119th Congress

Washington, D.C. – This week, as millions of federal employees missed their first full paycheck due to the government shutdown, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) commended several banks and credit unions for their efforts to provide financial assistance to federal workers, contractors, military servicemembers, and small businesses during the shutdown. These financial institutions have provided interest-free loans, late fee waivers, and other forms of hardship assistance that have had a significant impact on federal workers and contractors and their families who are currently without pay. 

“This shutdown is putting countless Virginians in financial distress, from federal workers and contractors struggling to pay rent and cover expenses to small businesses losing the traffic they need to stay afloat through no fault of their own,” said Congressman Subramanyam. “I commend every bank, credit union, and financial institution that understands how shutdowns impact our community and is offering relief when we need it the most. I urge them to continue these efforts for the duration of this shutdown.”

Congressman Subramanyam represents over 36,000 federal workers and thousands more contractors. Since the shutdown began, Congressman Subramanyam has introduced and supported several pieces of legislation to support impacted federal workers, contractors, businesses, and families, including: 

• The Shutdown Guidance for Financial Institutions Act: Provides and encourages best practices for banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions to work flexibly with people impacted by shutdowns.

• The Emergency Relief for Federal Contractors Act: Allows federal contractors affected by a government shutdown to withdraw funds from their retirement savings without being penalized.

He will continue to support any financial institution that seeks to provide assistance to federal workers, contractors, and small businesses during government shutdowns. 

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Washington, D.C. -- “Public policy is best when it’s guided by compassion, security, and opportunity. The recent transition to a new administration in Syria presents an opportunity to bring stability to the country and region.  In this moment, we must support the Syrian people to achieve a secure, prosperous future that’s free of oppression. I am proud to join the Friends of a Free, Stable, and Democratic Syria Caucus in the 119th Congress and work with colleagues to advance policies that pursue these goals. 

The Syrian people have experienced over a decade of civil war, including mass destruction, hundreds of thousands of deaths, and millions displaced. The Caesar Sanctions, implemented to hold the Assad regime accountable, are now preventing investment and progress for Syrian citizens. Lifting the sanctions will open up opportunities for Syrian families and businesses, and deter terrorism. This approach will rebuild lives and restore hope to a nation that has seen mass destruction.

That is why I am proud to work alongside my colleagues to create a new, bipartisan policy focused on long-term security and stability.   

Previous U.S. policies have fallen short of supporting both Syria and the Syrian-American community, and I look forward to working closely with my constituents and colleagues to promote a free, democratic Syria.”  – Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10)

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam represents Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. Rep. Subramanyam is a member of the Friends of a Free, Stable, and Democratic Syria Caucus, and is a co-sponsor of H.R. 3941, legislation to repeal the Caesar Sanctions. 

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Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Ranking Member of the Military and Foreign Affairs Oversight Subcommittee, denounced Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s move to coerce the Pentagon Press Corps into signing an agreement that included unprecedented restrictions on journalistic independence. The 17-page agreement included a variety of restrictions, from mandatory escorts to preventing the reporting of information without Secretary Hegseth’s approval. News organizations including the Associated Press, the Washington Post, Fox News, and Newsmax refused to sign the restrictive agreement. Congressman Subramanyam issued the following statement:

“Make no mistake, Secretary Hegseth’s attempts to restrict reporters are an attack on freedom of the press, the First Amendment, and our democracy,” said Congressman Subramanyam. “The American people deserve transparency through accurate and fair reporting. Rather than attacking the messengers of his failed policies, Secretary Hegseth should instead consider doing more to support servicemembers and their families and keep our country safe.”

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Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Ranking Member of the Military and Foreign Affairs Oversight Subcommittee, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demanding answers on the construction of a temporary Qatar Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho. Secretary Hegseth announced that he was “proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari-Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho.”

“It appears Qatar is getting a great return on its investment after buying U.S. foreign policy by gifting the President a personal airplane,” Congressman Subramanyam said. “The American people have a lot of questions about this new Qatar Air Force agreement which the Secretary of Defense said would allow Qatar to have an air force facility on American soil, and whether this quid pro quo with Qatar is in the best interest of the American people.”

The letter requests a briefing on the agreement to ensure that the deal is in the best interest of U.S. national security. Given the possibility of conflicts of interest, the letter also requests confirmation that no official recused from matters involving the State of Qatar was involved in this agreement.

Read the full letter here.

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Washington, D.C. –  Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) released a statement speaking out against Russ Vought and the Trump Administration’s announcement of impending RIFs amidst Republican government shutdown. 

“Republicans say they care about federal workers, contractors, and veterans, yet now they want to fire them and use the shutdown they caused as an excuse to do it," Congressman Subramanyam said. “They say it's to save money and pay down the debt, and yet they spend trillions on tax cuts for the wealthiest corporations and billions on handouts to Argentina. Not only is this unnecessary during a shutdown, but it is illegal, and I will exhaust every legislative and legal means necessary to prevent this administration from breaking the law and continuing its war on federal workers and contractors.”

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Washington, D.C. – This week, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) sent letters to the Loudoun, Prince William, Fauquier, and Rappahannock County Boards of Supervisors urging them to consider adopting car tax and personal property tax extensions to support residents financially affected by the government shutdown. On October 7, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution extending the property tax deadline from October 6 to November 5 for all residents.  

“The Republican shutdown has forced tens of thousands of Virginians into financial distress, with many due to miss paychecks as soon as next week,” said Congressman Subramanyam. “During these challenging times, I encourage our local governments to work flexibly with impacted federal workers, contractors, and businesses. I applaud the Fairfax County Board’s decision to put constituents first, and I urge the other local governments in our region to do the same.”

Under Virginia law, local governments have the authority to extend real estate and personal property tax deadlines by up to 90 days without incurring interest or late fees when “good cause” exists. Tens of thousands of federal workers and contractors could begin missing paychecks as soon as next week if the shutdown is not resolved.

Since the shutdown began, Congressman Subramanyam has introduced and supported several pieces of legislation to support impacted federal workers, contractors, businesses, and families, including: 

• The Shutdown Guidance for Financial Institutions Act: Provides and encourages best practices for banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions to work flexibly with people impacted by shutdowns.
• The Emergency Relief for Federal Contractors Act: Allows federal contractors affected by a government shutdown to withdraw funds from their retirement savings without being penalized.  

Here are the letters to Loudoun, Prince William, Fauquier, and Rappahannock Counties.

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Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) released a statement defending federal workers and their legally guaranteed backpay in response to a White House memo and statement made by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson implying that federal workers will not be receiving backpay. Federal law guarantees backpay to federal workers when the government reopens. 

“It's the law to pay furloughed federal workers their back pay. House Republican's own shutdown resources even confirm this,” said Congressman Suhas Subramanyam. “This is just more evidence that the White House and House Republicans wanted this shutdown and are using it as another excuse to punish federal workers and contractors who keep our country safe. Instead, they should be negotiating an end to this shutdown and working with us to stop this healthcare crisis they created.” 

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Washington D.C. – This week, Congressman Subramanyam introduced two bills to alleviate the damage of the Republican shutdown of the federal government on federal employees, contractors, and all those impacted.

 The Shutdown Guidance for Financial Institutions Act protects federal employees, contractors, and others from the financial impacts of a government shutdown by providing and encouraging best practices for banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions to work flexibly with people impacted by shutdowns. The Emergency Relief for Federal Contractors Act would allow federal contractors affected by a government shutdown to withdraw funds from their retirement savings without being penalized.

“House Republicans would rather shut down the government and mass fire federal employees than come to the table to negotiate a bipartisan funding agreement that protects people’s health care and stops misguided cuts,” said Congressman Subramanyam. “Our constituents should not pay the price for Washington's dysfunction, and these bills offer financial relief to the federal workers and contractors who will be hurt the most by the Republican shutdown.” 

Virginia’s 10th Congressional District is home to over 36,000 federal workers and thousands more government contractors. Congressman Subramanyam introduced these bills after listening to constituent stories of the impacts in previous shutdowns, such as the 35-day shutdown caused by President Trump in 2018 and 2019.

Shutdown Guidance for Financial Institutions Act

The Shutdown Guidance for Financial Institutions Act would protect federal workers and contractors from financial harm during government shutdowns. During previous shutdowns, these individuals have suffered financial hardship through no fault of their own. In addition to the stress of being furloughed or working without pay, federal workers and contractors found themselves in danger of being denied mortgage and loan applications, missing monthly payments, and having adverse information hurt their credit score, affecting both regular financial transactions and security clearance investigations. 

Congressman Subramanyam’s bill, originally introduced and passed through the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton in 2019, would require federal financial regulators, such as the Federal Reserve, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and National Credit Union Association, to proactively issue guidance to financial institutions concerning government shutdowns within 180 days of enactment. This guidance would instruct these institutions to:

• Recognize that consumers and businesses affected by a shutdown may lose access to credit and face temporary hardship in making payments on debts such as mortgages, student loans, car loans, business loans, or credit cards
• Consider prudent efforts to modify terms on existing loans or extend new credit to help consumers and businesses affected by a shutdown, consistent with safe-and-sound lending practices
• Take steps to prevent adverse information being reported and utilized in any manner that harms consumers affected by a shutdown, including by preventing modified credit arrangements intended to help consumers fulfill their financial obligations from being reported to, and coded by, consumer reporting agencies on a consumer’s credit report in a manner that hurts the creditworthiness of the consumer

Regulators would be required to issue a joint press release to alert financial institutions, consumers, and businesses of the existence of this guidance no later than 24 hours after the start of a shutdown.

This legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), and James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11).

Emergency Relief for Federal Contractors Act 

The Emergency Relief for Federal Contractors Act would allow federal contractors to make withdrawals from their retirement accounts without incurring the 10 percent early distribution penalty. Under current law, retirement savers who are age 59 ½ or younger may be subject to an additional 10 percent early withdrawal penalty for withdrawing funds from their retirement accounts. The bill waives the 10 percent fee for up to $30,000 in disbursements, providing emergency relief to contractors, many of whom are not paid during shutdowns and do not receive back pay afterwards.

In order to restore workers’ retirement savings after the shutdown ends, the Emergency Relief for Federal Contractors Act would allow government contractors who take a hardship distribution from their retirement plans or an early distribution from their IRAs during a shutdown to recontribute some or all of the distribution (up to $30,000) within a three-year period.

For government contractors who choose not to recontribute their qualified shutdown distribution, this bill would allow such individuals to include the amount of their qualified shutdown distributions ratably over a three-taxable-year period.

This legislation was also introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). The House bill is cosponsored by Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD-03), Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14), James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11) and April McClain Delaney (D-MD-6) . 

Congressman Subramanyam is also a co-sponsor of: 

• The Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act, requiring backpay for federal contractors
• The Emergency Relief for Federal Workers Act, allowing penalty free withdrawals from federal workers’ retirement accounts during a shutdown
• The No Pay for Congress During Default or Shutdown Act, to withhold member pay during government shutdowns.
• The Securing Assurance for Federal Employees (SAFE) Act, to prohibit RIFs during a shutdown.
• The Help FEDS Act, allowing federal employees to receive unemployment insurance during a government shutdown

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