Gerald Connolly

Congressman Connolly has always defended the rights of women to make decisions about their reproductive freedoms and bodies, especially in the face of an increasingly extreme Republican party and conservative majority on the Supreme Court. Their recent decision to overturn the Constitutional Right of women to control their own bodies is abhorrent to American values and must be overturned.

The greatest priority for Congressman Connolly is passing a law that codifies the protections of Roe v. Wade, and the right for women to make choices about their own body. He has led the fight to overturn the Hyde Amendment and allow federal funding for abortion, has fought to stop the government from trying to pry their way into the personal business of a woman and her doctor, and defended Planned Parenthood and the breadth of indispensable services they provide from continuous Republicans political attacks and attempts to defund them. 

When abortions are banned, they don’t stop happening – they just become more dangerous, and only available to those who can afford them. As with most issues, access to reproductive rights can depend on one’s race, income, and background. Congressman Connolly understands the need for equal and equitable access to Medicare, funding for affordable family planning and abortion coverage, and ending workplace discrimination due to pregnancy or related medical conditions – a focus of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which the Congressman co-sponsors. He is proud that his advocacy for female and reproductive rights has gained him the endorsements of Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the National Organization for Women PAC, as well as an 100% voting record from NARAL.

Black Lives Matter, and it is clear that America has yet to truly confront and reckon with the pervasive individual and structural racism that this country was founded on. Congress needs to take action to not only address the horrifying epidemic of police brutality against people of color, but the underlying systems by which racial, social and economic inequality continue to be perpetuated.  

Congressman Connolly is proud of the legislation he and the 117th Congress have been prioritizing to address these disparities and work towards a future of equity, equality and justice for all Americans, including:

Being an original co-sponsor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which ends qualified immunity for police officers, and which Gerry amended to ensure that all funds paid by the Department of Justice’s civil assets forfeiture equitable sharing program be redirected to public welfare. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed the House in March.

The Justice is Not for Sale Act which would ban federal, state and local use of private, for-profit prisons and end immigrant family detention, as well as ending the price-gouging of prisoners and their families for basic services like phone calls and banking that disproportionately impact immigrants and communities of color.

The Hate Crimes Commission Act to establish a bi-partisan, national commission to explore and expand reporting on hate crimes across the United States, particularly in response to the recent increase in violence targeting Asian-Americans. 

The Federal Death Prohibition Act to end the death penalty at the federal level, a heinous practice that is disproportionately imposed on the Black community and results in the death of innocent people. I have since co-sponsored her 

The Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, which gives local police departments incentives to improve community policing and reduce police misconduct and mandates the reporting of all uses of deadly force by officers to the Department of Justice, as well as creating federal minimum standards for police departments. 

The Eric Garner Excessive Use of Force Prevention Act which would finally outlaw the use of chokeholds by police officers. 

The First Step Act, a bi-partisan effort which became law in 2018 and which reduces federal sentences and mandatory minimums, as well as correcting the racially inspired disparity in crack-cocaine sentencing while curbing the most inhumane practices in incarceration and moving from a system designed for punishment to one designed for rehabilitation. 

These are just a few of the actions we need to take as a country to fix our broken policing and criminal justice system and begin to end the continuing cycles of criminalization and violence perpetrated against our Black and Brown neighbors.

The FREE Covid-19 Vaccine is now available to every American 12 years and up – please, sign-up here to get vaccinated in Virginia or call (877) VAX-IN-VA / (877) 829-4682.

Please continue to follow updated CDC Guidelines on mask wearing and social distancing. For additional information and resources, visit https://covid.virginia.gov/ or dial 2-1-1. 

We have come so far and lost so much in the year since this pandemic began. We have lost almost 700,000 of our fellow citizens to Covid-19, millions have lost their jobs and all of our lives have been completely upended. Here in Fairfax and Prince Williams Counties we have had more than 120,000 infections and lost more than 1,500 of our neighbors. The Delta variant puts a continued strain on our health care systems, schools, and businesses – please remain considerate, social distance when possible, mask indoors, get the free vaccine if you haven’t yet, and get a booster if you need one.

But we are now well on our way to recovering. Congress recently passed the American Rescue Plan, which includes billions in funding to make vaccines quickly and easily available for free to every American, especially in communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, as well as expanding COVID testing and PPE for frontline and workers. The Rescue Plan is also the largest anti-poverty initiative since the 1960s. When fully implemented, it will boost the average household income of the bottom 20% by up to 33%, and cut child poverty in half. Already, the bill has given working families $1,400 per person while expanding paid leave, unemployment benefits, child and earned income tax credits for millions of Americans across the country. 

The expanded Paycheck Protection Program has provided nearly 8 million loans totaling $703 billion, including 50,000 businesses in Virginia that have received $3.9 billion in loans. Northern Virginia localities are projected to receive roughly $1 billion over the next two years in direct government and school system assistance as a result of the American Rescue Plan. Prince William County will receive $92 million for the local government and $89 million for the local school system, and Fairfax County will receive $224 million for the local government and $179 million for schools.

Much of this funding is targeted to the most vulnerable individuals and communities among us, who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The American Rescue Plan makes sure that everyone will have access to a free vaccine, as well as the resources and support they need to rebuild and succeed going forward. 

These are massive, desperately needed investments that will jump-start the economy here in the 11th Congressional District and across the country. 

Justice for Americans of color does not end with overhauling our criminal justice system – we need holistic, system-wide approaches to materially improving the lives of Black, Brown, indigenous and immigrant adults, children, and families, as well as beginning to fully confront and address the history of racism in this country and the ways in which it manifests today. 

Congressman Connolly has been continuing his commitment to advancing racial, social and economic justice by listening to his colleagues of color and supporting their ambitious and progressive legislation, including:

Being an original co-sponsor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which ends qualified immunity for police officers,and which Gerry amended to ensure that all funds paid by the Department of Justice’s civil assets forfeiture equitable sharing program be redirected to public welfare. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed the House in March. You can see more details on the criminal justice reforms Congressman Connolly has helped pursue here. 

Being an original co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, a transformative piece of legislation that aims to end human made climate change and greenhouse gas emissions by investing in correcting the years of economic, environmental and racial injustices this country is built on, and ensuring everyone has access to clean energy, air, water and healthy food. Additionally, Gerry helped introduce the Green New Deal for Cities, Counties, States, Tribes, and Territories which invests in local communities to ensure they have the resources to address climate change, and that their environmental justice centers equity, racial justice, and working people.

The Environmental Justice Mapping and Data Collection Act would ensure the EPA collects and shares data on the communities that experience or are at risk of adverse environmental and health conditions, which are predominantly communities of color, indigenous and low-income communities. Gerry has been advocating for environmental justice since he was Supervisor, and was awarded the Protector of the Potomac award in 2016 for his advocacy against coal ash waste and water pollution that largely affected Black communities following the closure of the Possum Point power plant.

The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 addresses the unconscionable rate of death for mothers in the United States – the highest in the developing world – which is 3 to 4 times higher for Black mothers and almost 2 times as high for Native American and Hispanic mothers, by making essential investments in the social determinants of health like housing and nutrition, as well as community-based organizations and maternal mental health, amongst other critical services. 

The Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, a long overdue opportunity to confront the history of our nation founded on the enslavement, exploitation and disenfranchisement of Black people, and the continued legacy of slavery and racism in the United States, as well as exploring ways in which we can begin to compensate, rehabilitate and restitute those descended from this history. 

Statehood for the people of Washington, DC, a racist injustice that has deprived the more than 700,000 citizens of our nation’s capital voting representation in Congress since its creation. DC is a historically Black city where Black people make up 47% of the population, and granting them a voice would go a long way in correcting this historic wrong and beginning to rebalance a political system that already gives White voters a disproportionate influence in our democracy. 

Finally enshrine Juneteenth National Independence Day as a federal holiday to commemorate the emancipation of Black Americans from slavery at the end of the Civil War.

Consistently supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions here in Virginia and across the country, including support of the FUTURES Act which became law in 2019 and ensured $255 million in annual federal funding for HBCUs, as well as an increase in Pell Grant funding and streamlining of FAFSA student loan applications.

This country has a long way to go to ensure racial, social, and economic justice for all Americans, especially Black people. Congressman Connolly has been and always will be committed to pursuing equity and justice for all, and will continue to advance legislation that enshrines those values into law.

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues our society faces, endangering not just every individual here in Virginia and across our nation, but the future of humanity and our entire planet. As a founder and co-Chairman of the House Green Dogs, the largest environmental caucus in Congress, Congressman Connolly has consistently advocated for a 21st century, clean energy future. He helped successfully pass the largest government investments in clean energy, and was a proud supporter of the Paris Climate Agreement and Clean Power Plan. Congressman Connolly has continuously opposed Republican efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. For his efforts, Gerry has consistently been endorsed by the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters, two of the largest pro-environment advocacy organizations in the country.

In his fight to stop climate change, Congressman Connolly became one of the original co-sponsors of the Green New Deal (GND), which creates a framework for the nation to transition into a green future centered around the principles of climate justice. The GND commits to the decarbonization of the economy, a federal jobs guarantee with large-scale public investments, and an emphasis on transition into a lower-carbon society that addresses the racial, social and economic impacts of environmental justice. This deal allows us to build a greener, more sustainable plan for the future, while also ensuring a just transition and jobs for all who are affected. To do so, he has cosponsored The Energy Innovation And Carbon Dividend Act, which imposes caps on corporate carbon emissions to invest in a zero carbon future. 

Congressman Connolly understands that the fight for our environment begins here at home – and it is one he has been waging since he was a Fairfax County Supervisor, when he developed the County’s first Comprehensive Environmental Plan and Cool Counties Initiative. He continues leading the decades-long fight to oppose oil and gas drilling off the coast of Virginia, as well as stopping the Trump administration attempts to eliminate essential funds for cleaning the Chesapeake Bay. He helped force local power companies to clean up toxic coal ash from groundwater sources in our community here in Northern Virginia. He has been pushing Congress to ban single use plastic, increase funding for water infrastructure, permanently reauthorize and fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and continue to expand preserved lands across the country – including opposing drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. Climate change must be stopped, and to do so we need the dedication, action, and accountability that Congressman Gerry Connolly delivers each and every day for the people of the 11th District, Virginia, and the country.

Shootings have reached every corner of our lives – schools, houses of worship, movie theaters, bars, restaurants, spa’s, super markets, malls and more, leaving families across the country fearing for their lives during what should be safe, everyday activities. While high profile cases of gun violence shake our communities, we also know that the majority of gun violence is not random, and disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable communities and those struggling with mental health difficulties. Congressman Connolly has always been a strong supporter of common-sense gun safety, and understands we need to take a holistic approach to ending gun violence, preventing unnecessary deaths, and beginning to heal our community. 

Congressman Connolly is proud of his endorsement from the Brady Campaign and Gun Sense Voter, and of his “F” rating from the NRA, which is headquartered in Fairfax and where he frequently joins the community to demonstrate, hold vigils, and protests. He held an open town hall in the wake of the Parkland shooting with students from his district, marched in the streets of Washington and met with the organizers of the March for Our Lives Rally in support of their pursuit of gun reform and policy change. Congressman Connolly supports reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban, mandating safe gun storage, implementing universal background checks before purchasing a gun, and closing the gun show loophole. He also knows we must end the white supremacist radicalization that has prompted so much domestic terrorism in recent years, while also ensuring police officers are actually keeping their communities safe and not contributing to violence as well. And we need a whole-of-government approach, providing the economic, social, and medical security that ensures those who need help get it and the most vulnerable do not feel the need to turn to violence. Congressman Connolly believes wholeheartedly that these steps are essential to keeping guns out of the wrong hands, saving lives and preserving our community while respecting the rights of all. 

If the global pandemic that began in 2020 has made one issue abundantly clear, it is the need for all Americans to have access to affordable, quality, reliable healthcare. Congressman Connolly encourages everyone to get a Covid-19 vaccine as soon as possible – it is the best thing you can do to protect yourselves and your loved ones from the pandemic that has cost more than 700,000 American lives (find a vaccine here). He is proud to have been an original supporter and consistent defender of the Affordable Care Act, which has lowered costs and  expanded health care access to millions of Americans, many of whom would not have insurance otherwise. The ACA also ensured those diagnosed with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage, helped to stabilize premiums, and guaranteed children could stay on their parents insurance plan until the age of twenty-six. Despite the former Trump administration’s attempts and Republicans continued attacks on the ACA from the national to local levels, it remains overwhelmingly popular with the public and improves the lives of more than 3 million people across Virginia, where the uninsured rate has continued to shrink by more than 30%.

Congressman Connolly also helped champion Medicaid expansion, a six year fight that has seen more than 400,000 newly eligible Virginians receive healthcare coverage, and believes we should go further by lowering the enrollment age and expanding coverage to include dental, vision and hearing care. He has fought for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which gives healthcare coverage to more than 200,000 children in the Commonwealth, as well as the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program which provides high-quality healthcare coverage to so many civil servants and their families in the 11th Congressional District. Additionally, Gerry has consistently advocated for full funding for the National Institute of Health, Planned Parenthood and maternal health, and research and development to solve the medical issues of the 21st century. And with the ongoing attacks on reproductive freedoms, he believes it is beyond time to enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade law. 

In the 117th Congress, Congressman Connolly became a co-sponsor of the Mental Health Justice Act of 2021, which supports state and local governments with the training and dispatching of mental health experts to aid citizens facing behavioral health issues or crises, instead of police. He is also a co-sponsor of The Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2021, ensuring pharmaceutical companies don’t artificially inflate the price of drugs that should be available as generics. As the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated, public health depends on world-wide cooperation, and that is why Congressman Connolly has been fighting to codify the The Global Health and Security Act and ensure US investments in global efforts to prevent, prepare, and respond to worldwide public health threats since before 2020. 

Just as he has always done, Congressman Connolly will always stand to protect health care for all Americans and continue to fight to protect, improve, and expand our health care services.

Implicit in the name, DREAMers embody a story of resilience: they represent the millions of immigrants who were brought to the United States as children by parents seeking to shelter them from the poverty, violence, or persecution that they faced in their native countries. As a nation of immigrants that rose to become the most powerful, wealthy nation in the history of the world, our government is responsible for treating DREAMers and all undocumented immigrants the way we would hope our children would be treated. We cannot separate families and deport people to countries they have no recollection of, as Trump and the Republican party inhumanely insist. It is the responsibility of Congress to ensure all refugees and immigrants have the right to a life of freedom and the opportunity to become citizens – and Congressman Connolly has been fighting on their behalf since he was first elected. 

Congressman Connolly is a vocal advocate for DREAMers, having supported the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program, which gave these young people the freedom to come out of the shadows and live a life without fear of deportation. He opposed the Trump administration’s attempt to end DACA and has joined in multiple bipartisan efforts to enshrine it into permanent law. Programs such as DACA have been vital for the future of these children, but we need to take the next step to make sure they have had the opportunity to work, attend school, and become US citizens. In Virginia there are more than 12,000 DREAMers, and Gerry is committed to protecting them as well as their families from the cruelty of any separation or deportation. He also staunchly opposed limits on refugees imposed by the Trump administration, and publically pressured President Biden to reverse those limits, as well as having introduced  the Lady Liberty Act of 2021 to institute a minimum of at least 125,000 refugees to be admitted to the country annually. When the Afghan government collapsed to the Taliban, he joined the community in welcoming the fleeing refugees to Northern Virginia with open arms, and his office worked with public and private groups to coordinate the departure and asylum applications for more than 21,000 Afghans. As the grandchild of immigrants, Congressman Connolly knows that those who come to the United States pursuing the American Dream are not so different from us, and deserve a fair chance, and that the more than 11 million undocumented people who already live and pay taxes here deserve a path to citizenship. 

Congressman Connolly knows that we are facing a dual crisis of prescription drugs: an opioid abuse epidemic ravaging our country that has taken more than 450,000 lives since 1999, and constant increases in the cost of legitimately prescribed medicine, all while confronting an unprecedented global pandemic that has taken more than 700,000 American lives. 

The victims of drug addiction need to be helped and supported through their rehabilitation, not punished and facing criminal prosecution. That is why Congressman Connolly co-sponsored the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency Act, to establish programs and funding to address substance abuse, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction, as well as the distribution of overdose reversal drugs such as Narcane. These drugs and programs have been proven to be life saving tools that need to be made available to each and every individual who suffers from addiction. He has also consistently advocated for Medicaid expansion, which would bring in an additional $100 million to help the fight against addiction, and another $200 million which would support mental health treatment and initiatives on the road to recovery, while lowering the Medicare enrollment age and expanding coverage to include dental, vision, and hearing. 

Congressman Connolly also introduced the Opioid Immediate Suspension Order Act, which was geared towards helping the Department of Justice respond to the growing crisis, allowing them to investigate and suspend distributor’s licenses if there were suspicious findings. Since then, the Federal government has begun to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for damages caused by their intentional overprescription and marketing of opioids and other drugs that addicted millions and killed people across the United States, including a $10 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma for their role in the opioid crisis. Congressman Connolly will not turn his back on the individuals, families and communities that need help combating addiction. 

At the same time, Americans who have legitimately prescribed drugs have faced constant increases in costs, with many of our low-income individuals and senior citizens unable to afford necessary medications. Expanding Medicaid and capping the cost of insulin are steps in the right direction for Virginia, but much more has to be done to ensure all Americans have access to the affordable prescription drugs they need to survive. Congressman Connolly is proud to be a co-sponsor of the Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act to demand the Department of Health and Human Services negotiate on the prices of pharmaceuticals and health care, and imposes penalties on companies that attempt to price gouge medicine. He also supports the Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2021, which ensures companies cannot collaborate to artificially increase the prices of drugs that should be available as generics.

On the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Congressman Connolly has supported investigations into pharmaceutical company price gouging, including the ridiculous 500% increases on the cost of EpiPens in 2016 and the $750 per pill crimes of Martin Shkreli. He also supports the Biden administration’s vaccine patent waiver, understanding that this vaccine is a result of years of massive government funding for research, and that this pandemic demands unprecedented public-private partnership in order to save lives here in the US and across the world. Even before the pandemic, he was fighting to codify the The Global Health and Security Act to ensure US investments in global efforts to prevent, prepare, and respond to worldwide public health threats. Through oversight, accountability, reform, cooperation and competition, prescription drug prices will become more affordable and available for those who need them here in Virginia and across the country. 

Medicare and Social Security are two of the most fundamental cornerstones of our society, programs every working American pays for with the guarantee that upon retirement, they will have the resources and security they need to live comfortably. The importance of these programs has only become more clear during the global pandemic, which has disproportionately harmed our seniors and strained our healthcare systems. Republicans have consistently demonstrated that they are intent on dismantling these essential programs to deliver tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy, while leaving seniors vulnerable and without the resources they depend on for financial security, health, and quality of life. 

Congressman Connolly has consistently fought against any efforts to defund or privatize Medicare, advocating for its expansion while working to close the “Medicare Donut,” lower the Medicare age and include hearing, vision and dental coverage, make prescription drugs more affordable, retain access to generics, and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their actions. He was a staunch proponent of the Affordable Care Act, and has used his position on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform to root out financial inefficiency in the Medicare system, targeting the over $70 billion that is lost annually due to waste, abuse and fraud. Congressman Connolly has recently led the fight in federal support for assisted living facilities, which have been so harshly impacted by the pandemic and provide vital assistance to the individuals and families who depend on them. 

Gerry Connolly knows how important it is to protect and strengthen Social Security for seniors. Social Security should be a reliable program for all working people in America; it is a promise from the Federal government that workers who pay into it should have access to it when they need it. This is all the more important during a pandemic, which has forced millions into unemployment and increased financial and food insecurity. He opposes any plan to privatize Social Security and put American’s retirement plans at financial risk. Congressman Connolly has consistently worked on a bipartisan basis to improve and preserve the Social Security system for our current and future generations, and given the uncertain future of both programs believes this work is more important than ever.

Congressman Connolly is grateful to all of the individuals who serve our nation, and is committed to making sure our government dutifully serves veterans of all backgrounds. Over 80,000 veterans and their families live here in the 11th district of Virginia. When soldiers return from duty, Congressman Connolly is committed to ensuring they have chances to further their education, have reliable access to medical care, and successfully re-enter the civilian community and workforce. 

To this end, Gerry has and continues to support legislation that improves the lives of our veterans, helping pass the Federal Worker Leave Fairness Act to ensure veterans had uninterrupted access to their benefits despite the Covid-19 pandemic. He also helped pass the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2017, which increased compensation to veterans who were disabled while in service. He co-sponsored the Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act, which aims to extend and enhance medical services with nursing homecare, and provide special attention to all mental illnesses for combat veterans on active duty. Congressman Connolly is a strong advocate for increased funding to and oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs in an effort to guarantee our veterans receive the best care possible in an effective and timely manner. 

Giving back to our veterans and their families has always been a top priority for the Congressman. He helped pass the Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act, which guarantees the immediate payment of benefits to families of those who pass away in the line of duty, as well passing legislation to establish a Military-Civilian Task Force on Domestic Violence to address instances of domestic violence within the military. His efforts and actions have gotten him recognized by Our Military Kids, who awarded him with the “Friend of Military Kids” award for his work on behalf of military families. Gerry has consistently received a perfect score from our Military Officers Association of America. Congressman Connolly will not stop here, and continues to be an advocate for our veterans, fighting for the brave people that honorably serve our country.