119th Congress

Washington, D.C. — Today, the Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs received a bipartisan briefing from senior U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) officials about the crash that occurred between an Army UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines Flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on January 29, 2025, that resulted in the deaths of sixty-seven individuals. 

Ranking Member Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) and Chairman William Timmons (R-SC) issued the following statement following the briefing:

“The U.S. Department of Defense, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, has adjusted procedures around DCA to reduce risk while the investigation continues. The Military and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee plans to continue monitoring the investigation’s progress and ensure that the U.S. Department of Defense strengthens the safety of its operations in the National Capital Region.”

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Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramnayam offered an amendment during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform markup to protect the hard-earned retirement benefits of the federal workforce.

His amendment would strike a provision of House Republicans’ budget legislation that would reduce pay for long-serving federal employees by increasing their required retirement contributions without providing any additional benefits. Under the legislation, federal employees hired before 2014 would be required to contribute up to 3.6% more of their paycheck every month. The Congressman warned that Section 90001 would cause further losses of experienced talent in the federal workforce.

Congressman Subramanyam argued that changing benefits that were agreed to many years ago is unjust, and that there are better ways to make government more efficient without attacking the hard-earned retirement benefits federal employees have been paying into for their entire careers. The Congressman warned this would not only hurt local and national economies, but also undermine recruitment efforts for critical positions in the federal government, erode government effectiveness, increase long-term costs, and damage public trust.

In addition to increasing retirement contributions, the Republican legislation also proposes to eliminate supplemental retirement payments for federal employees who retire before age 62, change the federal retirement annuity formula to lower benefits for federal employees, and force civil servants to contribute an additional 5% towards their retirement each month without any increase in benefits unless they forfeit their merit-based civil service protections.

Congressman Subramanyam’s amendment was defeated on a party-line vote. The overall legislation advanced through the Committee by a one-vote margin, with one Republican joining all Democrats in voting no.

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Washington D.C. – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam released the following statement on Congressman Gerry Connolly’s announcement that he will not seek re-election and will soon step down as Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

“Gerry Connolly has been a friend and mentor of mine since before my time in Congress. He has helped countless legislators in Virginia and has always been there for Virginia families. Despite his plans not to seek another term in Congress, Gerry’s leadership will always serve as a guiding light.

Gerry is a fighter, and I will be proudly working with him for the rest of this term as he gets healthy and continues to be a champion for all Virginians.”

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Washington, D.C. – This week, Representatives Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the bipartisan USPS Shipping Equity Act to allow the United States Postal Service (USPS) to ship alcoholic beverages to consumers.

“This prohibition era restriction on the Postal Service is unnecessary and imposes on consumers and our small businesses,” said Congressman Suhas Subramanyam. “I’m thrilled to partner with Congressman Newhouse on a bipartisan fix to expand opportunities available to our local breweries, vineyards, and distilleries and provide a new revenue source for USPS.”

“The wine, beer, and spirits industries are at a real disadvantage in delivering their high-quality products across the country,” said Congressman Dan Newhouse. “While other carriers deliver alcohol, current law prohibits the United States Postal Service from doing so. This legislation supports small craft breweries and wineries in rural areas like Central Washington and offers new opportunities for market access through the USPS. I thank Rep. Subramanyam for joining me in introducing this bipartisan legislation as we work to unlock the USPS for our local producers.”

The legislation allows the USPS to ship alcoholic beverages directly from licensed producers and retailers to consumers over the age of 21, in accordance with state and local laws at the delivery location. It levels the playing field and increases consumer and manufacturer choice while bringing in millions of dollars in revenue for USPS per year. The legislation is supported by industry partners including the American Craft Spirits Association and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association. 

“We thank Representatives Newhouse and Subramanyam for their bipartisan legislation. As our small, domestic businesses have grown over the past 15 years, allowing the USPS to ship craft spirits will provide access to another important delivery option for small distillers in the U.S,” said Margie A.S. Lehrman, CEO of the American Craft Spirits Association. “Many of those distilleries are located in rural areas where support of their local Main Street matters. Access to the thirty-one thousand post offices in the U.S. would be a game changer, helping their small businesses to succeed and grow. We hope the Congress will act soon on this important small business initiative.”

“The NRLCA thanks Congressman Newhouse and Congressman Subramanyam for introducing the USPS Shipping Equity Act, legislation that modernizes outdated regulations and allows the Postal Service to deliver products like wine, beer, and spirits,” said Don Matson, President of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association. “This act promotes fairness by allowing USPS to compete on equal footing with private carriers, creating new opportunities for rural communities and small businesses to expand through USPS’s reliable service. It also generates revenue that can be reinvested to improve customer service. It's a commonsense reform that helps USPS meet the needs of modern society and drive economic growth across the country.”

Full bill text can be found here. 

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Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam launched an inquiry into last week’s mass firings of dozens of predominantly Indian American employees at Fannie Mae for claims of alleged unethical conduct and fraud, sending a letter to William Pulte, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Priscilla Almodovar, President and Chief Executive of Fannie Mae, demanding answers and evidence. The fired Fannie Mae employees, most of whom are Indian American and live in Northern Virginia, have denied wrongdoing and have claimed Fannie Mae did not conduct any sort of investigation into the alleged behavior. 

“It has been brought to my attention that Fannie Mae has accused hundreds of my constituents in the Indian-American community of fraudulent behavior and fired them without conducting a full investigation or providing evidence,” said Congressman Suhas Subramanyam. “I have spoken with many of these employees in our community, and they deserve due process. Fannie Mae owes them, Congress, and the American people an explanation immediately.”

It has been reported that these employees were fired over contributions to certain Indian American organizations through Fannie Mae’s Matching Gift Program. According to Fannie Mae’s website, this program allows employees to “double the financial impact of their eligible donations through our Matching Gifts program up to a maximum of $5,000 annually.” The groups many employees donated to were approved by Fannie Mae itself for inclusion in its gift-matching program.      

In the letter, Congressman Subramanyam highlights the employees’ years of experience and exemplary performance reviews at Fannie Mae and notes that the individuals were fired without notice and are almost exclusively Indian Americans. Additionally, some of the employees who were fired have claimed that they have not even donated to the organizations in question. 

The Congressman is concerned that Fannie Mae has not fully investigated the alleged fraudulent behavior and that simply donating to Indian American organizations or belonging to the Indian American community may have been used as the sole rationale for firing these employees. In his letter, the Congressman demands answers from Fannie Mae on whether and how they had investigated this alleged fraud, if employees were given the opportunity to provide clarification or corrective action, if employees were provided evidence of specific violations they were alleged to have committed, if donations to specific charities were used as the basis for termination decisions, and, lastly, if any employees who donated to these organizations were cleared of wrongdoing as part of the investigations.

The Congressman requested a response by April 14, 2025 and a briefing on the terminations.

The letter is also signed by Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) and Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13).

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Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) took to the House floor to blast Republicans for their so-called No Rogue Rulings Act which would remove power from our district courts and allow President Trump and his administration to act without any restraint or respect for the rule of law.  

“This bill is simply another loyalty bill for the president–up there with naming airports after him and putting his face on Mount Rushmore,” said Congressman Subramanyam. “Loyalty to a president should not supersede the rule of law or loyalty to uphold the Constitution. This bill doesn’t just take power away from judges, it takes away the power from every American. I urge my colleagues to vote against this legislation.”

Copied below please find remarks as prepared for delivery. Video footage of his remarks may be downloaded here. 

Mr./Madam Speaker, 

Let’s be clear. The administration has broken the law repeatedly. That’s why there have been so many injunctions. To stop the law breaking.  

These injunctions were celebrated by the other side when they stopped actions under previous Democratic administrations. 

But now that President Trump is in office, this bill essentially helps the president skirt the law.  

I get asked a lot these days: 

What happens when this president ignores the courts? Wouldn’t we have a constitutional crisis on our hands?

Well, this bill makes it easier for the president’s actions to go unchecked. And by blocking nationwide injunctions, people will be powerless to quickly stop illegal and unconstitutional actions. 

This bill is simply another loyalty bill for the President – up there with naming airports after him and putting his face on Mount Rushmore.  

Loyalty to a president should not supersede the rule of law or loyalty to uphold the Constitution. 

This bill doesn’t just take power away from judges, it takes away the power from every American. 

I urge my colleagues to vote against this legislation. 

I yield back. 

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