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Dear Friend,
This week’s newsletter shares recent events organized in response to harmful actions and proposals by the Trump-Musk Administration, highlights community engagements from this past week, and commemorates Easter and Earth Day. Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and for staying informed.
Constituents Deserve to Hear from their Representatives: Town Halls in CD-01 and CD-05
Over the past several weeks, Virginians have demanded that their Congressional Representatives hold town halls to address the harms inflicted by the dismantling of our federal government. These concerns include the large scale firing of federal workers and contractors (many of whom live in Virginia), the threats to Social Security, the gutting of Medicaid that passed out of the House in its budget, the destruction of the Department of Education by the loss of nearly half of its workforce, the targeting of immigrant communities without warrants and due process, and much more. The Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told his Republican Caucus members to avoid holding town halls [[link removed]] , and sadly, Virginia’s Republican representatives have followed his orders.
Constituents deserve the opportunity to share their concerns and to hear from representatives in public town halls. Because Representatives Rob Wittman (CD01) and John McGuire (CD05) have refused to address the growing concerns and issues that impact our communities, we held town halls for them and invited them to attend. Neither did.
I shared the ways in which recent federal actions are impacting Virginians and the plans that are developing at the state level in response to these actions. These include planning for the worst case scenario with the loss of funding for Medicaid; ensuring that Title I schools receive sufficient support as they work to educate students in the most underserved areas; protecting the rights of our students with disabilities to receive public education; responding to ongoing civil rights violations; the loss of essential support for medical research, and more. Many attendees voiced their concerns about disruptions to their Social Security, the inability to get answers from Wittman and McGuire, the loss of federal jobs that have impacted them and their families directly, the curtailment of food and housing assistance programs, the effects of federal freezes on Virginia’s colleges and universities, and the potential loss of federal financial aid that enables hundreds of thousands of students earn the degrees that are vital to our workforce and economy. Clearly, concerns and anxiety are heightened, and constituents need to hear directly from the representatives who are making these decisions for them in Washington.
In addition to our discussions, my team also distributed a comprehensive list of resources [[link removed]] for community members who may require assistance in the areas of unemployment assistance, food security, health care, and more. I will continue to hold town halls to address the issues facing my constituents in State Senate District 15.
I call on our Congressional Representatives who have not yet responded to their constituents to do the same:
* Rob Wittman [[link removed]]
* Jen Kiggans [[link removed]]
* John McGuire [[link removed](Virginia_politician)]
* Ben Cline [[link removed]]
* Morgan Griffith [[link removed]]
I thank our Representatives and US Senators who have recently organized and held town halls to address the actions in Washington:
* Bobby Scott [[link removed](politician)]
* Jennifer McClellan [[link removed]]
* Eugene Vindman [[link removed]]
* Don Beyer [[link removed]]
* Suhas Subramanyam [[link removed]]
* Gerry Connolly [[link removed]]
* Mark Warner [[link removed]]
* Tim Kaine [[link removed]]
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Monday’s town hall in CD-01 brought together over 120 community members to discuss how the Trump Administration's ill-advised policies are impacting CD-01 and the entire Commonwealth. The representative for CD-01, Congressman Rob Wittman, has not held an in-person town hall with constituents in over two years.
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On Tuesday evening, over 70 community members joined me in Charlottesville to share their concerns on the Trump Administration's actions. Their representative, Congressman John McGuire, has refused to hold a town hall to meet with constituents.
Rallying to Protect Social Security
On Tuesday, April 15, I joined concerned citizens from across Central Virginia to protest the Trump/Musk administration’s efforts to target our Social Security. The actions of firing thousands of employees and gutting phone services that undermine citizens’ ability to access their earned benefits are already creating chaos in the lives of millions who are retired seniors, individuals with disabilities, or are dependent children. We rallied outside of the Social Security Administration Building on W. Cary Street in Richmond to protect Social Security which serves as a lifeline to millions and that is earned and paid for by the American people. As I stated last Tuesday, “Over 1.6 million Virginians rely on Social Security right now — and in some counties, it’s the lifeline keeping entire communities afloat. In places like Buchanan or Mecklenburg, Social Security isn't just a retirement check — it's the grocery bill, the electric bill, and the co-pay that helps people access health care and prescription medication. Social Security is not a partisan issue. As both Republican and Democratic Presidents have stated before, it is that important promise that we’ve made to every American.”
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Select Community Engagements
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Shortly after speaking with Charlottesville voters, I joined the Fauquier County Democrats by Zoom to share a campaign update and discuss our continued efforts to hold the Trump administration accountable. As Lieutenant Governor, I will help protect Virginians at every turn against federal attacks.
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On Wednesday, I joined the Manassas and Manassas Park Democrats to share my vision as Lieutenant Governor and discuss how my six years of experience in the Virginia Senate and my record of legislative accomplishments have prepared me to lead Virginia at this time of historic crisis in the federal government.
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On Thursday, I met again with the members of the Cedarfield Senior Living Democrats to hear directly from residents about their concerns, from the local level to the national level. Top of mind for everyone are continued threats to crucial programs supporting seniors, including Social Security and Medicaid, and the Trump-Musk administration’s dismantling of the Department of Education which impacts their children and great-grandchildren.
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Later that evening on Thursday, I traveled to Herndon to join supporters and friends to share my vision for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Our communities in Northern Virginia are disproportionately experiencing uncertainty due to chaos caused by Donald Trump and his allies. Topics of conversation included mass unemployment, concerns about job security, cuts in funding to vital services, and concerns for our diverse communities of immigrants, asylum seekers, and those in mixed-status families. As Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor, I will work to develop resources that protect Virginians and advocate on behalf of all communities.
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Early Saturday morning, I met new and old friends at the Portsmouth Democrats' Pancake Breakfast to share my journey into public service and my priorities as Virginia’s next Lieutenant Governor. Our Commonwealth is experiencing an unprecedented number of attacks from Washington, particularly in our Hampton Roads Region. The instability caused by Trump is not only a risk to economic security for this vital region of our state, but a national security risk, and we need executive-level leadership in Virginia that will fight to protect our diverse regional assets.
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Later that day, I joined the Richmond City Democratic Committee for its 8th District Meet and Greet. Across our Commonwealth, we are seeing communities affected by federal cuts, including $12 million for Richmond City’s water treatment plant improvements. Communities are looking for strong state executive leadership during these uncertain times. As Lieutenant Governor, I will provide steady leadership for critical funding across Virginia.
Easter and Earth Day
Across the Commonwealth, communities have been gathering together to celebrate numerous holidays throughout the Spring season. To all that observed Easter on Sunday, I hope that the day was marked by the special joys of time spent with loved ones and cherished friends.
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Today marks the 55th celebration of Earth Day. First established in response to widespread air and water pollution impacting communities throughout the United States, Earth Day has become an annual, global call to action. This year’s theme “Our Power, Our Planet” calls on communities around the world to invest in clean, renewable energy sources by 2030. Here in the Commonwealth, we have made historic progress through the passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act and relentlessly defending against attacks to dismantle the VCEA [[link removed]] , establishing and maintaining Clean Car Standards [[link removed]] , and more. We have made substantial progress in protecting the Commonwealth’s environment and prioritizing community health, but we must continue to build on our progress and move towards a sustainable, equitable, clean future for all of our communities.
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Connecting With My Office
My office can be reached at the following:
Email: [email protected] [gmail.com]
Phone: 804.698.7515
If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up to receive my office’s weekly newsletter here [[link removed]] .
— Ghazala
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