con. Res. 119, the anti-climate, Republican resolution denouncing a carbon tax: “In the same week research was released stating a carbon tax could be implemented without hurting the economy, Congressional Republicans decided to adopt a resolution… Read more »