Beyer, Don RSS Articles

Beyer Statement On Trump Arch Announcement

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents a Northern Virginia district in the U.S. House that includes Arlington National Cemetery and Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), issued the following statement after President Trump declared via social media post that his proposal for a gigantic arch intended to serve as a monument to himself would “convert” the site “to house, store, and… use large numbers of drones, plus snipers, …and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition,” supposedly for national security reasons:

“Putting a drone launching site directly in the landing path for DCA is a stupid, dangerous, and unworkable idea. But if Trump wants to pursue it, the FAA’s prior work over the past six months to rubber stamp this proposal with a dubious safety study will be obsolete, and they will have to do it all over again.

“Likewise, Trump’s notion to make his vanity arch an ammunition depot for ‘snipers’ in a location where snipers have never been needed would place a large weapons cache within feet of thousands of tourists, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers on major commuter traffic thoroughfares and Metro’s Blue Line. Such work would necessitate a redo of all prior impact studies, some of which remain unreleased if they were ever done at all.

“Of course, Trump is not serious about any of this. He just wants this massive monument to his own ego built by any means available, and he has been told that he is likely to lose court challenges. He hopes to use national security as a ludicrous pretext to force construction through, just as he did with his wildly expensive White House ballroom boondoggle. The overwhelming local opposition to Trump’s illegal and disrespectful vanity arch will not be defeated by this chicanery. The Narcissist in Chief is not fooling anyone.”

Last Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a doubtful “determination of no hazard to air navigation” for the President’s arch proposal. The FAA’s determination did not contemplate the structure’s use as a launch pad for “large numbers of drones.”

The FAA document’s political influence was especially apparent in the closing section, which overruled a prior FAA requirement of flashing red lights for the arch in favor of “a non-standard eternal flame” “continuously floodlighted by searchlight projectors.” The National Park Service similarly issued documentation finding the arch would have substantial adverse effects on regional historic sites, but approving it anyway.

Rep. Don Beyer is leading congressional efforts to block construction of Trump’s arch. His Northern Virginia district includes the Arlington National Cemetery, where his parents, grandparents, and sister are buried. He is the author of the Arlington National Cemetery Viewshed Protection Act, which would explicitly prohibit construction of the arch. He previously raised concerns about the projects impacts on traffic in the region, which the Trump Administration has yet to address. The arch has been a consistent source of anger and concern to Beyer’s constituents, who like much of the country, vociferously oppose the project.

The National Park Service’s “Assessment of Effect” on President Trump’s proposed 250-foot “triumphal arch” found that the arch would “adversely affect” dozens of nearby historic sites and monuments, including Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the National Cathedral, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and many others. The proposal currently faces legal challenges, which allege that it violates the National Historic Preservation Act.

Beyer Calls For Suspension Of AI System Deployed By FAA At Washington Area Airports

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who serves as co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Artificial Intelligence (AI) Caucus and represents a Northern Virginia district that includes Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in the U.S. House, issued the following statement today on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) deployment of an AI Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (“SMART”) system to manage flights at Washington area airports including DCA:

“The FAA should not use my constituents as guinea pigs for an unproven AI air traffic control system. The safety of the 24 million people traveling through DCA each year must be the top priority. Residents of this region are still uncertain about air safety after last year’s fatal accident, and the Administration did shockingly little to educate the traveling public about this development before implementing it in one of the most complex airspaces in the world.

“Unfortunately, I was informed today that air traffic controllers were not consulted on the ‘SMART’ system’s design and development, and were not trained on using it prior to the system’s adoption at local airports. I was further informed that the air traffic controllers have been told the ‘SMART’ system can adjust schedules and potentially even routes. Despite outward appearances, the airlines reportedly were privately ‘panicking’ about the hasty implementation of this system. I do not know why the Administration felt the need to race it into use, but it is unacceptable to use AI as a substitute for rebuilding the human-directed air traffic controller workforce.

“Dangerously rushing a system that holds Americans’ lives in its hands is not a good use case for artificial intelligence. I call on the FAA to immediately suspend its operation, at the very least until it is clearly established beyond doubt via air traffic controller feedback and independently verified stress testing that the technology is safe.”

Beyer Opposes Crypto Tax Bill: “Crypto Industry Has Been Weaponized To Corrupt Our Presidency”

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), the Senior House Democrat on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee and a member of the House Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks yesterday during the Ways and Means Committee’s markup of crypto tax legislation, the Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act, explaining his vote against the measure:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I truly appreciate you and your staff for working across the aisle on the bill before us today.

I am also thankful for Mr. Horsford’s hard work and leadership through this process.

This legislation is a substantial improvement from the measure we considered in our committee earlier this year.

Some of the more egregious giveaways to the digital asset industry have been sanded down or removed altogether.

And I am particularly happy to see the inclusion of improved language that would limit the ability of taxpayers from using Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories as venues for tax evasion.

However, despite these improvements, I cannot support this legislation at this time.

Simply put, this bill does not exist in a vacuum.

Most Americans, for good reason, associate digital assets and cryptocurrencies with fraud, instability, illicit finance, and most all, with corruption.

Everyday, we are confronted with story after story of malfeasance of all types, either enabled or worsened by the increasing ubiquity of digital assets in the global economy.

The promises that crypto boosters have made over the years that greater digital asset adoption would somehow lead to lower costs, higher financial inclusion, more transparency, and so on have all been unmet.

Instead of this utopian vision, the reality of crypto is that most Americans experience is much darker.

Unfortunately, the fact is that the digital asset marketplace is dominated by bad actors, and none more so than the current occupant of the White House and his family.

Through their various cryptocurrency ventures like World Liberty Financial and the Trump-branded meme coin, the Trump family has amassed billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains coming in part from foreign governments, criminals, and wealthy donors – all through crypto.

And hundreds of millions of these dollars are flowing through the President’s political apparatus and flooding the airwaves to attack his political opponents.

The crypto industry has been weaponized to corrupt our presidency.

In exchange, this Administration has worked hard to water down or eliminate regulations aimed at protecting consumers while also halting prosecutions of numerous crypto fraudsters.

And most of all, the President has been focused on ensuring that he can continue to personally rake in massive cryptocurrency profits without any accountability.

Just look at what happened yesterday in the Senate, where CLARITY Act, a digital asset market structure bill, failed due to the President’s desire to avoid any restrictions on his ability to benefit from his own crypto holdings.

Even the most basic ethics requirements limiting the President and other senior government officials from profiting from the policies they oversee were onerous to him.

The close relationship between the President and cryptocurrency, and his relentless profit-seeking while in office, is doing the industry no favors in the long-term.

This staggering level of corruption is unprecedented in our history and leaves our nation extremely vulnerable, to say nothing of the more mundane criminal activity enabled by crypto which inflicts a heavy cost on the American people every single day.

I do not believe that we should proceed with legislation that would further embed this industry into our economic life and republic until we can get a handle on these more pressing and immediate challenges.

And with that, thank you again, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

Beyer, Meeks, Sherman & Garamendi Announce JRD on U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Agreement

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Representatives Don Beyer, and Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Brad Sherman, and John Garamendi, today issued the following statement raising serious concerns with the Trump administration’s nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia and announced the introduction of a Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block this agreement's entry into force.

“This U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement dangerously departs from decades of nonproliferation standards and presents considerable risks. For decades, across administrations of both parties, the United States has committed to a clear nonproliferation policy that no new countries should be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. In order to prevent nuclear weapons development, two provisions are critical: the Gold Standard commitment to no enrichment and no reprocessing, and the Additional Protocol that allows International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections to confirm enrichment and reprocessing are not occurring. The proposed nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia fails to secure these critical safety measures. Several countries – including Saudi Arabia’s neighbor, the UAE – successfully pursued civilian nuclear cooperation under this framework. There’s no credible reason Saudi Arabia should get a weaker deal.

“A region already gripped by conflict and escalation does not need another nuclear power. Saudi Arabia's own statements make that risk explicit: In a 2023 interview, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said plainly that, ‘if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, we must obtain one as well.’ The Kingdom has also obtained multiple nuclear-capable Dongfeng-3 ballistic missiles from China and is actively developing its own long-range ballistic missile program that could provide the means to deliver nuclear weapons. Handing Saudi Arabia enrichment capacity under these conditions – even with the stipulations included in the agreement the administration has shared with Congress – isn’t just reckless nonproliferation policy, it’s an invitation to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

“That is why we are introducing a Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block this deeply flawed agreement and stop the Trump administration from further dangerous global nuclear proliferation.”

Bipartisan Delegation Urges House Leaders To Take Immediate Action On Artificial Intelligence

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Don Beyer, co-chair of Congress’ bipartisan Caucus on Artificial Intelligence, today led a bipartisan group of 10 leaders on AI in the U.S. House in pressing leadership of both parties to take immediate, urgent action to address risks posed by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI). Their push came in the wake of the OpenAI agent cyberattacks on Hugging Face and subsequent warnings from leaders and researchers at prominent AI companies about the societal and existential risks posed by unrestrained advances in the technology.

The letter was signed by U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Veronica Escobar (D-TX). They wrote:

“We call for your joint leadership on an urgent Congressional response to recent incidents involving advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models that have profound implications for economic and national security. Congress has a singular opportunity to respond swiftly and effectively to these warning shots before true catastrophes occur.
…
“Congress must urgently advance legislation to mitigate the risk of more serious incidents, especially those that could threaten critical infrastructure, our financial system, and other institutions that every American depends on.

“The House of Representatives could and should immediately take up legislation that would strengthen AI oversight, security, and transparency. There currently exist dozens of bipartisan bills that that committees of jurisdiction have reported. Members of both parties have also worked in recent months to fast-track bipartisan legislation that is ready to be considered by committees of jurisdiction. We believe these bills should be carefully and urgently advanced through the legislative process.

“We urge you to work with committees of jurisdiction, Members across the aisle, and Senate leadership to, as soon as practicable, advance legislation that ensures appropriate guardrails are in place around this powerful technology. The Congress may not receive another warning shot.”

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

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) serves as co-Chair of the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus. He was one of a handful of members selected to serve on the bipartisan Task Force On Artificial Intelligence, convened by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Speaker Mike Johnson. He is the author of the AI Foundation Model Transparency Act and a lead cosponsor of the CREATE AI Act, the Federal Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Act, and the Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act.

Beyer previously served for eight years on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and is currently attending George Mason University as a part time student pursuing a master’s degree in machine learning, in part to help inform his work on AI in Congress.

***

Dear Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jeffries:

“We call for your joint leadership on an urgent Congressional response to recent incidents involving advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models that have profound implications for economic and national security. Congress has a singular opportunity to respond swiftly and effectively to these warning shots before true catastrophes occur.

“On August 26th, 2026, an independent review revealed how hundreds of AI agents that OpenAI was internally testing set up a secret message board, self-organized themselves into a collective, escaped their testing environments, and breached the systems of HuggingFace, another AI company.^[1] The agents even tried to deceive their evaluators by attempting to manipulate log files and spoof tool calls. The agents undertook these actions without ever notifying a single official at OpenAI.

“OpenAI is not alone. Anthropic and Meta have also disclosed examples of AI agents escaping their testing environment to hack other organizations.^[2] OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta are among the most sophisticated AI companies in the world, yet it appears they did not discover these incidents in real time. In OpenAI’s case, they did not know that their agents breached HuggingFace until approximately a week after the event.^[3] Months after these incidents began, serious factual questions remain open, and we are relying on AI labs for insight into what happened and what this means for future incidents.

“Congress must ensure AI companies implement robust monitoring and independent oversight to protect the public. This incident reinforces that we cannot rely on what are clearly risky testing protocols and self-selected public reporting of incidents of concern. Indeed, nearly every major AI company has called for regulation, and leading employees of those same firms have signed open letters calling for government to pace the rate of AI development.^[4] Congress must urgently advance legislation to mitigate the risk of more serious incidents, especially those that could threaten critical infrastructure, our financial system, and other institutions that every American depends on.

“The House of Representatives could and should immediately take up legislation that would strengthen AI oversight, security, and transparency. There currently exist dozens of bipartisan bills that that committees of jurisdiction have reported.^[5] Members of both parties have also worked in recent months to fast-track bipartisan legislation that is ready to be considered by committees of jurisdiction. We believe these bills should be carefully and urgently advanced through the legislative process.

Beyer: This Bill Would Do More Harm Than Good For America And For Ukraine

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), the Senior House Democrat on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee and a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, delivered a stark warning against the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia And Iran Act during floor debate on the measure ahead of a final vote this afternoon.

His remarks as delivered follow below, and video is available here.

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this well-intentioned but terribly flawed bill.
All of us on our side of the aisle strongly support Ukraine.

But this bill would do more harm than good for America and for Ukraine.

It has three main points: sanctions, tariffs, and symbolism.

The new sanctions on Russia in this bill would be strong and sweeping, if they were enforced.

But the bill gives Trump the power to simply ignore them, and that is what he is very likely to do.

His criticism of Ukraine and friendliness to Russia have both been rising recently, and he is even calling for Russian energy exports, the very thing this bill is purported to block.

The bill’s tariffs are a huge problem.

President Trump has abused every presidential tariff authority – every single one – that Congress has given, often to target our allies.

This bill has a loophole that would allow him to define basically any country as a facilitator of evading Russian sanctions.

He could then hit them with tariffs of up to 100%, with no guardrails or oversight, and no expiration. It’s a much stronger tariff power than those he has already abused, and it would be much harder to challenge in court.

Giving him this power when he has shown us over and over again what he will do with it would be an incredible mistake.

And finally, we are told the bill will be a symbolic win for Ukraine and a show of American support.

But if this bill passes, I predict Ukraine’s supporters will regret it.

Yes they will be able to say “we stood with Ukraine,” in the immediate aftermath.

But when Donald Trump hits our allies with new tariffs and waives sanctions on Russia, the propaganda victory for Putin will be lasting, and the damage will be embedded in U.S. law.

Meanwhile the Ukrainian cause will be tied to Trump’s widely hated tariffs – deeply unpopular in America already, and further stressing Americans’ pocketbooks [which] is not good for Ukraine’s long term.

We can do better, and the House has passed a better bill.

With negotiation and compromise, we can pass a stronger bill that truly supports Ukraine and tightens the economic screws on Russia without harming Americans.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this misguided bill so we can pass a better one.”

Rep. Don Beyer serves as Senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, chairs the New Democrat Coalition’s Trade Task Force, and serves on the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee.

Beyer is the sponsor of the Congressional Trade Authority Act, which would rein in presidential abuses of authorities under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. He is the co-lead, with Rep. Suzan DelBene, of legislation to end abuses of International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff authorities, and an original cosponsor of the Repealing Outdated and Unilateral Tariff Authorities Act, which would repeal Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930; the Reclaim Trade Powers Act, which would strike Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a law that currently allows the President to impose sweeping 15% tariffs on all imports under a “balance of payments” crisis; and the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act, which would halt President Trump’s trade wars, repeal tariffs, and reclaim Congress’ lawful authority over tariffs.

SEEC Blasts EPA Decision to Unleash Power Plant Pollution on Americans

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko and Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Suzanne Bonamici, Sean Casten, Mike Levin, and Chellie Pingree, released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rule to roll back life-saving air pollution limits for fossil fuel-fired power plants.

“Gasoline prices remain at all-time highs and diesel is more expensive than at any time in history. But instead of doing anything meaningful to lower costs for the American people, the Trump Administration is using this moment to boost outdated, expensive, dirty fossil fuel plants that are poisoning our air and water and driving up the price of electricity for all Americans.

“Our power sector is the second largest source of climate pollution in the nation. Just this summer, we’ve already seen many devastating extreme weather events linked to climate change: the sweltering July 4^th heat dome, Gulf Coast flooding caused by Tropical Storm Arthur, the early summer wildfires blazing across the Midwest, and the rapidly growing ‘Super’ El Niño in the Pacific. EPA has both the authority and obligation under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act to protect Americans from sources of dangerous air pollution, including power plants. Instead, thanks to Trump’s Polluters First Agenda, not only are our nation’s leaders choosing to rewind the clock and roll back power plant pollution standards, they are going even further to block future administrations from acting to stop planet-warming pollution from power plants.

“If Donald Trump wasn’t distracted by his corrupt bargains and political favors, he would realize that the solutions for a healthy and affordable future for the American people are already in front of us. To finally put an end to Trump’s self-inflicted affordability crisis, we must deliver fast, cheap, reliable, and clean energy, while holding big polluters accountable for endangering the public.”

Beyer, Meeks, Neal Statement On Russia Sanctions Legislation

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Rep. Don Beyer, Senior House Democrat of Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Rep. Richard Neal, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Ways and Means today issued the following statement after Republican leadership scheduled the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia And Iran Act for a vote in the House next week:

“House Democrats are rock solid in our support for Ukraine, but the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia And Iran Act would do more harm than good. This bill would dramatically expand presidential tariff authorities while failing to mandate sanctions on Russia, both of which are unacceptable. These flaws would raise Americans’ prices while undermining support for Ukraine in the long term.

“We continue to seek bicameral, bipartisan negotiations to craft a bill that can win strong support in both chambers and deliver on our promise to Ukraine. In the meantime, the President has ample authority to expand sanctions on those fueling Russia’s war machine, including those targeted by this bill, and we renew our call on him to do so without further delay.”

Virginia Members Of Congress Welcome Investigation Of ICE Encounter With Jose Mejia Hernandez

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Rep. Don Beyer, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, and Rep. James Walkinshaw today issued the following statement after the Arlington County Police Department opened a formal investigation into the August 11 encounter with ICE agents that resulted in José Mejía Hernandez’ hospitalization and brain injury:

“We strongly support the Arlington County Police Department’s decision to open this investigation, which is essential to establishing how José Mejía Hernandez suffered serious injuries. These included internal bleeding and a brain injury after an encounter with ICE agents. It is unfortunate that the Trump Administration has abandoned its responsibilities to hold federal agents under their command accountable, leaving state and local jurisdictions to do the job the Administration refuses to do to maintain law and order and protect the public. That failure is fueling a pattern of unchecked violence, rights violations, and chaos, in some cases with deadly consequences. If this investigation finds that ICE agents’ misconduct caused Mr. Mejía Hernandez’ injuries or impeded his medical treatment, they must face consequences. We will continue seeking answers about what happened to Mr. Mejía Hernandez in Arlington, and working to ensure he receives access to the medical care and support he needs to recover.”

Beyer Leads Special Orders Highlighting Urgent Need to Restore USAID

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Don Beyer, who represents a Northern Virginia district that is home to many of the former U.S. Agency For International Development (USAID) employees who were fired by President Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE through no fault of their own last year, spoke yesterday evening on the House floor on the short- and long-term impacts of dismantling the United States’ largest foreign assistance agency.

Along with Representative Beyer, Representatives Lois Frankel (D-FL), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), and Brad Sherman (D-CA) spoke in support of restoring funding to the critical agency, and rehiring the dedicated civil servants who provided essential supplies and assistance to people around the world.

Beyer’s remarks follow below, and video is available here.

Last year, President Trump teamed up with his trillionaire donor Elon Musk to dismantle USAID and pause or permanently cancel a large portion of our international assistance programs.

This was done in the name of furthering Trump’s “America First” policy, but it’s mostly combating mostly fictional and exaggerated claims of waste.

The authors of this policy claimed their goal is to achieve “deficit reduction,” to further “America First” policy on largely imaginary claims of waste.

But far from reducing waste, the headlong rush to shutter USAID has forced the government to set aside billions of dollars for lawsuits, pay former employees to stay at home, and settle outstanding agreements with contractors.

Our national debt passed 40 trillion dollars this week, the latest in a long string of facts that show how little Trump and company actually care about fiscal responsibility.

The decision and the chaotic and callous way it was implemented has led to needless death, suffering, and damage to our national security and international reputation.

But the worst impacts have been the devastation this has inflicted on poor and sick people around the world.

You know, in defense of the aid cuts, Elon Musk claimed “zero” people in Africa died. Secretary Rubio likewise claimed “no one has died,” claiming that lifesaving aid and programs would be maintained or replaced.

But these statements are lies and they’re insults to our intelligence.

Available government data shows large reductions in spending from 2024 to 2025: 48% to global health programs, 39% cut to the Food for Peace Program, a 65% cut in development assistance, and a 21% cut to international disaster assistance.

Several large-scale independent studies and reporting from numerous news outlets have shown the human toll of these reductions.

I want to thank my colleagues who have pointed out names and photographs.

Let me give you some examples:

The Gates Foundation estimates that child deaths will rise for the first time in the 21st century in 2025, and projects that if the aid cuts continue at a similar scale, we should expect an additional 12 million child deaths by 2045.

12 million kids.

Harvard University’s Atul Gawande, look, he’s one of the leading public health experts in the world, published everywhere, [he] published analysis nearly a year ago finding that hundreds of thousands have already died as a result of the USAID cuts, less than ten months after they were implemented.

A study published by UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health projected that the elimination of foreign aid funding last year would lead to 14 million preventable deaths by the end of this decade, over a third of them children.

And in a more granular report, research from Oxfam has shown that cholera cases have risen by 62% in 2025 compared to the previous year, just as USAID clean water and sanitation programs were cut.

One to one correspondence.

Look, these are numbers, but these statistics represent suffering and misery that our government chose to inflict on some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

I love and greatly appreciate the New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof. He has gone to Africa and written in heartbreaking detail about the individual human cost of the aid cuts.

He writes about the deaths of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Uganda dying due to the lack of ordinarily available food assistance, medicine, mosquito nets, and other US-provided aid.

I’m a Representative serving Northern Virginia, so I’ve heard from hundreds of former USAID employees and private sectors partners who worked on these cut programs.

Besides the justifiable outrage felt by these men and women due to how they were treated by this Administration, Elon Musk, and his band of DOGE acolytes, what’s really struck me is the grief that they feel being unable to continue to serve our country and help some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

And they understand that U.S. international assistance is not charity. It is a critical component of our national security strategy, alongside diplomacy and defense.

They reduce the risk of lethal diseases like Ebola and avian flu from spreading to our shores, promote economic growth and democracy in developing nations, enhance counterterrorism initiatives, and alleviated international crises and disasters.

But it’s up to us to build and improve on what remains of our aid infrastructure.

We can and should work to reduce the risk of this happening again.

And I look forward to rebuilding USAID in the years to come.

Rep. Beyer Hosts Global Entry Enrollment Event

Sat, 17 May 2025 14:30:00 GMT

I’m hosting a Global Entry Enrollment Event for applicants who have been conditionally approved to complete the interview portion on Saturday, May 17 at the Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library in Alexandria. The event will run from 10:30 AM until 3:40 PM.

All conditionally approved Global Entry applicants can schedule this event from their Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) account, using the location “Alexandria (IAD GE/Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library)”.

Ninth Annual Women's Conference: The Ripple Effects of Resilience

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 23:30:00 GMT

After postponing my Annual Women’s Conference due to the government shutdown in October, I’m pleased to share that we have confirmed a new date and look forward to gathering with you.

Please join me as I host my Ninth Annual Women's Conference: The Ripple Effects of Resilience on Thursday, January 15 at George Mason University’s new Fuse building at Mason Square. This event is free to the public but capacity is limited, so attendees are encouraged to register online here.

This year's event will bring together women leaders to share stories of perseverance, strength, and resilience in the face of the challenges confronting our country and community in these unprecedented times.

The discussion will feature Brooke Sydnor Curran, founder of Move2Learn; Lisa Jacobs, Executive Director of the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium; and Elizabeth Jones Valderrama, Executive Director of Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR). The discussion will be moderated by Nyree Wright, Executive Vice President of Crisis & Risk Communications at Edelman. I will also present this year's Clara Mortenson Beyer Women and Children First Award.

Congressman Beyer Hosts Constituent Services Event For Former And Current Federal Workers And Contractors

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Please join me for a constituent services event for former and current federal workers and contractors on Saturday, September 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Paragon Theaters in Falls Church.

This event, held in partnership with City of Falls Church Mayor Letty Hardi and the wellfed Team (former federal employees), will provide practical financial guidance alongside community and wellness support. Experts will lead a Financial Triage Workshop, sharing clear strategies for budgeting, expense tracking, and planning at every career stage, with time for Q&A.

There will also be space for connection and mental well-being, recognizing that resilience is built through both financial clarity and a supportive community. Refreshments and lunch will also be provided.

Please click here to RSVP.

POSTPONED: Ninth Annual Women's Conference: The Ripple Effects of Resilience

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Please join me as I host my Ninth Annual Women's Conference: The Ripple Effects of Resilience on Monday, October 6 at George Mason University’s new Fuse building at Mason Square. This event is free to the public but capacity is limited, so attendees are encouraged to register online here.

Alexandria Town Hall with NAACP

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 18:00:00 GMT

The NAACP Virginia District 8 proudly announces an engaging Town Hall Meeting scheduled for Saturday, June 28, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church, located at 606 S Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. This vital community conversation will feature distinguished guest speakers including Congressman Don Beyer, Alexandria City Councilman John Taylor Chapman, Arlington County Board Member Julius "JD" Spain, Jr., and Virginia Delegate Marcus B. Simon.

October No Kings Rally

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 18:30:00 GMT

No Kings rally in Market Square, Alexandria, featuring Mayor Gaskins, Olivia Troye, and other local leaders.

No Kings: Alexandria

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 19:00:00 GMT

No Kings rally at Market Square in Old Town, Saturday, June 14th.

Rep. Beyer's Telephone Town Hall

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 22:00:00 GMT

I'm hosting my next telephone town hall tomorrow night, Wednesday, June 4 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the latest in Congress, the federal government, and Northern Virginia. To participate, sign up here: https://beyer.house.gov/forms/form/?ID=89

Rep. Beyer Holds Telephone Town Hall As Shutdown Looms

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 21:30:00 GMT

I'm holding a telephone town hall on Monday 9/29 at 5:30pm. I will discuss the impending lapse in federal appropriations and possibility of a shutdown, and take questions on the latest in Congress, Northern Virginia and more.

To participate, you can sign up here: https://beyer.house.gov/forms/form/?ID=90

Protect Our Medicaid Panel

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 17:30:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08), Virginia House of Delegates Majority Leader Charniele Herring, Chair of the Virginia House of Delegates’ Health and Human Services Committee Mark Sickles, and state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), join a coalition of Virginia home care workers, doctors, and reproductive freedom advocates for a panel discussion to raise the alarm about how threatened Medicaid cuts would impact Northern Virginians.