Allies That's especially true now as lawmakers demand answers about classified documents found in the private possession of two presidents and the Biden administration's response to a suspected Chinese spy balloon. It gave me chills. Pressed on details, she gives few. [67][64], Spanberger opposed Democrats' attempts to amend the Insurrection Act of 1807, saying that amending the rarely used law would not accomplish what Democrats intended. [8] She said she gathered intelligence about nuclear proliferation and terrorism. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Joe Pounder, the chief executive of America Rising, said, "America Rising . $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, sweeping climate, health care and tax bill, Biden's decision not to use his veto power, Big stores see how we spend. [22] But until 1993, the 7th stretched from the outer Washington suburbs through the Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville to the outer Richmond suburbs;[23] the present 7th is geographically and demographically the successor to what was the 3rd district before 1993.[24]. Now, shes a third-term Virginia congresswoman who was just named to one. Spanberger also co-sponsored the Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which grants Medicare Part D the power to negotiate prescription prices directly with drug companies. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. [10] In 2017, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed her to the Virginia Fair Housing Board. The "Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act" Would Allow Flavored and Unflavored Whole Milk in Participating Schools WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger helped reintroduce a bipartisan bill to allow unflavored and flavored whole milk to be offered in Virginia's school cafeterias. The Climate Crisis Democrats strongly believe in our responsibility to serve as stewards of our environment and public lands for current and future generations It was watching that example that led me to decide that I too wanted to step forward and run.. Reinforcing the Importance of Diplomacy & Our Relationships with U.S. Occupation. "[43] During a Committee on Foreign Affairs meeting in 2019, Spanberger asked the Trump administration to reverse its isolationist policies, saying, "its in [the US's] national interest to reinforce our stature as a global leader on international environmental and energy issues. Biden ticked through a list of legislative accomplishments, including the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, the first major gun safety legislation passed by Congress in nearly 30 years, legislation to boost the domestic manufacturing of semiconductor chips and a sweeping climate, health care and tax bill. She's running unopposed in her party for a third term, and there will be no. Moving to northern Virginia, Rep. Abigail Spanberger's (D-Glen Allen) politically marginal 7th CD produced a general election Republican challenger last night. Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger greets voters on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Woodbridge, VA. . The relationship between Congress and the U.S. intelligence services can be uneasy and is often adversarial. I talk in broad brush terms about what it is that I did, because thats all I am permitted to do There are at times when I say I wish I could talk about something in a little bit more detail, but thats just never a path that Ill go down, she explained. Thank you for visiting my campaign website. And we are blessed. This year, staff for both the national Republican and Democratic Parties say they will be looking to this race on Election Night as potentially an early sign of how the night will unfold across the country. ", She underscored: "One thing that's been really nice this session is there's just tremendous unity.". WASHINGTON As former CIA Director David Petraeus recently told the House Intelligence Committee about the needs of the agency's workforce, one of the committees youngest members flashed a knowing smile and began to nod. [50] She said the bill went "far beyond" pandemic relief and had no chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate. Spanberger, who spent years in law enforcement herself, offered a model on how to do that in a recent half-day tour that demonstrated her support for the Culpeper Police Department speaking to. '', President Bill Clinton cut to the heart of the matter during his grand jury testimony in the Monica Lewinsky affair in 1998 when he infamously said: It all depends on what the meaning of the word is is.. We discussed all possible avenues for getting formula back on the shelves so that parents who rely on it as I did to feed my three daughters know they will be able to feed their babies. She had briefly worked for the USPS on an inspection team, investigating narcotics and money laundering cases. Spanberger's chief of staff says House is like a startup Roscoe Jones Jr. relishes chamber's "fast pace" after move from the Senate Roscoe Jones Jr. compares his move from Senate aide to House. [6] In the early 2000s, she was a postal inspector, working on money laundering and narcotics cases. Abigail Spanberger spent almost a decade as a CIA operations officer. Charlotte McWilliams met Spanberger when they were trainee officers before going to the CIA's academy in rural Virginia known as The Farm. They were both sent on to overseas postings Spanberger in Europe, McWilliams in Africa and bonded over their shared experiences doing clandestine work while becoming new mothers at the same time. Spanberger's background in intelligence and her moderate politics representing a swing district south and west of Washington will be assets on the committee, Goss and Hurd said. I bowled a 129. She'll know how to fix things., You could fill a book with the eyebrow-raising Bush-isms of President George W. Bush. You can't be. Now, shes a third-term Virginia congresswoman who was just named to one of two committees that oversees the work of U.S. spy agencies. Spanberger faced a close reelection contest against State Delegate Nick Freitas, who represents much of the congressional district's northern portion. They wrote that if the allegations were true, they amounted to "a flagrant disregard for the law" and "a threat to all we have sworn to protect. Postal Inspection Service before becoming a CIA officer focused on counterterrorism. As an operations officer, Spanberger worked on cases ranging from counterterrorism to nuclear proliferation. Send GMA your Why It Matters video about which issues inspires you to vote and explore our midterms coverage. Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger narrowly held onto her seat in Virginia on Tuesday, defeating Republican Yesli Vega in a contest both parties saw as an early bellwether in the battle for the. It's like it was like Special Olympics, or something." She began her career of public service as a federal law enforcement officer working narcotics and money laundering cases with the U.S. His team wrestles with every vote, even when time is tight and the night has been long. "I spoke with White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain yesterday and today about the urgency of this shortage. Posted December 6, 2022 at 5:16pm. In 2018, she became the first Democrat since 1968 to be elected to represent Virginias 7th Congressional district. Postal Service. Rep. Spanberger supports giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices, so that more senior citizens in the Commonwealth do not have to choose between putting food on the table or affording their life-saving medications. Spanberger was a postal inspector before joining the CIA in 2006. She's since won two more close races and been raised as a possible candidate for Virginia governor. [33][34] In the general election, Spanberger defeated Vega with 52.3% of the vote. Although most of the conference was marked by strong support of the president, there was a brief interruption on Thursday, when news of Biden's decision not to use his veto power to block a GOP-effort to repeal D.C.'s new crime law broke during a press conference with the Congressional Black Caucus. 30th July, 2021. [52], Spanberger supports banning members of Congress from trading stocks. "How do you make that real; how do you tell that story?" She argued that Democrats should watch Republican ads before deciding how to talk about issues and "not ever use the word 'socialist' or 'socialism' ever again". "We continue to draw the contrast with Republicans who voted 'no' but want to take the dough," said Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar. Bipartisan duo Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, reintroduced the TRUST in Congress Act to ban representatives from trading in the stock market. Additionally, she is actively seeking innovative, bipartisan legislative solutions to help combat rising rates of maternal mortality in the United States, particularly within historically underserved and disadvantaged communities. In 2014, the family moved back to Henrico County. [19] While Brat won eight of the district's ten counties, Spanberger dominated the two largest counties, Henrico and Chesterfield, by a combined margin of over 30,000 votes. You have to think of multiple levels; you have to be very strategic. If anything, being a Republican target means youve got to be more collaborative than a lot of other offices, he added. Walsh's home state of Illinois is voting today. Abigail Spanberger, a congressional candidate, had a 12-year career with the CIA. The mission isnt just Go, Democrats, go, he said. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., and a Pennsylvania native. As Rep. Spanberger meets with families, patients, providers, and community healthcare organizations across Virginias Seventh District; she repeatedly hears about the financial struggles facing seniors, families, and those with chronic conditions as their prescription drug costs continue to rise. And being the one to go out and get the answers.. Supporting 7th District Businesses & Entrepreneurs On June 2, The Washington Post and The New York Times quoted Spanberger and several other high-profile former CIA analysts' interpretations of Trump's reaction to the protests as reminiscent of the reaction of totalitarian dictators on the brink of losing control of their dictatorships. Abigail Spanberger ( Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Virginia's 7th Congressional District. Theyre grossly overqualified, he boasted of the full-time staff of 17. 11/11/22 3:30 PM ET News Five midterm surprises in the House She began her career of public service as a federal law enforcement officer working narcotics and money laundering cases with the U.S. Those votes can be tricky because we dont have very much time.. Any plan released by this administration must make sure that formula is stocked on our shelves for all Virginia parents, crack down on price gouging, and increase imports of formula from abroad. Retrieved March 18, 2020. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), Mike Waltz (R-FL-06), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR-05) today introduced bipartisan legislation to increase transparency in the federal student loan process and to give borrowers additional tools to understand and decrease [], At Least 519 Protesters Have Been Killed by the Regime & More Than 19,000 Iranians Have Been Arrested Since the Death of Mahsa Amini In September 2022 WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger joined a bipartisan, bicameral effort urging the Biden Administration to impose stricter sanctions against members of the Iranian Parliament or [], The U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Voted Unanimously to Pass the Congresswomans China Financial Threat Mitigation Act WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. House Financial Services Committee voted unanimously 40 to 0 to advance U.S. Representative Abigail Spanbergers bipartisan bill that would build up Americas response to emerging financial threats from the Chinese []. Abigail grew up in Henrico County. LegiStorm is constantly adding new information on the people, places and reports in our database. That means what members ask of the administration will vary from district to district depending on the president's popularity. [2], Spanberger earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration from a joint program between the GISMA Business School in Germany and Purdue University's Krannert School of Management. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Republicans have been particularly adept this year at using those procedural motions to send a message and put moderate Democrats like his boss in a tight spot. They live in Glen Allen, Virginia. [50], According to FiveThirtyEight's congressional vote tracker, Spanberger voted with President Donald Trump 6.9% of the timeabout one seventh of the expected tally (49.1%) when factoring in the district's partisan leaning and general partisanship in Congress. All rights reserved. She ultimately targeted the congressional seat held by then-Rep. Dave Brat, who had stunned House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the GOP primary four years earlier. Marc Polymeropoulos, a fellow former operations officer who retired after suffering symptoms consistent with Havana syndrome, says Spanberger brings an insider's knowledge of the challenges faced by the CIA and other agencies. 32.52% of Virginia residents on Medicare use Medicare Advantage. Staff Sergeant Gonell, Aquilino (@SergeantAqGo) October 31, 2022 . She had to work with the CIA to get her service record declassified to run for Congress and now on the trail sticks to carefully scripted lines, approved by the agency, when talking about her work. Jones doesnt take them lightly. After serving in CIA, lawmaker now has role overseeing it. [5] When she was 13, her family relocated to the Short Pump area in Henrico County in Virginia, outside Richmond. "Folks, you all know how much we've gotten done, but a lot of the country still doesn't know it," Biden said. Abigail Spanberger has always served her country and community. Abigail Spanberger, a congressional candidate, had a 12-year career with the CIA. [43] She voted for a bill that included funding for border infrastructure, technology at ports of entry and more customs and border patrol agents. She represents a central Virginia seat that went for President Donald Trump by 6 points in 2016 - and where she appears to have barely eked out a victory by. The bill requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who manage prescription drug benefits for health insurance companies, to publicize the rebates, discounts, and price concessions they negotiate, via a website hosted by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. C-SPAN, an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels (C-SPAN, C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3), one radio station and a group of. New delegates to the Virginia Assembly, like Danica Roem, the first openly transgender legislator in the country, made national headlines. "Now, those battles are behind us we have come out the other side. Why Republicans and Democrats will be watching this race on election night. "As a former CIA officer who worked terrorism cases, I find it particularly disgraceful that they would try and make that some sort of leap or claim when I was in fact a long-term substitute teacher for a bunch of kids, she said in response. She believes that an effective response involves working directly with community leaders, law enforcement officials, religious organizations, and healthcare professionals to build an actionable strategy to provide treatment, recovery, and wraparound services to everyone impacted by the opioid epidemic. And we're making that connection to your precious tax dollars, hard at work making a difference in your life. This button displays the currently selected search type. House Democrats in competitive districts elected Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday to represent them in the caucus leadership . Here's what to watch, Monroe County names new chief diversity officer, Consumer advocates and environmentalists try to block RG&E, NYSEG rate increases, City to spend COVID relief dollars to replace ozone-depleting ice machinery at BlueCross Arena, Muler parties like it's 2003 on melodic, moody new album 'Get Well', CHOW HOUND: What's happening in Rochester's dining scene. What I find particularly repugnant is the fact that they are, in any way, trying to link me to terrorism. Prince William County supervisor and former law enforcement officer Yesli Vega defeated five GOP opponents on her way to a tight 29-24-20 percent victory spread.