Latest news with #U.S.HouseOversightCommittee
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After over 30 years of public service, Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly dies at 75
U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., speaks to members of the media in 2019. () U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., has died, after an extended battle with cancer that weeks ago prompted him to not seek reelection to Congress. He was 75 and 'passed away peacefully at his home' Wednesday morning, according to a statement from his family. Connolly was elected to Congress in 2008, representing Virginia's 11th District, anchored in Fairfax County. He had previously served on the Fairfax Board of Supervisors from 1995 to 2008, spending the last five years of his term as chairman. He leaves a 30-plus-year legacy as an advocate of progressive legislation, and served as ranking member of the U.S. House Oversight Committee until weeks before his death. Longtime NoVa congressman Gerry Connolly will not seek reelection after cancer resurgence Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Lamont Bagby joined a chorus of state and federal lawmakers expressing condolences over Connolly's death Wednesday morning. 'Congressman Gerry Connolly embodied what it means to be a public servant. Over decades of leadership — first as Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and then as a Congressman for 16 years — he demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the people of Fairfax County, Northern Virginia, and beyond,' Bagby wrote. U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., said in a statement he was 'heartbroken' over Connolly's death. 'I've known Gerry for more than 35 years. To me, he exemplified the very best of public service. Just this past Sunday, I was honored to join his wife Smitty, daughter Caitlin, and the Fairfax community in celebrating his decades of service. While Gerry couldn't be there in person, his presence was felt throughout the room. He was there in spirit, as he always is when people come together in the name of service and progress.' Despite his declining health, in his last months Connolly pushed to maximize public access to information that impacts the average American's life. Less than a month ago, Connolly sharply questioned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after thousands of the public health agency's staff was terminated, including the entirety of personnel responsible for responding to Freedom of Information Act requests. The layoffs were part of President Donald Trump's administration's massive slate of federal spending cuts, facilitated by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. 'The elimination of staff responsible for facilitating FOIA strongly implies an effort by the Administration to prevent the public from obtaining information about their government that they are entitled to request. I urge you to provide detailed information responsive to the requests included in this letter to bring transparency to the FOIA operations within the CDC,' Connolly wrote. U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Va., who represents the state's 4th District, called Connolly a 'servant leader' who 'fought for pragmatic policies that would improve the lives of his constituents.' 'Throughout my time in elected office, Gerry has been a defining and passionate voice in Virginia politics. I am grateful to have been able to call him a friend, mentor, and colleague. I will always treasure our talks on the House floor and will miss him greatly,' McClellan wrote in a statement. Connolly's time in federal office was defined by his focus on government reform, technology and international affairs. He served as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation in previous years, helping to craft legislation on cyber security, digital privacy and government-wide federal information technology management and innovation. Many of the political leaders commenting on Connolly's death Wednesday said although his federal service and policies helped improve public life nationwide, his service to the state of Virginia remains preeminent in his legacy. 'From transforming Northern Virginia's transportation infrastructure – making transit more accessible for all – to shaping America's role on the global stage, Gerry's legacy reaches from local neighborhoods to the halls of Congress and across the world,' Virginia House Speaker Don Scott wrote in a statement. 'It is with profound sadness that I mourn the passing of one of Virginia's most dedicated public servants.' Connolly, who lived in Fairfax, is survived by his wife Smitty and daughter Caitlin. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Congressman is investigating fintech Ramp's attempt to win $25M federal contract
Rep. Gerald Connolly, ranking member of the U.S. House Oversight Committee, has initiated an investigation into whether expense management startup Ramp is receiving preferential treatment in its bid for a $25 million government contract. Connolly sent a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA) Acting Administrator, Stephen Ehikian, demanding information and documents related to the GSA's reported plans to award a contract for a pilot program to Ramp. News of the probe was first reported by ProPublica. Among Connolly's biggest concerns are that Ramp allegedly has 'zero federal contracting experience' and its investors include a number of Trump allies and supporters. Those investors include Peter Thiel's Founders Fund; Keith Rabois of Khosla Ventures; Thrive Capital, which was founded by Josh Kushner, brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared; vocal Trump supporter 8VC's Joe Lonsdale and Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and brother of former Republican President George W. Bush. Rabois, according to Connolly's letter, raised more than $1 million for Donald Trump's 2024 campaign. Connolly is requesting several things from the GSA, including a detailed list of all meetings between any GSA official and any Ramp representative and all communications between any GSA official, contractor, or subcontractor and any Ramp representative. The government's internal expense card program, dubbed SmartPay, is a $700 billion program. Currently, Citibank and US Bank, two of the nation's largest suppliers of credit cards, are the official banks of the current SmartPay contract. In April, Ramp's head of communications, Lindsay McKinley, confirmed to TechCrunch that the startup was 'competing in a standard procurement process for a SmartPay pilot program based on the strength of our solution.' She claimed that the startup Ramp saw a public post on X shared by the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE, on February 18 that said 'the US government currently has ~4.6M active credit cards/accounts, which processed ~90M unique transactions for ~$40B of spend in FY24.' A former customer, Ramp claims, introduced Ramp to GSA a few days later. However, Connolly alleges that Ramp reportedly began contacting entities in the payment industry about special bank identification numbers required to process government payments before a request for information (RFI) related to the contract was publicly announced. He also claimed that a GSA employee recently stated that Ramp was the 'favorite' to win this business. Ramp did not have any comment on Connolly's investigation. In March, Ramp doubled its valuation to $13 billion after a $150 million secondary share sale. Since its inception in 2019, the startup has raised over $1 billion in equity financing and $700 million in committed debt funding.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: House Republicans are handing JB Pritzker an opportunity to campaign
In a little over a month, Gov. JB Pritzker will be one of three governors of so-called sanctuary states testifying before the U.S. House Oversight Committee. Republicans who run that panel held a similar session in early March in which Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was one of four mayors put on the spot about laws that forbid local police from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement except under very limited conditions, such as when there's a criminal arrest warrant pending against someone not authorized to be in the country. The GOP struggled in that session to shake the resolve of big-city mayors, including Johnson, to defend and uphold their laws. We have little reason to believe the result will be different when Pritzker travels to Washington, D.C., for the June 12 hearing along with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Indeed, Republicans might well be doing Pritzker a favor here, given that our governor appears to have his sights set on a White House run in 2028 and is building a national political brand centered on confrontation with the Trump administration. What better exposure could he ask for than to be able to confront his political adversaries face to face? Polling consistently shows Americans don't approve of deporting and imprisoning people without providing due process. Illinoisans got a preview of the spectacle to come when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem came to Springfield last week and criticized Pritzker, citing cases in which undocumented immigrants committed crimes. Her decision to stage the press conference near the house where Springfield activist Emma Shafer was killed nearly two years ago, allegedly by an ex-boyfriend without authorization to remain in the U.S., created a firestorm. Shafer's mother protested Noem's use of her daughter's story, and Noem's claims that Illinois policies bar state or local police from cooperating with the feds in capturing and prosecuting the accused, Gabriel P. Calixto, weren't true. In a case such as Calixto's, where a criminal warrant is pending, local authorities absolutely can work with federal authorities — and in this situation in fact are doing so, with the U.S. Marshals Service. No doubt Shafer's tragic story will resurface in Washington when Pritzker is called to testify. And the governor will be able to reiterate all of the above. Which makes us wonder what sort of political strategizing House Republicans are doing in giving Pritzker such a platform and making them foils as he continues to raise his profile in the presidential competition to come. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: House Republicans are handing JB Pritzker an opportunity to campaign
In a little over a month, Gov. JB Pritzker will be one of three governors of so-called sanctuary states testifying before the U.S. House Oversight Committee. Republicans who run that panel held a similar session in early March in which Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was one of four mayors put on the spot about laws that forbid local police from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement except under very limited conditions, such as when there's a criminal arrest warrant pending against someone not authorized to be in the country. The GOP struggled in that session to shake the resolve of big-city mayors, including Johnson, to defend and uphold their laws. We have little reason to believe the result will be different when Pritzker travels to Washington, D.C., for the June 12 hearing along with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Indeed, Republicans might well be doing Pritzker a favor here, given that our governor appears to have his sights set on a White House run in 2028 and is building a national political brand centered on confrontation with the Trump administration. What better exposure could he ask for than to be able to confront his political adversaries face to face? Polling consistently shows Americans don't approve of deporting and imprisoning people without providing due process. Illinoisans got a preview of the spectacle to come when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem came to Springfield last week and criticized Pritzker, citing cases in which undocumented immigrants committed crimes. Her decision to stage the press conference near the house where Springfield activist Emma Shafer was killed nearly two years ago, allegedly by an ex-boyfriend without authorization to remain in the U.S., created a firestorm. Shafer's mother protested Noem's use of her daughter's story, and Noem's claims that Illinois policies bar state or local police from cooperating with the feds in capturing and prosecuting the accused, Gabriel P. Calixto, weren't true. In a case such as Calixto's, where a criminal warrant is pending, local authorities absolutely can work with federal authorities — and in this situation in fact are doing so, with the U.S. Marshals Service. No doubt Shafer's tragic story will resurface in Washington when Pritzker is called to testify. And the governor will be able to reiterate all of the above. Which makes us wonder what sort of political strategizing House Republicans are doing in giving Pritzker such a platform and making them foils as he continues to raise his profile in the presidential competition to come.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kristi Noem slams Illinois governor, state's sanctuary policies; Pritzker claps back
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was in Springfield Wednesday to make remarks on Illinois' sanctuary state policies and Gov. JB Pritzker's leadership. 'Governor Pritzker has created a sanctuary here for those criminals and invited them here with free healthcare, free housing, free assistance and facilitated them be protected from being brought to justice. People are dying every day because of these polices,' Noem said during a press conference. The press conference was orginally scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday outside the Governor's Mansion, but that did not happen and it is unclear why. Noem, along with other Trump administration officials, have argued such policies shield immigrants, accused of crimes, from facing consequence. Among those joining the secretary on Wednesday were families, who she says, have allegedly lost loved ones at the hands of people illegally in the U.S. Noem attacked Pritzker while at the podium, but Pritzker had some snark of his own ahead of her visit. 'We would urge all pet owners in the region to make sure all of your beloved animals are under watchful protection while the secretary is in the region.' Pritzker's comment making reference to controversy over Noem's decision to kill a dog, detailed in her memoir. The governor also released the following statement in response to Noem's visit to Illinois: Unlike Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, Illinois follows the law. The Trump Administration is violating the United States Constitution, denying people due process, and disappearing law-abiding neighbors – including children who are U.S. citizens. Yet, they are taking no real action to promote public safety and deport violent criminals within the clear and defined legal process. Trump-Noem publicity stunts do not make our communities safer or our immigration system smarter. Illinois doesn't need to abuse power or ignore the Constitution to keep our people safe. Like the millions of Americans asking for sensible, humane immigration reform, I encourage the Secretary to spend less time performing for Fox News and more time protecting the Homeland. Secretary Noem must have not realized she was visiting during Latino Unity Day where we come together celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of our community. Today, Secretary Noem was met by a force stronger than her: the people of Illinois. Illinoisans are sending a clear message to Trump's lackeys that we will not let you mess with us without a resistance.' Gov. JB Pritzker Pritzker will be heading to Washington in June to testify about Illinois' sanctuary policies. The U.S. House Oversight Committee requested him, the Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz and New York's Governor Kathy Hochul. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias also held a press conference Wednesday in Springfield, seemingly fired up about Noem's visit and the Trump administration's handling of mass deportations. 'I think about this monster Donald Trump, and I think about these dangerously, incompetent and cruel people like Kristi Noem. Who instead of focusing on leadership and helping others and welcoming people, they are scaring the sh** out of people and sending them to other countries without due process,' Giannoulias said. Now, Homeland Security posts pictures regularly to social media highlighting the arrests of immigrants with criminal backgrounds. But that said, the agency has refused, since January, to provide data to WGN News about the number of ICE arrests in the Chicago area, how many of those have a criminal history and how many have actually been removed from the country. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
