congress

Va. Delegation Calls for USS Arlington to be Commissioned in Norfolk

By ARLnow.com

Rumor has it that the Navy may be thinking of holding the commissioning for the USS Arlington somewhere other than Virginia — and that has the state’s congressional delegation crying foul.

“We have been informed that the Navy is considering commissioning the USS Arlington at several ports outside of the Commonwealth,” the delegation wrote in a letter sent today to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. “Given that the ship is named to honor the vital role Virginia played in responding to the attacks of September 11th, we believe it would be a mistake to commission the USS Arlington at any location outside of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

The bipartisan letter was signed by Sen. Jim Webb, Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Jim Moran, Rep. Frank Wolf, Rep. Eric Cantor and the rest of the Virginia delegation. Gov. Bob McDonnell has also been lobbying for the commissioning to be held in Norfolk, where the ship will be homeported.

The Arlington, an amphibious transport dock ship, was christened at the Northrop Grumman shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. in March. The USS New York, another San Antonio-class ship named following the Sept. 11th attacks, was commissioned in New York City in 2009.

Moran: Offshore Drilling Could Interfere With SEAL Training

By ARLnow.com

This afternoon the House of Representatives passed a bill that would permit oil drilling off the coast of Virginia.

On the House floor today, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) offered his support for an amendment that would have strengthened provisions in the bill that prohibit drilling in an area that would cause “unreasonable conflict” with naval operations. The amendment failed, and the bill passed 266-149.

“The proposed lease sale would interfere with U.S. Navy operations and Virginia’s commercial fishery and tourism industries,” Moran said in a statement. “National Security and economic growth should trump lining the pockets of big oil executives.”

Moran added that the drilling could interfere with the training of Virginia Beach-based Navy SEAL Team Six, the elite squad that killed Osama bin Laden.

“In May 2010 the [Department of Defense] stated nearly 80 percent of the drilling area proposed to be sold in Virginia, Lease Sale 220, would interfere with U.S. Navy training and operations (including Navy SEAL Team Six),” a Moran press release said.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) offered his support for the bill in a newspaper op-ed this morning.

“America’s energy future must be made more secure and must focus on domestic energy resources,” McDonnell said.

DEVELOPING STORY — Federal Shutdown Could Have “Severe Impact” on N. Virginia

By ARLnow.com

On a conference call today, Rep. Jim Moran (D) said he believe the odds of a federal shutdown at the end of the week is about 50/50 — a dark omen for Arlington and other Northern Virginia jurisdictions whose economies rely heavily on federal employment.

If such a shutdown were to happen, Moran says he believes that furloughed federal employees would not be reimbursed for their time off due to Republican opposition to such a move. A shutdown could last several weeks and have a “severe impact” on the local economy, Moran warned.

“This is very, very, serious,” Moran said. “Federal employees need to understand that this is not 1995, when we closed down… and [employees] were fully reimbursed.”

“About a million federal employees will not be working, and it is highly unlikely they will ever be reimbursed,” Moran continued. “Not only is this going to hurt the overall economy in the metropolitan Washington area that I represent, but it is going to have a very severe impact on employee’s abilities to make their mortgage payments, their car payments, etc.”

“Every private sector element in my district’s economy is going to be adversely affected,” Moran added.

Others on the conference call pegged the number of federal employees who would be furloughed during a shut down at around 800,000 nationwide, including Department of Defense civilians. Moran said the impact would likely to extend to government contractors.

“If this continues I think there’s going to be a number of smaller contractors that will simply go out of business because the [federal agencies] aren’t giving them the kind of cash flow they need to survive,” he said. Backing up that suggestion, Moran’s office pointed out that 20 percent of government contracts in the D.C. area were adversely affected during the 1995 shutdown.

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Speaker Boehner Visits Guapo’s in Shirlington

By ARLnow.com

In the midst of a high-stakes budget fight on Capitol Hill, House Speaker John Boehner found time to dine at Guapo’s Restaurant in Shirlington Village last night.

Speaker Boehner was joined by 8-10 people, who our tipster says were likely friends and staff members. The margarita-sipping crew left in two black U.S. Capitol Police SUVs around 10:00 p.m.

The visit — confirmed by a restaurant staffer — came on the same day that Tea Party members rallied in front of the Capitol to pressure Boehner and congressional Republicans to continue pushing for budgetary spending cuts. In case they’re wondering, the typical entree at Guapo’s is between $10 and $20.

Boehner is apparently a big fan of the Mexican cuisine at Guapo’s. He has been spotted there at least two other times in the past few months.

Our wonk-ish tipster hypothesizes that last night’s visit may indicate Boehner is planning on passing another short-term continuing resolution before finalizing the budget. After all, our tipster says, Boehner would otherwise be rushing to iron out key points in order for the budget to be “agreed to, finalized and posted by this coming Tuesday under their new 72 hour rules.”

Moran Steamed About NPR Defunding

By ARLnow.com

On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to cut off federal funding to National Public Radio, and Rep. Jim Moran (D) was not happy about it.

In a floor speech that his office put on YouTube yesterday, the Northern Virginia congressman argued that the Republican-sponsored legislation was about ideology, not sound fiscal policy.

“This has nothing to do with the deficit, it’s an infinitesimal fraction of our national debt,” Moran said forcefully. “It distracts us from solving the real problems that this nation faces while trying to destroy one of the primary sources of an enlightened electorate.”

Moran said NPR is an important resource because of its status as a public broadcaster.

“[NPR] content is not compromised by corporate ownership,” he said. Moran also argued that NPR is important because of the emergency alert system it provides.

“The commercial market won’t do that, because there’s no profit in it,” he added.

Yesterday former NPR analyst Juan Williams came out in favor of cutting off federal funds to the organization. Still, the defunding bill has little chance of passing the Senate.

Bozzelli’s Now Serving Pizza in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

The selection is a bit limited at the moment, but Bozzelli’s Italian Deli in Crystal City (2600 Crystal Drive) is now serving pizza.

The addition will bring Bozzelli’s, which opened in November, into direct competition with one of the few other street-facing quick-serve options on the southern end of Crystal Drive, Pizza Autentica (2450 Crystal Drive).

Bozzelli’s is serving plain cheese, pepperoni and veggie pizzas for now. Fancier options like the white pizza are still a few days away, an employee said. In addition to the pizza, Bozzelli’s is also now offering mini cupcakes and other sweets in Crystal City.

One repeat customer who may be sampling the new menu items is Crystal City resident and former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. We’re told McCain has been known to swing by the restaurant on occasion.

Photo via Facebook

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Congressman Dated Pentagon City Mall Employee — Disgraced former Congressman Christopher Lee (R-NY)  had “a relationship” with a young woman who “worked at an upscale Pentagon City department store,” according to the New York Post. GOP leadership reportedly ordered Lee to “curtail his randy DC antics” after word got out he was dating the “young salesclerk.” There is a Macy’s and a Nordstrom department store at Pentagon City mall. [New York Post]

Post Editorial Slams Arlington, Again — Three days after declaring that Arlington Public Schools should investigate the explosive claims of a former middle school teacher, the Washington Post’s editorial board is on Arlington’s case again. The Post says Arlington won “a battle over HOT lanes but may lose a war.” By effectively killing the I-395 HOT lanes project and blocking the widening of I-66, Arlington’s “NIMBYism” is “frustrating the county’s populous and fast-growing neighbors” while “undercut[ting] its own economic interests.” [Washington Post]

Another Day Added to Wine Walk — Crystal City is adding another day to its inaugural “1K Wine Walk.” The indoor wine-tasting “race” will now be held on Feb. 26 & 27. Buy tickets for the event here.

Moran Co-Sponsors Bill to Ban High-Capacity Ammo Magazines

By ARLnow.com

Rep. Jim Moran (D) was among the gun control advocates expected to join New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D) this afternoon at a news conference introducing a bill that would ban high-capacity ammunition magazines.

McCarthy and Moran are sponsoring the bill in the wake of the shooting in Tucson, Ariz. that left six people dead and 13 wounded, including Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

The bill would ban ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Such magazines were banned from 1994 to 2004, when Congress let the Clinton-era assault weapon ban expire.

Moran’s office issued the following press release today.

U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, Northern Virginia Democrat, will join Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY04) and advocates for reducing gun violence to discuss the formal introduction of – and a plan to advance – legislation to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines such as those used in tragic shootings in Tucson, AZ.

The bill will be formally introduced when the House of Representatives reconvenes later in the evening. The bill brings the nation to the same 10-round-maximum standard used in at least six states today, as well as nationwide for the decade when the previous federal assault weapons ban was in effect. It also closes a gaping loophole in the previous ban in which magazines manufactured before the law went into effect could still be traded by private sellers.

Sen. John McCain to Appear at Fundraiser for Patrick Murray

By ARLnow.com

Republican congressional candidate Patrick Murray is calling on one of his party’s biggest names to help with fundraising.

Murray, facing a steep uphill battle in his fight to unseat incumbent Democratic congressman Jim Moran, will be joined by part-time Crystal City resident and one-time Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain at a private fundraiser in Alexandria next week.

Tickets for the fundraiser, which will be held Monday night, range from $250 to $2,400. Republican operative Charlie Black and former Ross Perot presidential campaign spokesperson Orson Swindle are among the bold-faced names on the guestlist.

Sen. McCain isn’t the only family member helping Murray. His younger brother, Joe McCain, was an early supporter of the campaign. At Murray’s primary victory party, AlexandriaNews.org quoted the younger McCain as shouting: “I’m so tired of losing! We’re going to win this one, I know it!”

“Constitution” Outburst Interrupts Candidate Q&A

By ARLnow.com

“Do you believe in the Constitution, and do you follow it?”

That’s the question one man really, really wanted to ask of the three 8th District congressional candidates at a Civic Federation-sponsored debate Tuesday night. The moderator tried to move on to the next question before the candidates could answer, at which point the man began yelling.

Eventually, the candidates answered the question to get the guy to stop screaming. It’s not clear whether he actually expected anyone to answer “no.”

We have audio of the exchange, below.

Congressional Candidates Spar in Civic Federation Debate

By ARLnow.com

At a candidate forum sponsored by the Arlington Civic Federation, Republican Patrick Murray kicked off the post-Labor Day campaign season with an aggressive assault on the economic and spending record of ten-term incumbent Democratic congressman Jim Moran, previewing what will likely be a spirited two months of campaigning.

“Congress… is full of career politicians who are addicted to spending your taxpayer dollars and who will say and do anything to get re-elected,” Murray said in his opening remarks. “At the heart of that, ladies and gentleman, is my opponent, Mr. Moran.”

“For 20 years, he has spent taxpayer dollars… and what has it gotten us?” Murray asked. “We’ve got deficits as far as the eye can see. We’ve got unemployment that continues to go up. We’ve got $13 trillion of debt.”

Moran readily admitted that he has used his seniority on the House Appropriations Committee to steer money to the 8th District. But he said the money has made life better here — primarily by producing jobs.

“I earmark a lot of money through the appropriations process,” Moran said. “I do support federal spending, and I support the federal government… I’m doing everything I can to keep federal facilities here.”

Moran noted that Arlington has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and has recently been named a one of the most “livable” communities in the nation.

Later, Murray took a shot at a television appearance in which Moran said the economy had recovered.

“Jim just doesn’t get it. The other day on Hardball with Chris Matthews, he [said] ‘I don’t know why everyone is so upset… the economy is recovered,'” Murray said to cackling laughter among his supporters. “On what planet has it recovered?”

During a question and answer session with Civic Federation delegates, Moran was asked about a glossy, 16-page newsletter his congressional office mailed out over the summer at taxpayer expense.

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