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Friday News: “Dark economic clouds loom over Trump and the GOP”; “Inside Elon Musk’s ‘Digital Coup'”; “Schumer’s decision to back GOP funding bill stuns some of his colleagues”; “Arlington Cemetery website drops links for Black, Hispanic, and women veterans”; JD Vance Booed at Kennedy Center

By
lowkell
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13

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, March 14.

Video: Sen. Tim Kaine Says Senate Should “extend the current spending level for 30 days and then finish the budget,” NOT “drive looking in the rear-view mirror”

By
Blue Virginia
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4

From Sen. Tim Kaine:

VIDEO: KAINE SPEAKS ON SENATE FLOOR BLASTING HOUSE REPUBLICAN FUNDING BILL, HIGHLIGHTING REPUBLICAN CONCERNS OVER HARMFUL NATIONAL SECURITY IMPACTS OF THE BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke on the Senate floor to express his opposition to House Republicans’ funding bill. Republicans in Congress did not negotiate with Democrats on the legislation, and House Republicans passed their bill on Tuesday and then left town in an attempt to force the Senate to vote for it. The House Republican bill includes several provisions that would harm Virginians and U.S. national security, including cutting funding across all of the military services for military construction and a variety of programs, including weapons systems, missile procurement, and research and development for new technologies.

“What’s the difference between a [continuing resolution] and a real appropriations budget? The way I describe it is this: if you’re driving a vehicle, you want to drive by looking through the windshield where you are going. That’s what the budget does. You budget for the year ahead of you based upon the facts on the ground, the realities in the world, the priorities that you’ve embraced, the challenges that you’ll face – that’s what a budget is supposed to do,” Kaine said. “When you operate under a continuing resolution, you’re driving by looking in the rear-view mirror. You’re instead embracing decisions that were made a while ago, and just saying, ‘well, we can’t even reach an accord about going forward, so let’s instead… do what we did last month. Let’s do what we did last year because we are unable to reach an agreement.’”

Then, Kaine discussed a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee hearing on the readiness of the Joint Force, in which military leaders and Senate Republicans publicly expressed serious concerns about a yearlong CR.

“All of the other vice service chiefs said the same thing – on behalf of the Marines and the Air Force and the Space Force and the Army. Operating under a full-year CR will hurt readiness, will hurt our national security. This is what the Pentagon is telling us about the bill we’re going to be voting on in the next day or so,” Kaine said.

“But it wasn’t just the military leaders who said that. The chairman of the readiness subcommittee, Senator Sullivan: ‘The CR, from a readiness standpoint, I think that none of this is helpful…’ He described the frequent use of CRs ‘a failure on the part of Congress,’” Kaine continued. “My friend and colleague, who is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Wicker, here is what he said about the bill that we’re going to vote on in the next couple of days: ‘I will say this about the fact that this is the first year-long CR for the Department of Defense…This is a shame on our process, and it is not in keeping with what the Founders intended.’”

Kaine asked, “Why are we going to vote for it? Why are we taking it up and rushing to pass it when our military leadership says it’s a bad idea and when the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee says it’s a bad idea?”

“We should do our own jobs and do the right thing for the country,” Kaine concluded. “We have an opportunity to get it right…there could be a vote today or tomorrow on an alternative that I’ll call the ‘getting-it-right alternative.’ What is the getting-it-right alternative? We would extend the current spending level for 30 days and then finish the budget. We would decide we don’t want to drive looking in the rear-view mirror. We want to drive looking in the windshield, and we would get an appropriations deal that wouldn’t hurt our readiness.”

Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says He’s Heard From “Virginians of every stripe” That “you need to stand up against this…unlawful activity…random firing, terrorizing of our workforce”

By
lowkell
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6

See below for video and a few highlights from Sen. Mark Warner’s weekly press availability.

  • “Welcome to Day 53 of the reign of chaos…In 53 days, Donald Trump has traumatized literally millions of federal workers, demoralized them…Beyond the harms done to these workers’ lives…who’s ever going to want to come work for the federal government again?…This will have ramifications for as far as the eye can see.”
  • “The president got hired because he said he was going to lower prices – WRONG. Prices are still going up, food prices in particular are going up, and you now have with these completely wrong-minded tariffs, price spikes that are going to go across the whole economy…”
  • “Frankly, the Canadians pushing back I understand, they didn’t start this challenge, Donald Trump did – not America, Donald Trump. And for a guy that said…things would be great, well the stock market has erased all the gains since Trump’s election…the market believes we’re headed into a recession…Could you imagine…what Republicans would say if this as the record of 53 days of a Democratic president?“
  • “And then to add insult to injury, we have the situation of our alliances being tattered…Trump has declared such disrespect for Canada…destroyed America’s reputation in Canada for the foreseeable future. We’ve seen our alliances like in Ukraine and all of NATO undermined. And that kind of on-and-off of aid, it’s reprehensible.”
  • “So it’s been a pretty horrendous first 53 days…and don’t take my word for it, the public is seeing what we’ve already seen in Virginia and particularly in the DMV area where I imagine the president’s ratings are probably down in the low 30s or high 20s. Nationally, we’re seeing he’s already underwater, and I think probably as more Americans see the harm that’s done, they’ll say, we didn’t hire this guy for this, we didn’t hire this guy for unmitigated chaos.”
  • “That brings us to the issue at hand and let me acknowledge on the front end that we’ve been presented with two pretty awful options – a government shutdown or what’s called a continuing resolution that will fund the government through September, but on very different terms than what had been agreed to earlier. On a government shutdown we know there’s a concern that you could have a Trump and Musk that would like a government shutdown and maybe never reopen the government or reopen only selective parts. On the continuing resolution, I will tell you one of the reasons I’m amazed that Republican Senators aren’t standing up, they had no participation in that…this was a MAGA group of far-right Republicans in the House who drove this and nobody else had input. Traditionally, even in divided government, both teams have a little bit of say. And this continuing resolution is just awful…it dramatically cuts back veteran services…The Continuing Resolution as well takes a gratuitous, mean-spirited shot at the District of Columbia…The CR in many ways would be an endorsement of the Trump/Musk agenda. So I am voting no on the continuing resolution, I’m voting no on the motion to proceed, I am voting no even if we get an amendment that gives us a 30-day unless we get the 30-day extension passed which would require 13 Republicans, I’m not sure we’re going to get that. Let me also quickly add that I understand, and we had quite a spirited Democratic caucus today, that there’ll be a number of Democratic senators that are voting yes. I understand that, I understand their concerns; I’m not going to criticize their decision. But what I have heard from Virginians of every stripe particularly our federal workforce, is you need to stand up against this in many ways unlawful activity, this random firing, terrorizing of our workforce which so far at least virtually every court has ruled against.”
  • “…regardless of what happens tomorrow, this is going to continue to be a rocky period. And if Virginia and Americans don’t like this, they need to remember who’s responsible. I pride myself on not being a terribly partisan guy, but you know I have never seen a time when everything is controlled not by a traditional Republican Party but by Trump and his extremists. And we so desperately need Republicans in this Senate, we only need four to stand up – I don’t ask them to change parties, I just ask them to find the courage to vote for what they know is right and to not allow this…unconstitutional power grab to continue.”
  • “I think it’s again unpreceded that the four senators in the region are going to vote no on this…one of the things that has driven me as much as anything is just how many federal workers, federal employee unions…businesses in the region – I was with a number of government contractors last night, they felt this CR was so bad that they all urged me to vote no.”
  • “…I appeal to folks around the Commonwealth, I don’t care what political party you belong to, but we need to hear your voices. We particularly need to hear the voice voes of Republican local elected officials. I’d love to hear from folks in in Hampton Roads, elected officials…I say this to my business community friends, the idea if you simply keep your head low and maybe they won’t notice you, well how’s that worked out for the business community so far with these non-thought-through tariffs, where this guy in 53 days has managed to make mad our best business partners, pissed off all of our military allies and probably put America in a more isolated  position than anything post-World War II.”
  • “…I don’t know why or how or what excuse the Administration has for not declaring these communities a disaster area in terms of Helene; we’re still uncertain…there is huge unease, this is rule by chaos. And the communities that are the hardest hit in Southwest Virginia, again areas where Trump overwhelmingly won, are being treated with disdain, disrespect, and if these funds don’t arrive, it’s one illegal, because Congress passed this, but two it reflects what Trump actually feels about a lot of these rural communities.”
  •  “I’ve had a number of friends who have been flown back from Europe in the last last week or so, and they say the planes coming back from Europe are virtually empty, because tourists aren’t coming to America now – who wants to come to an America that bashes our longtime democratic allies and sides with Russia? I think businesses are not coming over because who wants to do business dealings here when there’s no certainty? So there may be a little less congestion at our international gateway airports, but I’m still very concerned about National.”
  •  “Listen, I think this White House and Musk in particular has taken a chainsaw to our government. I think it’s been probably the most irresponsible actions I’ve seen by anybody in politics and frankly in business… I’m not sure Mr. Musk is even going to last at his companies anymore if you see Tesla stock going down much more. The fact that he’s not overseeing what he’s paid to oversee and instead is wreaking havoc in the government doesn’t bode well…”
  • “I hear about Republican Congressman picking up the phone and trying to call the DOGE bros to say can you not hit my installation. To me, that sounds like graft and corruption in one form or another, it’s not the way America’s always operated. I guess then I shouldn’t be that surprised in light of the fact that Trump turned the White House into a Tesla shopping lot the same day that Musk committed another $100 million to Trump. I mean…when is this going to get folks who supported President Trump to say no mas, to say this is enough…”
  •   “I talk to Governor Youngkin pretty regularly, we’ve not talked in a couple of weeks. We may have a disagreement about…the loss of these federal workers and contractors is huge to Virginia…I think the contractor community is terrified, but if they don’t raise their voice, if they simply stay silent and say well gosh, maybe we can just ride this out, that would be a recipe for disaster...”
  •  “…with this kind of chainsaw taken to the Department of Education, I think they said they’re going to shut it all down overnight, who is going to actually say, well, I still want to go into teaching if I’m not sure my loan forgiveness program, which is a great recruitment tool into teaching, is actually going to be honored? Because they may not like the fact that I’m a history teacher or literature teacher, because I might not be teaching, they want to teach one side of history and not the whole history, good bad and ugly of our country…So I think this teacher shortage with these ill-thought-through policies, I fear will get worse…And what message does it send to kids or to the rest of the world that the United States of America has decided that education is not an important enough topic to be a cabinet-level office, you know it’s kind of wacky, we live in a knowledge-based economy…and instead you’ve got somebody on a political quest to get a headline to shut down a department they could have come in and reformed...”

Virginia AG Jason Miyares Refuses to Join 21 Other Attorneys General in Suing the Trump Administration for Illegally Attempting to Dismantle the Department of Education

By
Blue Virginia
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6

From the Democratic Party of Virginia:

NEW: Jason Miyares Refuses to Stand Up for Virginia’s Students

On Thursday, Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares refused to join 21 other attorneys general in suing the Trump administration for illegally attempting to dismantle the Department of Education.

The Virginia Department of Education was allocated $2.6 billion from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2022-2023 school year. According to the VDOE website, these funds are dedicated to ensuring that students with disabilities and those from low-income backgrounds have access to a high-quality education.

Miyares has recently refused to join other lawsuits that stand up to Trump’s dangerous actions, including the mass firing of probationary federal employees, allowing Elon Musk to access sensitive U.S. Treasury material, and freezing federal funds for critical programs.

“Jason Miyares’ refusal to stand up for Virginia’s students speaks volumes about his priorities. He continues to prove that no matter what, he will put his loyalty to Trump over the needs of Virginia’s students and families,” said DPVA Communications Director Kelsey Carolan. “Virginia deserves an attorney general who will stand up to Trump as he tries to cut essential funding for the families and students who need it the most—not someone who treats their futures as a political game.”

Audio: 2025 VA GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Dave LaRock Slams LG Winsome Earle-Sears for Inability to Unite the GOP and Having No Accomplishments 

By
lowkell
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4

LOL, this new press release from DPVA is awesome; check it out!  Also, if you want to listen to the full interview by former Virginia Trump campaign chair John Fredericks with Dave LaRock, click here (starts at 1:04:27) – it’s quite entertaining. Finally, for some background on Dave LaRock, Winsome Earle-Sears ups and (mostly) downs with Donald Trump and John Fredericks, etc., see:

P.S. A few more lines from LaRock’s interview with Fredericks include:

  • “You mentioned money, so let’s go there…Dominion Energy has given over $52 million to…members of the legislature over the past 10 years; their down payment on Winsome Sears is $170,000…I sent their checks back to them and basically tried to expose what is a pay-to-play operation…Dave LaRock zero from Dominion Energy and Winsome Sears $170,000.”
  • “Another difference is – and this goes I think to the core of why you, for most of your coverage of Winsome Sears have been opposed to her…we need a unifier…Now, I was in SW Virginia for three days, and they have long memories down there; they remember Winsome the Never Trumper…that she referred to supporters of Corey Stewart as Nazis…that she cheered tearing down the monuments during the Black Lives Matter era…She cheered the desecration of the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond…”
  • “Winsome this past week was down rubbing elbows with Maxine Waters and Jesse Jackson and the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center…”
  • “[Sears] said [about Corey Stewart] ‘if you surround yourself with white supremacists and Nazis, then you’re telling me that you’re one of them’.”
  • LaRock also said he “couldn’t get a response” from Sears on his efforts to pass Sage’s Law “to protect kids against grooming…gender confusion…”

NEW: LaRock Slams Sears for Inability to Unite the GOP and Having No Accomplishments 

Comments follow new Washington Examiner reporting about the Sears campaign being plagued by problems 

VIRGINIA – In a new interview with former Trump Co-Chair John Fredericks, Dave LaRock slammed Winsome Earle-Sears for being unable to unite the Virginia GOP and having no track record to run on.

The comments are the latest in an ongoing battle between Sears, LaRock, and Amanda Chase for the GOP nomination for governor, and follow a terrible story for the Sears campaign that highlights her operation being plagued by problems.

LISTEN HERE: 

The John Fredericks Show 

  • Dave LaRock: “Another difference is, and this goes, I think, to the core of why you, for the most of your coverage of Winsome Sears have opposed her, is because in order to win in November, we need a unifier. We need somebody that brings together the Republican base around a problem solving approach to governance.” 
  • LaRock: “Action versus promises. Second. So you say she has a record? I’ve never seen it.”
  • LaRock: “So the difference here is I’m taking action on important issues, and she’s been campaigning for the last three years effectively. That’s a distinct difference. I think people see what’s coming out of Washington. It’s the dawn of a new age of governance, responsible governance that is based on transparency and accountability and certainly action. And that’s what I offer. That’s the difference.” 
  • LaRock:  “She’s been in office for three years. She has a bully pulpit of the lieutenant governor’s office, and I haven’t seen any action from her on these really critical issues.” 

 

VPAP: Money in Virginia House of Delegates Elections Increased 10-Fold from 1996/97 to 2022/23; No Wonder, as VA Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell Says, “a lot of people sort of see Virginia as the Wild West”

By
lowkell
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0

Fascinating information by VPAP:

“In the 1996-97 election cycle, candidates for the Virginia House of Delegates raised more than $9 million. In the 2022-23 cycle, they raised nearly $90 million. See how the sources of these funds have changed in the past 27 years by looking at the industry of donors. Funding from all industries has grown over time, but “political” funding, mainly donations from political parties and from one candidate to another, remains the largest source.”

A few takeaways that jumped out at me include:

  • First, to put all this money in context, note that there are essentially zero campaign finance limits in Virginia. As VA Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell explained a few months ago, speaking to American Promise (“a national, non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization that advocates for a 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution that would allow the U.S. Congress and states to set reasonable limits on campaign spending in U.S. Elections”), “a lot of people sort of see Virginia as the Wild West” when it comes to money in politics, and “the best way to fix this is what you all are advocating for is this constitutional amendment.” Of course, given that we are HIGHLY unlikely to get a constitutional amendment on this in the foreseeable future, the question is what if anything can we do about the flood of money in politics NOW? Or is there literally nothing we can do to make things more democratic, to prevent an Elon Musk from spending 100s of millions of $$$ to essentially buy the presidency, etc?
  • Also, as you look at the VPAP numbers, keep in mind that the Supreme Court’s horrendous, disastrous “Citizens United” decision came in January 2010. As President Barack Obama said at the time, the decision “gives the special interests and their lobbyists even more power in Washington—while undermining the influence of average Americans who make small contributions to support their preferred candidates.”
  • With all that in mind, the VPAP numbers are striking, including the 10-fold increase from 1996/97 to 2022/23 in money raised by Virginia House of Delegates candidates – from $9 million in 1996/97 to $90 million (!) in 2023/23. Even adusting for inflation, that’s a huge increase…
  • As for the sources of that money, in 1996/97, about 23% of the $9 million total raised came from “political” sources, 13% from real estate/construction, 10% from “law,” 10% from health care, 7% from energy/natural resources, etc. In contrast, in 2022/23, 37% out of the $90 million total raised came from “political” sources, with 11% coming from “single-issue sources” (that was just 1% in 1996/97), 7% from energy/natural resources, etc.
  • So who were those “political” and “single-issue” sources? In 2022/23, according to VPAP, by far the largest “political” sources (accounting for the vast majority of this category) were Democratic and Republican state/local and leadership/candidate committees. As for “single-issue” sources, out of $9.8 million total, $6.2 million came from environmental sources, including $5 million from Clean Virginia, with $1.6 million from “miscellaneous single issue” sources and $1.2 million from pro-choice groups. Another big category was Energy/Natural Resources, which accounted for $6.3 million in contributions, of which a whopping $4.7 million came from (supposedly) state-regulated monopoly utility Dominion Energy. “Wild West,” indeed!

So what jumps out at you?  Do you think the way our campaign finance system is working well or needs major changes, and if so, how do you think that can be accomplished in lieu of a constitutional amendment, as Sen. Surovell suggests, to overturn “Citizens United,” etc?

Thursday News: “‘Nobody Is Safe’: Canada Sends World a Warning Against Trump”; “Trump Administration Launches All-Out Assault on Environmental Protection”; “Trump Is Still Trying to Undermine Elections”; Government Shutdown “necessary to stop the Trump administration’s lawless destruction?”

By
lowkell
-
18

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, March 13.

House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) Sounds the Alarm on Ethics Violations After President Trump and White House Employees Hawk Elon Musk’s Cars

By
lowkell
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1

Good to see House Oversight Committee Democrats, led by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11), calling out this blatant corruption, kleptocracy, etc.

Ranking Member Connolly Sounds the Alarm on Ethics Violations After President Trump and White House Employees Hawk Elon Musk’s Cars
Washington, D.C. (March 12, 2025)—Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Mr. David Warrington, Counsel to the President, requesting a full accounting of any executive branch employees, special or otherwise, that assisted President Trump in turning the South Lawn of the White House into “a temporary Tesla showroom in a conspicuous favor to his adviser Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of the car company.”

Elon Musk’s “Salesman in Chief” even came equipped with handwritten talking points that included pricing and financing information for the cars.

“I write regarding a White House event that appeared to endorse Tesla motor cars in violation of federal ethics laws.  Americans are struggling to afford groceries, childcare, and housing.  They are bracing themselves for the impact of the Trump Administration’s tariffs and other inflationary policies.  They are watching their investments in the stock market plummet since President Trump took office.  And they have been told by the President to prepare for a recession.  President Trump’s solution to the mounting economic crises is a car ad that he hoped would boost the stock price of Tesla, a company headed by his one of his biggest campaign donors who is also a federal employee, Elon Musk,” wrote Ranking Member Connolly.

In his letter, Ranking Member Connolly cites federal law expressly prohibiting federal employees’ “use of their Government position or title or any authority associated with their public office to endorse any product, service, or enterprise.”

“Media reports show that the Tesla corporation ‘delivered five of its vehicles to the White House and parked them on a driveway’ in what could only be described as turning ‘the White House lawn into a Tesla showroom.’  This event included photo opportunities of the President beside Elon Musk, Tesla’s Chief Executive Officer, in Tesla vehicles that undoubtedly gave the ‘appearance of governmental sanction’ of Tesla products.  The President’s earlier social media description of Tesla as ‘one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’’ further raises questions about whether a special government employee may have induced the President to further endorse a product or company,” concluded the Ranking Member.

To better understand the breadth and severity of the numerous ethics violations that White House staff – including Elon Musk in his role as a “Special Government Employee” – may have committed, the Ranking Member asked for a response to his requests no later than March 26, 2025.

Click here to read the letter to the Counsel to the President.

Ranking House Oversight Committee Member Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) Demands Answers After Reports DOGE is Feeding Americans’ Private Data Into Unapproved AI Systems, Using AI to Slash Programs

By
lowkell
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0

See below for a press release from from the House Oversight Committee, where Rep. Gerry Connolly is the ranking Democratic member. Regarding folks who argue that Democrats shouldn’t “waste time writing letters,” I’d argue that this is just ONE tool in the toolkit, and an important one at that, and that Democrats should be doing “all of the above” – legal action, legislative action, public protests and town halls, writing letters and carrying out oversight functions as much as possible, etc. In the end, though, voters unfortunately – in their “infinite wisdom” – handed control of the White House, US Senate and US House to Republicans, so that’s where we’re at right now, plus of course the right-wing-dominated Supreme Court, thanks to Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump. So…yeah, we’re in deep sh*t right now, but we’ve got to do whatever we can to fight back, as Rep. Connolly is doing here.

Ranking Member Connolly Demands Answers After Reports DOGE is Feeding Americans’ Private Data Into Unapproved AI Systems, Using AI to Slash Programs
Washington, D.C. (March 12, 2025)—Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent letters to 24 federal agencies requesting documentation that any potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) at their agencies complies with federal laws, protects Americans’ sensitive and private data, and does not financially benefit Elon Musk.

“I write with serious concerns about the use of unapproved, third-party artificial intelligence (AI) software employed by members of the U.S. DOGE Service (DOGE) at federal agencies.  The American people entrust the federal government with sensitive personal information related to their health, finances, and other biographical information on the basis that this information will not be disclosed or improperly used without their consent, including through the use of an unapproved and unaccountable third-party AI software,” wrote Ranking Member Connolly.

To underscore the gravity of Americans’ concerns, Ranking Member Connolly highlighted instances in which DOGE’s use of AI has raised red flags.  For example:

“Illustrative of my concerns is the ongoing DOGE-related activity at the Department of Education (ED).  On February 6, 2025, the Washington Post reported that members of the DOGE team assigned to ED had begun probing internal datasets using AI software.  These datasets contain sensitive internal financial data as well as the personally identifiable information of people who manage grants.  The reporting further detailed that the DOGE team is feeding this private information into AI software accessed through a private cloud computing service as a method of examining ED disbursements.   In one reported incident, DOGE team members allegedly uploaded agency staffing and expenditure reports into an AI platform and asked the algorithm to identify ‘inefficiencies.’  After tasking the AI to suggest ways to cut ED’s budget by over 50%, DOGE operatives began drafting proposals to gut the agency.”

The letters cite the multiple legal requirements agencies are bound by in their use of AI software, including the Federal Risk Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), which ensures that the whole-of-government uses secure cloud services.  If DOGE failed to ensure its AI vendors have adequate FedRAMP approval, it risks violating the Privacy Act of 1974, the Federal Information Security Management Act, and the E-Government Act of 2002.

In addition, any use of AI in federal agencies or DOGE is covered by the Advancing American AI Act which requires agencies to keep an inventory of “current and planned uses” of AI and for those inventories to be made public.

To better understand how DOGE is using AI to make critical decisions about government programs, services, and benefits that impact millions of Americans, Ranking Member Connolly asked for a response to his requests no later than March 26, 2025.

“Without clear purpose behind the use of AI, guardrails to ensure appropriate handling of data, and adequate oversight and transparency, the application of AI is dangerous and potentially violates federal law,” he concluded.

Click here to read the letters to the 24 CFO Act agencies.

Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus: “Firing half of the Department of Education’s staff is…yet another direct attack on education, this time from the President of the United States.”

By
lowkell
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3

See below for some statements/reactions by Virginia Democrats to Trump and Musk (illegally/unconstitutionally) gutting the US Department of Education. Of course, if the law and the constitution aren’t enforced, and if the Republican-controlled Congress won’t assert its rights as a co-equal branch of government, those laws and constitutional requirements and prerogatives of Congress won’t just magically function by themselves (instead, our democracy, rule of law and separation of powers/checks-and-balances will be toast, if they aren’t already)…

Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus Responds to Reckless Cuts to the U.S. Department of Education Threatening Virginia Schools, Students, and Federal Workers

RICHMOND, V.A. — Today, the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus released the following statement in response to the federal administration’s decision to cut the U.S. Department of Education’s workforce in half by, firing over 1,000 employees:

“Firing half of the Department of Education’s staff is not just cutting the government. This is yet another direct attack on education, this time from the President of the United States. This action impacts school systems across the country, including Virginia’s K-12 schools, student programs, and college funding. It is chaos with no purpose.

This is yet another reckless and thoughtless move by the President and the unelected President, Elon Musk. And, let us not forget all of this is silently upheld or loudly reinforced by our governor. This decision punishes hardworking federal employees in Virginia, leaving families wondering if they will have food on the table and clothes on their backs because they no longer have jobs. Will Governor Youngkin stand up for the livelihoods being destroyed by this administration?

Will he fight for the thousands of federal workers in our Commonwealth, or will he continue to stand by in silence? So far, he has done nothing. He is like the Roman Emperor Nero, fiddling while Virginia is burning as a consequence of federal actions.”

********************

***************

Ranking Member Connolly’s Statement on DOGE’s Efforts to Gut the Department of Education

Washington, D.C. (March 11, 2025)—Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released the following statement in response to the initiation of reduction in force (RIF) at the Department of Education (ED).

“The future of the United States depends on a strong Department of Education.  Today, President Trump allowed an unelected billionaire to annihilate this essential institution.  By purging nearly half of the dedicated civil servants at ED, they are paving the way for their cronies in private education to fill in the gaps.  Trump University should not be the model for K-12 education in America.” 

*********************

Beyer Statement On Trump’s Illegal Assault On The Department Of Education

March 12, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement today on Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s mass firing of thousands of employees at the U.S. Department of Education:

“Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s political purge of the Department of Education is a gross betrayal of American students. It is also illegal: Trump is plainly trying to eliminate by fiat a department established in law by Congress.

“Gutting the Department of Education would have horrific effects on American students and schools. Teachers will be fired, students will go hungry, college will be less affordable, and the worst harm will fall on students with disabilities and students of color. All this just to put a few more dollars into the pockets of billionaires – it is truly disgusting.

“Department of Education workers, many of whom I represent learned of their terminations in waves last night that included the eliminations of entire offices. These steep cuts heavily targeted hundreds of attorneys, student aid workers, and civil rights office staff. Trump and Musk’s abysmal abuse of the federal civil service is only getting worse, and the loss of these workers and their expertise will further harm the delivery of key services to the American people – in this case to our students.

“I will be joining colleagues to conduct vigorous oversight of this matter. This provides still more reason to vote against continuing the status quo of Trump-inflicted destruction of the federal government and mass firings of federal workers, if any were needed.”

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