Virginia's members of Congress react to Afghanistan situation and more from Virginia politics
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Virginia’s congressional representatives comment on the situation in Afghanistan
On Sunday, the Taliban took complete control of Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. The quick downfall of the Afghanistan government and the sloppy evacuation of American citizens and allies will be analyzed for years to come.
Members of Virginia’s congressional delegation responded to the situation Sunday.
“Today’s been a horrible day. The images coming out of Afghanistan are heart breaking,” Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) said in a statement Sunday night. “For anyone who’s been dedicated to the CT mission and especially those who served in Afghanistan, it’s been especially hard and tragic.”
Congresswoman Spanberger worked at the CIA prior to being elected to Congress.
“There will be much to review, determine, & understand in the coming days & years, & as a nation, we must pursue that work,” Spanberger continued. “But in this moment, my heart breaks for Afghanistan, its people, the promise of change we believed possible, & those who gave everything to that promise.”
Congresswoman Elaine Luria (D-VA02), a Navy veteran, stressed the importance of completing the evacuation before dissecting the chaos of this weekend. “We must ultimately grapple with the failures that led to the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, but today, in this moment, we must keep our focus on taking every possible measure to evacuate American citizens and our Afghan partners who fought bravely beside us for two decades,” Luria said.
Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA01) criticized President Biden early Sunday. "President #Biden’s failed withdrawal from #Afghanistan has already elevated the threat of terrorism in the region," Wittman tweeted. "Worse still, Biden officials acknowledged they will be forced to leave tens of thousands of Afghans behind to suffer under the Taliban."
Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA10) also released a statement Sunday evening stressing the importance of getting Americans and our allies out of the country safely. "I am deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan," Wexton said. "We must ensure our Afghan partners on the ground, who have helped us immensely throughout the years, are evacuated and protected."
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ICYMI: The retail legalization of marijuana could be significantly impacted by November’s elections in Virginia
RICHMOND – You might not see it, but the process of how marijuana will become legalized for retail sale is on the ballot this November in Virginia. The commonwealth legalized simple possession of marijuana up to an ounce earlier this year, but the framework for retail legalization — so it can be bought and sold, is still yet to be determined.
After the statewide and House of Delegates elections this November, a new governor will be in office and there could potentially be a new majority in the House. Depending on which party ends up winning, the retail legalization process could be significantly impacted.
“The next governor will decide whether recreational sales happen or not,” state Senator Scott Surovell D-Fairfax said in an interview. “That governor will be in a position to veto any kind of bill that authorizes [retail sales],” Surovell continued while noting that it could have a “very significant impact.”
In a poll from February, 68% of registered voters in Virginia said they support the legalization of marijuana.
Glenn Youngkin, the Republican nominee for governor, has said he has concerns about certain sections of the legislation, but would not seek to repeal the simple possession of marijuana.
Virginia Sierra Club releases scorecard for Virginia legislators
The Sierra Club is an environmental advocacy group.
“Last year at this time, the COVID-19 pandemic was in its early stages, and we were just beginning to see the massive impacts from this scourge. We hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe as we start to emerge from the coronavirus nightmare. COVID disrupted every aspect of our lives, and the legislative process was no exception. From the special session convened last August to the 2021 session concluded in February, lawmakers and advocates were challenged to work toward legislative goals remotely. Despite these obstacles, as you’ll see on the pages that follow, we were able to achieve significant wins this year.”
’National Republican group launches TV ad campaign aimed at flipping Virginia House seats - Washington Post
by Greg Schneider
A national Republican group is launching a major TV advertising campaign in six House of Delegates districts around Virginia this week, underlining the high stakes of this fall's battle for control in Richmond.
With all 100 House seats on the November ballot and Democrats defending a 55-45 advantage, the Republican State Leadership Committee PAC is targeting districts seen as vulnerable to being flipped.
Virginia teachers’ union backs vaccine or testing requirement; New law changes process for student mandate - WRIC
by Jackie Defusco
A push to mandate coronavirus vaccines or require regular testing for Virginia’s educators gained momentum this week as the state’s largest teachers’ union backed the policy for the first time.
A possible vaccine mandate for students is likely to take much longer. A new decision-making process just took effect last month and, unlike past immunization requirements, the Virginia General Assembly will not have a say.
Biggest cut of crisis relief money for unemployment trust - Associated Press
by Sarah Rankin
About 20 percent of Virginia’s funding from the latest federal coronavirus relief bill will help replenish the fund that pays unemployment benefits, staving off hefty tax increases for employers.
But only about two percent will pay for improvements at the state agency that handles those benefits and has faced widespread criticism about its performance during the pandemic.
How Virginia plans to spend $700 million on broadband expansion
by Ned Oliver
Virginia lawmakers agreed to devote $700 million in federal pandemic aid to broadband expansion, a sum of money they say will allow them to connect every household in the state to high-speed internet.
The money is a victory for rural localities that view high-speed internet access as critical to their survival but have struggled to convince companies to build out the infrastructure. It’s also a boon for telecommunications companies, who will receive the lion’s share of the funding to build out private, for-profit networks.
National
Afghanistan falls to Taliban - Washington Post
By Susannah George, Claire Parker, John Hudson,Karen DeYoung, Dan Lamothe, and Bryan Pietsch
KABUL — Taliban fighters took control of Kabul on Sunday, delivering the militant Islamist group the prize it has long sought: authority over all of Afghanistan as the Western-backed government collapsed, President Ashraf Ghani fled, and the long-dominant American presence appeared to be coming to an abrupt and chaotic end after nearly 20 years.
The takeover of the sprawling capital city had been years in the making, but was ultimately accomplished in a single day. Insurgent fighters, fresh off their conquests in each of Afghanistan’s provincial hubs over the previous week, faced little to no resistance as they entered the city through its major traffic arteries Sunday morning.
Chaotic Scenes Grip Kabul’s Airport, With Reports of Deaths - Bloomberg News
Desperate scenes played out at Kabul’s international airport on Monday as thousands rushed to exit Afghanistan after Taliban fighters took control of the capital, with Reuters reporting at least five people were killed as people tried to forcibly enter planes leaving the country.
Citing witnesses, Reuters said it wasn’t clear whether the victims died of gunshots or in a stampede at Hamid Karzai International Airport. Earlier it reported that U.S. forces fired in the air to prevent thousands of citizens from running onto the tarmac, the last remaining area under American control. Afghanistan’s aviation authority suspended flights out of the country and asked people not to rush to the airport.
Kabul’s Sudden Fall to Taliban Ends U.S. Era in Afghanistan - New York Times
Taliban fighters poured into the Afghan capital on Sunday amid scenes of panic and chaos, bringing a swift and shocking close to the Afghan government and the 20-year American era in the country.
President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan fled the country, and a council of Afghan officials, including former President Hamid Karzai, said they would open negotiations with the Taliban over the shape of the insurgency’s takeover. By day’s end, the insurgents had all but officially sealed their control of the entire country.
‘Clearly botched’: Biden White House under assault on Afghanistan drawdown - Politico
By NATASHA KORECKI and CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO
President Joe Biden long touted his foreign policy credentials as a core asset he’d bring to the Oval Office. And once he was in the White House, he proudly proclaimed “America is back” on the world stage.
Instead, chaos and confusion dominated his first major foreign policy decision — the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Biden’s pro-car, pro-gasoline moves leave green allies fuming - Politico
By BEN LEFEBVRE, CATHERINE BOUDREAU and TANYA SNYDER
President Joe Biden is pushing ambitious plans for tackling climate change by weaning the U.S. off fossil fuels — but he’s also taking short-term actions that would make it cheaper and more convenient for Americans to keep driving their gasoline-powered cars.
The White House’s latest moves include imploring OPEC and Russia to increase oil production in the name of lowering fuel prices, as well as championing a trillion-dollar infrastructure deal loaded with money for new and wider highways. The Biden administration has also declined to block a series of oil pipeline projects — despite killing Keystone XL — and has greenlit drilling on leased federal land at a faster rate than former President Donald Trump’s agencies had.
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Governor Northam Announces Administration Appointments
Governor Ralph Northam announced additional appointments to his Administration Friday.
Secretariat of the Commonwealth
Board Appointments
Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects
April C. Drake of Alexandria, Senior Project Architect, HDR Inc.
Vickie McEntire Anglin* of Bristow, Licensed Land Surveyor, Fairfax County Surveyor
Jim Kelly, PE* of Williamsburg, Engineering Manager, Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries
Ann P. Stokes* of Norfolk, Principal, Ann P. Stokes Landscape Architects, LLC
State Board of Local and Regional Jails
Charles Jett* of Stafford, Retired Sheriff
Dr. Cleopatra Lightfoot-Booker of Hanover, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Vice President, UnitedHealth Group
Roland B. “Randy” Sherrod, Jr. of Mechanicsville, Manager, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP
Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth
Karin T. Addison* of Midlothian, Director, Troutman Pepper Strategies
Yaseen Bhatti of Chesterfield, Student, Cloverhill High School
Patte Gleason Koval* of Richmond, Consultant, The Monument Group
Ghulam D. Qureshi, MD* of Henrico, Hematologist and Oncologist, West End Hematology & Medical Oncology Group Inc.
Virginia Health Benefit Exchange Advisory Committee
Julie Green Bataille of McLean, Senior Vice President, GMMB, Inc.
Ikeita Cantú Hinojosa* of McLean, Principal, ICH Services LLC
Virginia Passenger Rail Authority
Victor O. Cardwell* of Salem, Principal and Chairman, Woods Rogers PLC
Cynthia Moses-Nedd* of Prince William, Chief of Staff, Office of Wildland Fire, United States Department of the Interior
Mariia Zimmerman* of Richmond, Principal, MZ Strategies, LLC
Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board
Charles A. "Chuck" Arnason* of Blackstone, Director, Piedmont Soil and Water District
Dr. Stephen R. Hill of Madison, Retired National Security Consultant
Virginia Solar Energy Development and Energy Storage Authority
Paul Grems Duncan* of Oakton, Practice Leader, MPR Associates, Inc.
William Gathright, PhD* of Bumpass, Chief Technology Officer at Talos IoT
Rumy J. Mohta of Chesterfield, CEO, ATLAS Branding and Commercial Financing
Washington Metrorail Safety Commission
Greg Hull* of Reedville, Retired Public Transportation Executive
*denotes reappointment