119th Congress

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam joined U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, Jennifer McClellan, and Eugene Vindman pushed the Trump administration to reverse staffing cuts at the National Park Service (NPS), outlining the effect directives to eliminate employees and rescind and delay job offers will have on safety at Virginia’s 22 national park units, which serve 22 million visitors and contribute $1.5 billion to local economies each year.

“We write today to express our deep concern over alarming directives issued to eliminate roughly one thousand full-time employees, rescind hundreds of offers for full-time positions, and delay thousands of offers for seasonal positions at the National Park Service (NPS). These roles are critical to protecting America’s treasured natural assets, maintaining public safety, and promoting exceptional standards expected at national parks across Virginia and the nation,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “We urge you to reverse these directives and prevent additional cuts to existing staffing going forward given the critical role that the vast majority of NPS staff play in ensuring public safety. If these directives are not reversed, we fear it will significantly undermine the Park Service’s ability to protect both visitors and park resources, particularly as we approach peak visitation season.”

The NPS workforce plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth operation of our nation’s parks and the safety of the millions of visitors who explore them each year, and are also responsible for protecting the priceless natural, historic, and cultural resources that belong to the American people. However, recent staffing directives from the Trump administration – which included the dismissal of probationary employees and the rescinding of job offers at NPS with no input from park superintendents – are expected to make it significantly more difficult for NPS to carry out its mission, especially as peak visitor season approaches. Staff positions affected by the administration’s unilateral staffing directives include frontline park rangers responsible for ensuring visitor safety and protecting park assets, maintenance staff tasked with addressing the deferred maintenance backlog and reducing the risk of wildland fires, and support staff responsible for raising revenue for NPS through fee collections.

“It has been reported that the only exemptions offered were for positions that respond to public safety incidents, including law enforcement rangers, public safety dispatchers, and wildland firefighters. However, public safety response is just part of the work that goes into protecting the public,” wrote the lawmakers. “Countless other positions from rangers to natural resource specialists to wastewater specialists to maintenance mechanics that are not covered under the exemptions have wide-ranging responsibilities for preventing public safety incidents in the first place. Eliminating these positions put our parks at greater risk of damage and make them less safe for visitors. We are particularly concerned about reports that NPS rescinded offers for positions directly responsible for fire safety at Shenandoah National Park – coinciding with the start of wildfire season.”

Continued the members, “While it is encouraging that NPS recently walked back its decision to rescind offers for nearly 5,000 seasonal positions, park superintendents have received no guidance as to the next steps they can take to move forward with seasonal hiring. The late winter and early spring months are critical for ramping up seasonal staff in preparation for the summer visitation surge. Without clear guidance for superintendents on seasonal hiring, the continued delay in hiring could jeopardize the ability of these parks to safely accommodate millions of visitors this summer.”

In the letter, the Virginia lawmakers also noted that the staffing directives threaten to undermine the progress Congress has made in recent years to invest in repairing and restoring our national parks.

“For over one hundred years, NPS has been charged with safeguarding millions of acres of America’s irreplaceable natural, historic, and cultural resources. However, persistent underfunding of NPS resulted in the Service’s inability to properly staff park units and the growth of a multi-billion-dollar backlog of deferred maintenance projects. In recognition of the worsening situation at our national parks, bipartisan majorities in Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020 (GAOA), one of the largest ever investments in conservation and public lands in our nation’s history. The GAOA gave NPS the resources it needed to dedicate billions of dollars for addressing deferred maintenance across the country, including over $470 million for projects in Virginia. As a result of these staffing directives, units will be forced to reallocate remaining staff to support regular operations at the expense of staff hours dedicated to reducing the deferred maintenance backlog,” they wrote.

Concluded the lawmakers, “Significant disruptions to NPS staffing during the critical months prior to peak season threaten to harm the tourism economy associated with Virginia’s national parks that supports hundreds of small businesses and thousands of jobs. We urge you to swiftly reverse these directives and communicate clear guidance to park superintendents to ensure that NPS units in Virginia and across the country can move forward with hiring both seasonal and permanent positions that are critical to ensuring the safety of millions of park-goers.”

A copy of the letter is available here.
 

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U.S. Reps. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) and U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to authorize NASA to negotiate an agreement with the Town of Chincoteague to address costs associated with relocating contaminated water wells, reimburse for those identified costs, and provide more local control of the water supply to the Town of Chincoteague. Several of the Town’s wells are located on NASA property and have been contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). While the well water is currently being treated to remove PFAS and is safe to drink, these treatments must occur regularly, which is an ongoing cost for NASA. This bill offers a permanent solution to resolve the contamination management hurdle while saving the federal government money.

“We’re proud to introduce this bipartisan, bicameral legislation to remove unnecessary burdens to allow the Town of Chincoteague and NASA to come to an agreement on the costs of relocating contaminated water wells,” said the members. “We will keep working together to get this across the finish line.”

The legislation was passed by the U.S. Senate in December 2024, but it did not pass in the U.S. House of Representatives before the end of the 118th Congress and therefore must be reintroduced.

Full text of the Senate legislation can be found here. 

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Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) spoke on the House floor to address the harm being caused by the Trump administration’s attacks on federal workers and contractors, emphasizing their critical roles in saving taxpayer money and ensuring public safety and health.

The Congressman warned that continued mistreatment and job cuts would undermine national security and public services, ultimately costing taxpayers more and compromising the country's well-being and the safety of all Americans. 

As a member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, he has called for an investigation into illegal firings of federal workers and unconstitutional freezes of congressionally appropriated funds. Congressman Subramanyam represents over 34,000 federal workers and many more federal contractors in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.

See below for a transcript of remarks as delivered: 

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise because many people want to paint federal workers and contractors as unskilled bureaucrats who waste taxpayer dollars. 

But the reality is the opposite, and I know this because Virginia is home to hundreds of thousands of our country's federal workers and contractors, and I've heard from many of them. 

These federal workers actually save taxpayers money, and they keep all Americans safe and healthy despite all the regulations imposed on them by Congress. That is the bureaucracy.

And in almost all cases, they bring critical skills or expertise that are hard to replace, too. 

One USDA employee says firings in her department, which is focused on threats to America's crops, could cost us hundreds of millions of dollars down the road.

And one contractor who supports anti-terrorism efforts overseas was fired despite his track record of success countering extremism. 

These firings even threaten border security. 

A contractor who vets refugees has to lay off 100 security experts because of the cuts. 

No one will want to serve our government if federal workers and contractors are treated this way, and the attacks on federal civil servants will cost taxpayers money and make all Americans less safe and less healthy.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back.”

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Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) and Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) introduced legislation to designate the General George C. Marshall House in Leesburg, known as Dodona Manor, as an affiliated area under the National Park Service (NPS). 

“The Marshall House has been a cornerstone of our community in Leesburg for hundreds of years and deserves recognition,” said Congressman Suhas Subramanyam. “Honoring George Marshall’s remarkable legacy through the preservation of this historic property ensures that future generations of Virginians can continue to experience its significance and draw inspiration from his story. I look forward to the successful passage of this bill.”

This official designation would be the final step in many years of advocacy for recognition of Dodona Manor as a unit of the National Park System. Designation as an NPS affiliated area would provide new resources to preserve and celebrate General Marshall’s legacy at the site, including technical assistance to support restoration efforts, accessibility improvements, and new programming.

General Marshall dedicated his life to public service, holding pivotal roles such as Chief of Staff of the Army during America's entry into World War II, Secretary of State where he designed the transformative Marshall Plan to rebuild post-war Europe, and Secretary of Defense during the early stages of the Korean War. In 1941, while serving as Army Chief of Staff, he purchased Dodona Manor, where he lived until his passing in 1959.

The full text of the bill can be found here. 

Congressman Subramanyam represents Virginia’s 10th District and is Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs, under the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He is also a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. A former Policy Advisor to President Barack Obama, Congressman Subramanyam served for five years in the Virginia General Assembly starting in 2019. He passed landmark legislation to lower toll costs for commuters, issue refunds to overcharged consumers, combat the rise in gun violence, and ensure all students have access to the best educational opportunities. Subramanyam served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Loudoun. He lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife, Miranda, and their two daughters, Maya (4) and Nina (3). 

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Link to watch and download the video of his remarks on the House floor here.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10) and Young Kim (R-CA-40) reintroduced the bipartisan Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act. This legislation was first introduced by Congressman Subramanyam’s predecessor, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, and would help reconnect Korean American families with their relatives in North Korea who have been separated for more than 70 years by the Korean War.

“Thousands of Korean American families in Virginia and across the country have been forcibly torn apart from their loved ones by the Korean War for more than seven decades,” said Congressman Suhas Subramanyam. “I am proud to lead this bipartisan legislation alongside Rep. Kim to bring these families closer to long-overdue reunion. I thank all the Korean American families who have shared their stories and who have helped move this legislation forward.” 

“As a Korean American, I understand and have great empathy for families who have longed for decades to see their loved ones in North Korea,” said Congresswoman Young Kim. “We must prioritize resolving this painful legacy and reunite these war-torn families before it’s too late.”

This bipartisan bill would accelerate family reunifications by directing the U.S. Department of State to compile information about Korean American families who want to reconnect with relatives in North Korea to enable future family reunions. The legislation would also direct the State Department to prioritize progress on arranging future reunions for Korean American families and their relatives in North Korea in future bilateral discussions with North Korea. 

This legislation passed the House of Representatives during the 118th Congress by a vote of 375-8 in June 2024. The reintroduced legislation enjoys bipartisan support in the House of Representatives with Representatives Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA-11) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11) cosponsoring it alongside Representatives Subramanyam and Kim. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) also introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate. The legislation is also supported by the Korean American Grassroots Conference.

“KAGC appreciates Reps. Subramanyam and Young Kim for their bipartisan leadership in reintroducing this critical legislation for our community. Establishing a national registry of Korean American divided families is a commonsense, concrete, and tangible step toward identifying and connecting family members who wish to participate in future reunions,” said Wonseok Song, Executive Director of the Korean American Grassroots Conference (KAGC). “We, along with our allies and community partners nationwide, will continue to advocate in Congress to address this urgent humanitarian crisis facing our fellow Korean Americans.”

The full text of the bill can be found here.

A former Policy Advisor to President Barack Obama, Congressman Subramanyam served in the Virginia General Assembly since first getting elected in 2019. In Richmond, Subramanyam founded the bipartisan "Commonwealth Caucus” – a bipartisan group of legislators focused on finding common ground. He passed landmark legislation to lower toll costs for commuters, issue refunds to overcharged consumers, combat the rise in gun violence, and ensure all students have access to the best educational opportunities. He is a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs, and a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Subramanyam served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Loudoun. He lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife, Miranda, and their two daughters, Maya (4) and Nina (3). 

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Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam announced the launch of a resource page on his website targeted at helping federal workers in his district navigate the chaos and flood of attacks by the Trump Administration. This week, the Congressman hosted a town hall in Leesburg targeted towards federal workers where over 350 constituents showed up to voice their concerns and share first-hand accounts about President Trump’s systematic dismantling of federal agencies and the federal workforce. Congressman Subramanyam hopes this guide will serve as a resource as they navigate the chaos ushered in by the Trump Administration. The Congressman’s office has been collecting stories from constituents of the 10th district to record their testimonials and use their knowledge to inform his efforts.

“It is clear that the firings, intimidation, and freezes of our federal government are illegal and unconstitutional,” said Congressman Suhas Subramanyam. “There is little transparency and accountability, and a whole lot of chaos, so I have created a webpage to provide federal workers and contractors a place to share their stories, their intel, and find resources to get through this difficult time. Through rigorous investigations, new legislation, and legal action, we will hold the Trump Administration accountable for its actions.”

A former Policy Advisor to President Barack Obama, Congressman Subramanyam served in the Virginia General Assembly since first getting elected in 2019. In Richmond, Subramanyam founded the bipartisan "Commonwealth Caucus” – a bipartisan group of legislators focused on finding common ground. He passed landmark legislation to lower toll costs for commuters, issue refunds to overcharged consumers, combat the rise in gun violence, and ensure all students have access to the best educational opportunities. He is a member of the House’s Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and a Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs, and a member of the House’s Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Subramanyam served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Loudoun. He lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife, Miranda, and their two daughters, Maya (4) and Nina (3). 

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