Military Funding Bill Splits Virginia Dems; McClellan Pays Tribute to Nikki Giovanni; Biden Issues Pardons; Loudoun Resident and Famed Courtroom Artist Dies; Youngkin and Immigration

🚩 13 days until Dec. 25 🎅🏽 Christmas + Hanukkah and 16 days until Kwanzaa
🚩 22 days until Jan. 3, 2025 the 119th Congress is sworn in.
🚩 27 days until the Virginia General Assembly convenes on Jan. 8, 2025.
🚩 39 days until the MLK Holiday on Jan. 20, 2025.
🚩 39 days until Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025.

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President Biden Pardons 39

President Biden has commuted a record number of sentences and has granted 39 pardons. The President’s action is the biggest single-day act of clemency in modern U.S. history. “The commutations announced Thursday are for people who have served out home confinement sentences for at least one year after they were released,” according to a statement from The White House. Biden is expected to pardon many more people and there are indications he will preemptively pardon several Democrats that President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to prosecute.

Biden’s announcement of 39 pardons is hard to find. April Ryan at The GRIO is reporting that the names of may be kept secret to protect privacy. Black Virginia News will be working to find the names of those pardoned in Virginia.

🚩 Pardons Granted by President Joseph Biden (2021-Present)

President Biden began this year’s pardon season with a broad pardon for his son, Hunter Biden. Though the pardon was controversial, many argue that Hunter Biden was targeted by right-wing Republicans in a way rarely seen and that the legal action against him and congressional investigations were political motivation. An AP poll made public this week showed that only 2 in 10 Americans approve of Biden's pardon of his son. The second largest single-day act of clemency was by President Obama in 2017, with 330.

But with President-Elect Trump threatening to jail political opponents and nominating University of Richmond graduate Kash Patel as FBI Director, the point is being made that Biden has to make moves that no other President has before to protect Democrats and other’s Trump has threatened who will likely be targeted by Trump’s Administration for prosecution.

Military: National Defense Bill Splits Virginia Delegation

Reps. Don Beyer and Jennifer Wexton did not vote.

On the afternoon of Dec. 11, the National Defense Authorization Bill passed 281-140 (ten members not voting) the U.S. House. It is headed of the Senate. The vote split the Virginia delegation. The $895.2 billion bill dealt with several quality of life issues for members of the military and included:

🎖️ A 14.5 percent pay raise for members of the military and a 4.5 percent for all other service members.
🎖️ Bill includes money for health care, housing, childcare services, military spousal support, and civilian workforce benefits.
🎖️ Money for shipbuilding.
🎖️ Million for HBCUS for research — “one million per HBCU” one member informed Black Virginia News.

Military service members are a core constituency in Virginia which features the Pentagon (in Rep. Beyer’s district) and a major shipbuilding location (Rep. Scott’s district.

🚩 To force Democrats to have to make a choice between the needs of the military and the LGBT lobby, GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson added a late provision prohibiting health covering for gender-affirming care for service members’ children and dependents under 18.

Defense Bill Splits Virginia Dems

Statement from Rep. Scott (who voted yes): “The FY25 NDAA provides support to service members, guarantees the defense of the American people, and invests in our national security. This bill includes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and 4.5% pay raises for all other service members along with provisions focused on health care, housing, childcare, military spousal support, and civilian workforce benefits. As the representative of Hampton Roads, home to significant military installations, I am proud that the final bill supports our region’s shipbuilding industrial base with provisions that include full funding of the Columbia class ballistic missile submarine program and one Virginia-class submarine to help ensure we meet our commitments through the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) agreement. The bill also authorizes funding for military construction projects across Hampton Roads including funding for a dormitory at Joint Base Langley-Eustis and Dry Dock 3 Modernization at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.”

Statement from Rep. Scott (who voted yes): “Earlier this year, the House Armed Services Committee developed a strong bipartisan NDAA focused on improving the quality of life of our servicemembers and advancing our national security priorities. We passed that bill with near unanimous consent to deliver for our Armed Forces and military families, improve our military readiness, and support our global allies and partners.

“Democrats and Republicans on the Armed Services Committee reached consensus on transformative provisions and robust investments, anchored by the yearlong work and final report of the bipartisan Quality of Panel. We secured a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5% pay increase for all other servicemembers. We prioritized investments in health care, contraception, housing, childcare, military spousal support, and civilian workforce benefits. We increased funding for PFAS remediation and increased eligibility for the basic needs allowance to ensure military families have the resources they need. The NDAA also incorporated my Improving TAP for Guard and Reserve Servicemembers Act, legislation to provide the Reserve Components of our Armed Forces with tailored guidance and technical assistance to support their transition back to civilian life.

Rep. McClellan Pays Tribute to Nikki Giovanni on House Floor

Celebrated writer Nikki Giovanni died on Dec. 9 at 81. Yesterday, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan paid tribute to Giovanni on the floor of the U.S. House. Tonight at 6 p.m. on Roland Martin Unfiltered there will be a lengthy tribute to Giovanni.

Courtroom Arts Bill Hennessy Dies at 67

Celebrated courtroom artist and Loudoun resident Bill Hennessy died of a heart attack yesterday. He was 67. His work was seen on television, in the newspaper and in commercial settings. Bill Hennessy was a classically trained artist and he chronicled court proceedings that the public and the media could not photograph, record on video or see in person. Some of his incredible work is below.

Gov. Youngkin Signs on With GOP Governors

On Dec. 11, the Republican Governors Association announced support for using the National Guard. Virginia’s Governor, Glenn Youngkin, is among the GOP Governors who signed on.

“As Republican governors, we stand united in support of President Donald Trump’s unwavering commitment to make America safe again by addressing the illegal immigration crisis and deporting illegal immigrants who pose a threat to our communities and national security. When the Biden Administration refused to secure our borders and uphold the rule of law, it was Republican governors who took action. We mobilized state resources, including law enforcement and National Guard units, to protect Americans from disastrous open border policies and prevent illegal immigration from overwhelming our country… we are eager to work alongside his Administration to tackle the critical challenges facing our nation,” their statement read in part.

Those listed are RGA Policy Chair Governor Henry McMaster (SC), additional signatories include: Governor Kay Ivey (AL), Governor Mike Dunleavy (AK), Governor Sarah Sanders (AR), Governor Ron DeSantis (FL), Governor Brian Kemp (GA), Governor Brad Little (ID), Governor Eric Holcomb (IN), Governor Kim Reynolds (IA), Governor Jeff Landry (LA), Governor Tate Reeves (MS), Governor Mike Parson (MO), Governor Greg Gianforte (MT), Governor Jim Pillen (NE), Governor Joe Lombardo (NV), Governor Chris Sununu (NH), Governor Doug Burgum (ND), Governor Kevin Stitt (OK), Governor Mike DeWine (OH), Governor Kristi Noem (SD), Governor Bill Lee (TN), Governor Greg Abbott (TX), Governor Spencer Cox (UT), Governor Glenn Youngkin (VA), Governor Jim Justice (WV), and Governor Mark Gordon (WY).

Six Books of Note

1- Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey (Oct. 2024)
2- When Mayor Doug Wilder Ruled Richmond: Strong-Arm Politics in Virginia's Capital City by Linwoood Norman (Aug. 2024)
3- Rumor, Repression, and Racial Politics: How the Harassment of Black Elected Officials Shaped Post-Civil Rights America (Since 1970: Histories of Contemporary America) by George Derek Musgrove
4- Son of Virginia, A Life in America's Political Arena (2015) by L. Douglas Wilder
5- The New Jim Crow (2010) by Michelle Alexander
6- Remaking Virginia Politics by Paul Goldman (Jan. 2022)

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