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Rep. Jennifer McClellan warns of harm from Medicaid cuts
The US Senate is set to take up a budget bill that’s become the legislative focus of President Donald Trump’s agenda this week after Congress returns from a Memorial Day recess. Before leaving, the US House of Representatives voted 215–214 to pass its version of a tax and spending bill. The legislation put restrictions on who will be eligible for Medicaid coverage. Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D–4th) voted against the bill. She said it would put a heavy burden on some of the most vulnerable people in the state.
Kaine, Warner condemn closure of Old Dominion Job Corps Center
Virginia’s two Democratic senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released a joint statement Friday blasting the U.S. Department of Labor’s decision to shut down contractor-run Job Corps centers across the country, including the Old Dominion Job Corps in Amherst County. The decision will “abruptly eliminate crucial job training for thousands of young Americans and cut nearly 13,000 jobs across the program’s 99 centers,” the senators’ news release condemning the measure said.
Subramanyam Relaunches Federal Agritourism Caucus
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10) and farmers from around the region celebrated the reformation of the Congressional Agritourism Caucus at Great Country Farms in Bluemont on Thursday afternoon. Subramanyam also discussed his introduction of the AGRITOURISM Act and addressed a variety of problems that farmers in Loudoun and surrounding counties said they are facing. ... “I basically want champions on Capitol Hill to come together for agritourism and evangelize it in Congress,” he said.
Rep. Subramanyam launches congressional Agritourism Caucus at Loudoun County event
Against the backdrop of a small pond, with geese fluttering and lawn mowers humming nearby, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va.-10th District, held up a white paper packet. The document, a newly-minted agritourism resource manual from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is set to serve as a guiding reference for Subramanyam’s Agritourism Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, which he is set to co-chair alongside Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C.
Clean water advocates weigh data center growth in Chesapeake Bay region
Data centers are not just a Northern Virginia problem. The vast and growing presence of these warehouse-like buildings housing the world’s computing power has implications for quality of life, land, energy and water across the Chesapeake Bay region. This was the main message of a half-day workshop on May 19 hosted by the Choose Clean Water Coalition at the start of its annual conference held this year in Harrisonburg, VA. The “kickoff” event featured experts mostly from Virginia speaking about the environmental impacts of data centers, which they have seen firsthand — and which they say are imminent for every state in the region.
List of ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ removed from US government website following criticism
A widely anticipated list of “ sanctuary jurisdictions” no longer appears on the Department of Homeland Security’s website after receiving widespread criticism for including localities that have actively supported the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies. The department last week published the list of the jurisdictions. It said each one would receive formal notification the government deemed them uncooperative with federal immigration enforcement and whether they’re believed to be in violation of any federal criminal statutes.
Richmond and surrounding counties included on federal list of ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions
The city of Richmond, as well as Henrico, Chesterfield and — curiously — Hanover counties are included on a list of local jurisdictions that President Donald Trump’s administration says are “deliberately and shamefully” refusing to enforce federal immigration laws. The list, in line with an executive order issued by Trump this April, was posted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Thursday night. Jurisdictions were identified based on “compliance with federal law enforcement, information restrictions, and legal protections for illegal aliens.”
Rappahannock cited as ‘Sanctuary Jurisdiction’ by DHS
Rappahannock County found itself last week on a Department of Homeland Security list of 500 sanctuary jurisdictions in the United States that are “deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens”. Reached Sunday, Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie S. Compton said the county should not be on the list, adding she believed the county had been removed. “When we arrest illegal aliens, we take them to RSW [Rappahannock-Shenandoah-Warren Regional Jail in Front Royal], the sheriff wrote in a text message. “The jail notifies ICE, DHS, or the appropriate organizations.”
Virginia free health clinics strategize survival after state, federal funding cuts
Amid federal and state funding cuts, freezes and delayed payments, the outlook is grim for free clinics in Virginia that have had to trim or halt some services, but there is hope, Health Brigade executive director Karen Legato said Thursday evening. “Care is resistance,” she reiterated during a speech outside of the clinic’s Thompson Street location in Richmond. Having first opened in 1970 as the Fan Free Clinic, what is now known as Health Brigade was the first free clinic established in Virginia. It is one of about 70 free clinics currently in the state that provide care to uninsured or underinsured people.
From VPAP Now Live: PACs’ Pre-Primary Campaign Finance Reports
VPAP has posted pre-primary disclosures from Virginia PACs. See which state PACs have raised the most money and have the most cash on hand for the covered time period. If you are interested in a specific committee, you can drill down for a sortable list of donations reported from April 1 to May 25.