Virginia Labor Leaders on Capitol Hill; Virginia Army Staff Sgt. on CNN; Trump to Sign Order to Shut Dept. of Ed; McClellan Guest Highlights Medicaid
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🚨 Alert: Attention members of the District of Columbia Bar
ABA’s RULE OF LAW STATEMENT. On March 4, the American Bar Association issued a statement saying in part that it, “would “not stay silent in the face of efforts to remake the legal profession into something that rewards those who agree with the government and punishes those who do not.”
Trump Firings and Veterans Affairs: Memo Reveals Plan to Cut 80,000 Jobs
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides health care for millions of veterans among other services, is planning to cut 80,000 jobs. The news was first reported yesterday by The Associated Press.
The goal of the cut is to return the Department of Veterans Affairs to the staffing levels before President Biden took office.
Above: Click to see the entire leaked memo regarding more Trump firings.
Trump to Sign Executive Order to Close Dept. of Education
President Trump is expected to sign an executive order today that would close the U.S. Department of Education. In another sign that MAGA Republicans want to return to “states rights” related policies, the executive order will emphasize state control and power and end federal government oversight and power.
Trump’s long awaited decision will likely be the subject of another set of federal lawsuits and a battle over the question of executive power that’s likely to end up in front of a Republican control of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Department of Education has about 4,500 employees. It was established by President Carter in October of 1979.
Rep. McClellan’s Guest for Trump Speech Highlighted Medicaid
Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan invited Jeanne Robinson, a Medicaid-funded home care worker from Henrico, to Trump’s Joint Address to Congress on Tuesday night.
Republicans are focused on cutting Medicaid to find enough money in the budget to execute a tax cut to the to wealthy taxpayers.
“I’m here because I’m concerned about the Medicaid cuts that I know would affect my family. I’m concerned because if it’s cut, it’s going to cause a lot of problems for my grandson. He won’t be able to get his care,” said Robinson on Tuesday night.
“Every day, tens of thousands of home care workers across Virginia deliver high-quality services to our loved ones who are aging or living with disabilities. Medicaid supports these workers’ livelihoods and the very lives of the people they care for. Cutting Medicaid in order to fund tax giveaways for the rich would devastate countless families across the commonwealth,” Rep. McClellan said.
Below: Protesting proposed GOP Medicaid cuts.
MEDICAID PROTEST. During President Trump’s speech, Congressman Al Green of Texas staged a protest and interrupted Trump during his protest. Rep. Green didso in protest of cuts to Medicaid. Despite saying that “the word Medicaid wasn’t in the budge” after the last budget vote in the U.S. House, Virginia Republicans such as Rep. Jen Kiggans and Rep. Rob Wittman voted for Medicaid cuts because it remains obvious that Trump’s budget targets can’t be met without cuts to Medicaid.
Fired Military Officer from Hampton Who Trump Fired on CNN
Army Staff Sergeant Alexzandria Hunt of Hampton appeared on CNN late Tuesday night (or really Wednesday morning) after Trump’s Joint Address to Congress. Sgt. Hunt was Rep. Bobby Scott’s special guest at Trump’s speech. On CNN, Hunt shared the details of how Trump’s firings impacted her and the way they were carried out. See video below:
“Four years after inciting a mob to attack the United States Capitol, President Trump returned to these historic halls to continue his mission: sow chaos and enrich himself and his billionaire friends at cost to the American people,” Rep. Scott said in a statement after Trump’s long address.
“To date, President Trump has yet to offer any reasonable or concrete solutions to the real problems Americans are facing. Through all the chaos and confusion, President Trump has saved no money, nor made government more efficient,” he added.
Listen to Black Virginia News podcast 46: 🎙️ Advice for Federal Workers
Virginia Labor Leaders on Capitol Hill
PRO ACT. Congressional labor leaders joined workers to reintroduce the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act). The PRO Act expands and strengthens protections for workers’ right to organize a union and bargain for higher wages and better benefits.
Yesterday, union members and union leaders from Hampton Roads visited Capitol Hill. They included Virginia AFL-CIO President Doris Crouse-Mays.
Above: Rep. Scott, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer and others attend an event announcing the reintroduction of the PRO ACT.
Above: Rep. Scott speaks at yesterday’s press conference on the PRO ACT.
Below: Rep. Maxine Waters and Scott talk after the last votes of the day.
Norfolk State Receives $400,000 Gift from TowneBank
Norfolk State University announced a gift of $400,000 from TowneBank to support student-athletes. The presentation was made during a special reception at the Chrysler Museum on Feb. 28, where the University welcomed new head football coach Michael Vick.
Above from left: James W. Dyke, Jr., NSU Board of Visitors member; Heidi Abbott, NSU BOV Member; Dmitri Gaston, NSU; Tom Hasty, Towne Bank Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Regulatory Officer; Yvonne Allmond, Towne Bank Executive Vice President and Community Financial Engagement Officer; Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston, NSU President; Michael Vick, NSU Head Football Coach; Bishop Kim Brown, Rector, NSU BOV; Dwayne B. Blake, NSU BOV member; Melody Webb, NSU Athletics Director; and Clifford Porter, NSU Vice President.
Feds to Virginia Schools: End Race Talk or Risk Losing Funds
By Nathaniel Cline - Virginia colleges and universities are on notice: the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has warned that institutions failing to eliminate race-based decision-making could lose federal funding.
Below: An education system that has always been built on racial discrimination and “race based decision making” suddenly wants to pretend that efforts to correct historic problems is the real issue.
Students of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., including Hazel Bryan, shout insults at Elizabeth Eckford as she calmly walks toward a line of National Guardsmen.
The supplemental guidance, released Friday, follows the federal government’s directive for schools to stop considering race in admissions and other policies. It clarifies how the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College ruling applies to ‘racial classifications, racial preferences, and racial stereotypes,’ and how OCR will enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Supreme Court’s decision in June 2023 effectively ended affirmative action in higher education, striking down race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. In response, Virginia schools have revised their admissions policies to comply with the ruling.
Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the latest directive from OCR aligns with broader efforts to eliminate race-based considerations in education. READ ENTIRE
Man to Sell Del Ray Home
The Independent reports: Vice President JD Vance is reportedly selling his home in Northern Virginia for $1.7 million. Vance bought the five bedroom, three-and-a-half bath property for $1.5 million in 2022 following his election to the U.S. Senate. The home is located in Del Ray, an eclectic neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia.
You can bet the neighbors are thrilled. Security protocols caused the closing of a park near the home. The progressive Northern Virginia neighborhood is a favored community for its quaint downtown, restaurants and cute mom and pop businesses.
Don’t Click That Link: FTC Warns of EZ Pass Text Scam
By Nathaniel Cline. Watch out for that text — it could cost you more than just a toll. Scammers posing as toll bill collectors are blasting Virginia drivers with fake payment demands via text message, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) warned this week.
Phishing schemes —where fraudsters use email, texts, and calls to steal personal and financial information — were the top cyber threat in the U.S. in recent years, according to the latest FBI Internet Crime Report. Virginia was ranked 11th among states hit hardest by internet crimes, with reported losses totaling over $265,073,590 in 2023.
The DMV is urging residents to ignore any text directing them to pay a toll by clicking a web link. Clicking the link, the agency warned, could put drivers’ personal information at risk.
Podcast 44 🎙️ Interview with Rep. Jennifer McClellan
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