Dear friends,

With the summer heat bearing down on our region, I hope you are having a safe and productive start to your summer. This is an exciting time to be a member of the Virginia Senate, with our statewide primary concluded and our ticket decided for the election this November: Jay Jones will be our candidate for Attorney General of Virginia, and my colleague in the State Senate, Ghazala Hashmi, is our candidate to be our next Lieutenant Governor. Together with Abigail Spanberger our candidate for Governor, they recently visited the Eden Center to meet with members of our community. I was proud as your representative to welcome them to our area, and I look forward to future opportunities to help you get to know them.

Happy Fourth of July!

Independence Day celebrations in the capital region are one of the things that make living here special, whether you are traveling to the National Mall or celebrating at home with family and friends.

Fairfax City Independence Day includes a parade starting at 10am and an evening show starting at 6:30 including music, dancing, and a fireworks display after dark. Learn more here.

George Washington's Mount Vernon will hold "An American Celebration" from 9am to 5pm including a naturalization ceremony and keynote address by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at 10am and a made-for-daytime fireworks display over the Potomac at 1pm. Learn more here.

Washington, DC Festivities will include the National Independence Day Parade at 11:45am on Constitution Ave NW, and conclude with the 'A Capitol Fourth' concert at the U.S. Capitol at 8pm before the DC Fireworks display at 9pm. Learn more here.

Fireworks and activities on the National Mall always draw huge crowds to our region, putting maximum stress on our transportation infrastructure, especially our roads. To help, fares will be FREE on Metrorail, Metrobus, and MetroAccess from 5 p.m. until the system closes on the Fourth of July, providing safe and accessible transportation as you celebrate.

After fireworks end, WMATA is encouraging riders to reduce transfers and crowding by delaying return travel or using a station other than Smithsonian Station. Metro has nearby stations on all lines within a short walk of Smithsonian. Last train times vary by station, so check Trip Planner for more information.

This week Newport News Shipbuilding “floated off” SSN-800, the future USS Arkansas and the latest Virginia Class attack submarine. The sub was christened in December 2024 by its ship sponsors, the six women of the Little Rock Nine. This is a great example of the value that Virginia's skilled workforce provides for the U.S. Navy and the unique place the Commonwealth occupies in the defense and history of our nation.

A picture of Virginia shipbuilders maneuvering the Arkansas onto the floating dry dock, and then into the James River, where it will be outfitted over the next several months.

James Walkinshaw for Congress!

Current Braddock district Supervisor James Walkinshaw was the victor in the CD11 Firehouse Primary and will be our candidate in a Special Election on September 9th to complete the term of the late Gerry Connolly. Please join me in congratulating James, and in doing everything we can to ensure he is successful, both in September and in his continuing service to our community.

I will be joining James along with Andy Pavord and FCDC on a Zoom briefing on July 10th at 7pm about Trump's budget and what Virginia can do to respond and make sure Virginians are protected. This briefing will discuss how the bill massively increases the national debt, perpetuates an unfair tax system, slashes Medicaid, increases education costs, and implements a host of other bad policies. You can sign up to join the budget briefing here.

Trump Watch

Republicans raced to enact a budget this week that will cause significant harm to many Americans. I have discussed previously the harm that drastic cuts to Medicaid will have, not just for the children and working class families who benefit directly from these programs but also increasing insurance premiums and closing medical facilities we all rely on.

Yesterday I tweeted about the damage this will do to the solar energy industry. Most recently Trump has abruptly withheld at least $4.8 billion in Title 1 funding this week. This funding delay has immediate consequences for students and communities across the country, and threatens essential services we rely on in our community, like summer programs, teacher training programs, after school activities, and support for migrant children and English learners.

Protect Public Ed is collecting stories to document the harm caused by school funding cuts as a direct result of education policies. If you are a teacher or otherwise involved in public education consider and have seen the harm caused by this administration's education policies please consider sharing your story through this link.

New Virginia Laws Effective July 1

I've written previously about my own bills such as those targeting mail theft and invasive plant species, but there are other laws which became effective Tuesday which may be of particular interest and benefit to you:

Unemployment improvements including flexibility for part-time workers and an increase to the maximum weekly benefit.

Housing improvements including down payment help for first-time homebuyers and rights of tenants in public housing.

Cell phones in schools. Under this law carried by my seatmate Senator Stella Pekarsky, School Boards are now required to implement a policy to end the massive disruption to our learning environments caused by cell phones.

You can read more about new laws effective July 1 here. If you have questions about any of the new laws please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market

Next Wednesday July 9th I will be in Richmond for the first meeting of this commission which has a complicated name, but a clear purpose: to identify and then navigate the pathway from the current grey market for cannabis to a functioning retail market. Legalization of marijuana first passed the legislature in 2021, but after Governor Youngkin's election later that year, he decided to be an obstacle to the formation of a market which had already been decriminalized. Not only is the current legal grey area unacceptable, the tax revenues from this market would do a great deal to help us do things like build schools and improve public infrastructure, so I look forward to the commission's work. You will be able to watch the meeting livestreamed on House of Delegates video, and you can learn more about the Joint Commission here.

FCNP July Column

This month I wrote to you to share my views on last month's conflict between the United States and Iran. While the Virginia General Assembly does not create or delve into foreign policy, as a legislator I felt obligated to share my thoughts on what I see as Congress's failure to uphold the Constitution by abdicating its power to declare war to President Trump. You can read my full comments on FCNP.com.

Traffic & Construction News

Gallows Road. The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is having 2 public meetings to present and answer questions on the proposed recommendations for improvements on Gallows Road including pedestrian, bicycle, and transit options.

Meeting 1 - North and Middle Segments (Between Route 7 and I-495)

Tuesday, July 15, 6 p.m. at Kilmer Middle School, 8100 Wolftrap Road, Vienna.

Meeting 2 - South Segment (Between I-495 and Columbia Pike)

Thursday, July 17, 6 p.m. at Woodburn Elementary School, 3401 Hemlock Drive, Falls Church.

For more information or to submit questions or comments to the study team online, visit the Gallows Road Study webpage.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is also hosting a virtual community input session on the proposed Fiscal Year 2025-2030 Transportation Priorities Plan (TPP). The plan includes more than 300 projects worth an estimated $3.9 billion. Staff from the Department of Transportation will present an overview of the TPP followed by a question-and-answer period. Meeting details are available on the Public Input website. Public comments on the proposed play may be also be submitted online on Public Input.

Upcoming Events

Sunday July 13th at3pm is the FCDC Unity Party in Falls Church! After last month's primary elections, lets come together to organize and build support for all of our Democratic candidates. RSVP and learn more here.

Wednesday July 23rd at 7pm our candidate for HD-57 May Nivar will be joined by Representative Ted Lieu, Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, for a fundraiser in Arlington. RSVP and learn more here.

Saturday July 26th at 7pm is the Sully Dems Summer Ice Cream Social, from 7-9pm in Centreville! RSVP and learn more here.

Commonwealth Spotlight

Senator Salim joined Delegate Holly Seibold at the Restricted Vienna workshop on racial covenants, their historic impact, and what we still need to do to have fair housing in Fairfax County.

Team Salim Chief of Staff Aeshah Sheikh joined Chimes for Art Day.

Team Salim was also proud to join the English Empowerment Center and the American Turkish Friendship Association for events this month.

Senator Salim joined union workers from SEIU 32BJ in a demonstration to support their right to keep the benefits they had collectively bargained for.

As always it is an honor to continue to represent you.

Sincerely,