Don Beyer

"From the launch of my first congressional campaign in 2014, the issue at the forefront of my mind has been climate change. It is the most significant existential threat of our time, with a cost in lives and financial loss that grows higher every year. The climate crisis requires comprehensive action on a grand scale. In Congress, I serve as Co-Chair of the Congressional Safe Climate Caucus, a group of over 70 Democrats pushing solutions to move the country away from carbon pollution."

"I support major federal initiatives and programs for public education, including Title I, which helps school systems with large percentages of low-income students, and IDEA, which supports programs and provides resources for students with special needs. The school lunch and breakfast program provides food for over 30 million students daily, which is a critical piece of our nation’s anti-poverty work. During the pandemic, I have supported funding for schools to respond to COVID-19 and operate safely."

"Federal employees keep this country moving. They are the backbone of national security, safe transportation, safe food, and clean water. In my stints as a federal employee — my first job as a ranger with the National Park Service, my four years as ambassador to Switzerland, and my time since 2015 as a member of Congress — I have been deeply impressed by the intelligence and work ethic of so many of my colleagues and staff."

"Our nation must be a leader in exemplifying the highest standards of human rights, climate security, election security, and democracy. As a former ambassador, I know the importance of building collaborative international relationships firsthand. While I believe in maintaining a strong military, I will always see diplomatic engagement as the first, second, and third option, with force as a true last resort. We have been too quick to deploy US troops abroad, often on ill-conceived missions where a lack of strategic planning and clear goals limit their chance of success."

"Halting gun violence has been a major focus of my work in Congress. I am a lead cosponsor of the bipartisan Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, legislation that would encourage states to temporarily remove access to firearms from people in crisis with a petition from law enforcement or family members."

"I have long advocated for healthcare legislation that makes universal, affordable care a reality. President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010, marked the biggest step forward in US healthcare in decades: tens of millions of uninsured Americans received coverage for the first time. Insurance companies had to accept applicants for health coverage, regardless of preexisting conditions, and they could not charge women more for the same coverage, as had been common practice. Recent Medicaid expansion by the Virginia General Assembly and Governor Northam brought healthcare coverage to hundreds of thousands of Virginians, and today, thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to boost signups, more Americans are insured than ever before."

"It’s no secret that there’s an affordable housing crisis in this country and this is certainly the case in Virginia’s 8th District. In Virginia alone, there is a shortage of 148,720 rental homes that are affordable and available for extremely low-income renters. We know that when people have adequate access to housing, that leads to stronger and more productive communities, greater economic mobility and job growth, and better educational and health outcomes. "

"In Virginia’s 8th congressional district, we thrive on diversity. The previous president’s nativism and racist treatment of immigrants and refugees was a national embarrassment which I strongly opposed in Congress. He believed in using intentional cruelty and abuse to prevent would-be immigrants from wanting to come to this country, a policy informed by bigotry, but also by ignorance of the dire conditions that cause so many to seek a better life for themselves and their families in the United States."

"The unjustified deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others have brought racial justice to the front of our national political dialogue and sparked nationwide activism. I have twice voted for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which included my legislation, authored with D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, requiring all federal officers to use body and dashboard cameras. This bill was inspired by the killing of Northern Virginian Bijan Ghaisar by US Park Police."

"I strongly support climate provisions in President Biden’s infrastructure agenda and continue to work with my colleagues on ways we can make infrastructure investments that create green jobs, grow our economy, and fight climate change."

"We owe our troops and, after their service, our veterans, the best possible care. And when there are problems with that care, we should move in good faith – and without unnecessary partisan rancor – to remedy the situation. We also must strive to be a nation that engages in foreign conflicts only as a last result after diplomatic options are exhausted, with deeply thoughtful consideration of all factors."

"I have long been a supporter of the economic empowerment of women. Working women make up almost half of the American labor force; yet, in 2020, women earned only 84% of what men earned. Women must be able to make their own economic decisions, including whether and when to have children, and then have the capacity to balance work and family. This delicate balance is possible only with affordable child care, workplace flexibility, paid family and medical leave, and reliable health care. Today, the United States is one of only two nations that does not guarantee paid parental leave. It is past time to give working women and families this critical tool."