Congress | ALXnow

‘Ridiculous,’ Mayor Gaskins calls GOP bill to return Alexandria and Arlington to D.C.

Published April 27, 2026 at 1:45PM

A sailboat on the Potomac River (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins is calling a congressional bill to make Alexandria and Arlington part of D.C. “silliness,” “ridiculous,” and a “huge distraction.”

In a recent Facebook post, Gaskins said U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick’s (R-Ga.) Make DC Square Again Act would upend the rights of residents in both jurisdictions. McCormick introduced the bill after the narrow passage of a statewide redistricting referendum on April 21, which gives Democrats the power to redraw congressional district maps for the 2026 midterm elections.

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Alexandria’s Olivia Troye plans move to run for redrawn 7th Congressional District

By Emily Leayman

Published April 15, 2026 at 10:30AM

Olivia Troye, an Alexandria resident, announced a campaign for the 7th Congressional District (courtesy of Olivia Troye campaign)

Alexandria resident Olivia Troye, once part of the Trump administration, is joining the growing field of Democratic 7th Congressional District candidates running as Virginia voters consider redrawn districts.

Troye is a former career intelligence officer who served as an aide to former Vice President Mike Pence. She made national headlines after resigning from her post at the White House under President Donald Trump in 2020 and is now running as a Democrat in the 7th Congressional District.

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Trump signs bill to end partial shutdown as Democrats continue push for ICE reform

By The Associated Press

Published February 3, 2026 at 5:05PM

The Capitol is seen under gray skies on the thirteenth day of the government shutdown, in Washington, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Donald Trump signed a roughly $1.2 trillion government funding bill Tuesday that ends the partial federal shutdown that began over the weekend and sets the stage for an intense debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding.

The president moved quickly to sign the bill after the House approved it with a 217-214 vote.

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ICE actions in Minnesota prompt advocacy, donation efforts at Old Town businesses

By Katie Taranto

Published February 3, 2026 at 3:45PM

Stack of letters to legislators at Friends to Lovers Bookstore on Jan. 30, 2026 (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

Some Alexandria businesses closed and others encouraged civic involvement last week during nationwide strikes protesting immigration enforcement.

In Old Town, businesses like fibre space, Friends to Lovers Bookstore and Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop made posts encouraging actions such as donating money or supplies and contacting lawmakers to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after agents shot and killed Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis and detained a 5-year-old child.

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Kaine predicts small chance of a Senate vote to extend health care subsidies in community roundtable

By James Cullum

Published December 12, 2025 at 2:45PM | Updated December 12, 2025 at 3:06PM

(Left to right) Neighborhood Health CEO Dr. Basim Khan, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and Katie Baker of Protect Our Care at a roundtable discussion on healthcare at Neighborhood Health in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, Dec. 12, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

In a roundtable near Alexandria today, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said there is a small chance that the Senate will coalesce around a deal to prevent premium health care hikes for millions of Americans before next month.

Kaine made the statement surrounded by health care professionals at a Neighborhood Health clinic just south of Alexandria, in the wake of Thursday’s rejection of health care bills in the U.S. Senate to extend Affordable Care Act subsidy extensions passed in 2021 that will expire at the end of this year.

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House passes bill to end government shutdown, sending measure to Trump

By The Associated Press

Published November 12, 2025 at 8:56PM

The Capitol is seen at dusk as Democrats and Republicans in Congress are angrily blaming each other and refusing to budge from their positions on funding the government, in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill Wednesday to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding lapse that saw federal workers go without multiple paychecks, travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families.

House lawmakers made their long-awaited return to the nation’s capital this week after nearly eight weeks away. Republicans used their slight majority to get the bill over the finish line with a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate has already passed the measure.

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Spanberger rallies with Latino legislators in Del Ray ahead of Election Day next week

By James Cullum

Published October 30, 2025 at 4:30PM | Updated October 30, 2025 at 6:20PM

Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger speaks at Los Tios in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood, Oct. 30, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger appeared in a “Latinos for Spanberger” rally today (Thursday) in Alexandria.

Spanberger spoke at a packed event at Los Tios (2615 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray, flanked by Latino legislators Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Del. Alfonso Lopez D-Virginia House District 3), and City Council Member Canek Aguirre. Spanberger has a 10-digit lead against her opponent, Lieutenant Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, according to a recent Roanoke College poll.

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Woman found dead during eviction tops week’s news in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published August 22, 2025 at 3:30PM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

It’s been an intense week in Alexandria. Here’s a look at our top stories.

Our most-read story is on a woman found dead outside her apartment during an eviction process on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office reported on social media that deputies were conducting an eviction at an apartment at 400 Madison Street at around 9 a.m., when they found the adult woman dead outside the building. The woman’s identity and the circumstances surrounding her death have not been released.

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Alexandria Mayor Gaskins endorses Fairfax County Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett for Virginia’s open 11th Congressional District seat

By James Cullum

Published June 26, 2025 at 10:30AM

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins has endorse Fairfax County Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett in the dpecial election for Virginia's 11th Congressional District (via Facebook)

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins has endorsed Fairfax County Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett in the special election for Virginia’s open 11th Congressional District seat.

There are 10 Democrats and seven Republicans vying for the seat, following the death of U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly in May. Both the 11th District Democratic Committee and the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee have chosen Saturday, June 28, as the primary date to choose their respective candidates. The special election will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

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Beyer, Herring, Ebbin launch speaking tour to combat billions in threatened federal health care cuts

By James Cullum

Published May 30, 2025 at 12:15PM

U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) at the ribbon cutting for Metro's Integrated Command and Communications Center in Alexandria's Carlyle neighborhood, Oct. 27, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Facing billions in federal health care cuts in Virginia, Alexandria Congressman Don Beyer (D-8) is joining Virginia House Majority Leader Charniele Herring (D-4) and State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39) next week for three in-person panel discussions across Virginia.

The $715 billion in federal health care cuts would impact Medicaid and Planned Parenthood. The trio of Northern Virginia legislators will hold their first panel at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, June 2, at the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library (5005 Duke St, Alexandria). The trio will then conduct similar panels later in the day in Norfolk and Richmond.

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Gerry Connolly, a Democratic congressman and fixture of Virginia politics, dies at 75

By Olivia Diaz | Associated Press/Report For America

Published May 21, 2025 at 9:10AM | Updated May 21, 2025 at 12:10PM

FILE - Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va. listens during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 10, 2014. Connolly, a Democratic congressman and fixture of Virginia politics, has died at age 75. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Gerald “Gerry” Connolly, an outspoken Democrat who sought key reforms in the federal government while bringing transformational development to his populous Virginia district, died Wednesday. He was 75.

Connolly, who most recently held a prominent position as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, served in Congress for more than 16 years.