November 11, 2024 Newsletter
Dear friends,
This week’s newsletter reflects on the 2024 Presidential Election and Virginia’s path forward, provides updates on recent Committee and Commission meetings, shares a recent Shadowing the Senator Program experience, highlights select community engagements from this past week, and commemorates Veterans Day. Thank you for reading this newsletter and for staying informed.
The Presidential Election & Virginia’s Path Forward
In a sea of red Southern states, Virginia remained blue in the Presidential election. Additionally, six of Virginia’s eleven House seats were retained by Democrats. And Senator Tim Kaine won re-election by nine points. While the national loss of the White House was and will continue to be devastating, Virginia’s role in charting a path forward has become more critical now than ever before.
What does a Trump presidency mean? The secret was never in the bag. Trump and his band of allies and billionaire friends have talked about it for years, if not decades. The details were spelled out in what has been dubbed “Project 2025,” and the 900+ pages of the Republican playbook were widely available to voters months before Tuesday’s election.
What can we expect within the first few weeks and months of the new administration?
- Mass deportations: The conversion of private prisons into detention facilities and the construction of detention camps has been met with joyful anticipation in some sectors because of the billions of taxpayer dollars that will flow into the hands of profiteers. In the first year alone, an estimated $9 billion will be directed by federal agencies to for-profit enterprises executing the deportation of individuals and families. The plan outlines targeting immigrant communities through deportations and raids, ending birthright citizenship, separating families, and dismantling the asylum system by which countless refugees enter the US legally. The costs to our overall economy have yet to be determined, especially for industries such as farming, meat and dairy production, residential and nonresidential construction, infrastructure construction and maintenance, hospitality and restaurants, child care and health care, and so much more.
- Extreme executive power: The playbook outlines steps to crackdown on free speech, the press, the rights to civil protest, censorship of curricula, book bans, and other similar authoritarian actions.
- Federal gutting of abortion access nationwide: One immediate action that will likely be pushed is the complete ban of the FDA-approved abortive medication mifepristone. Sixty-three percent of abortions occur within the first few weeks of a pregnancy, and mifepristone is the medication that provides safe, nonsurgical abortion access.
- Dismantling of health care and essential services: We can expect efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which provides essential medical insurance for millions of Americans. Medicare and Medicaid will also likely be gutted. Proposed changes to Social Security will force Americans to work longer for less and cut Social Security benefits for 257 million people, or 3 in 4 Americans.
- Gutting of essential federal agencies and departments: Departments and agencies such as the Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are all on the chopping block. Proposals also include the privatization of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Over one million federal jobs may be eliminated.
These are just a few of the proposed early actions of the incoming administration. Four years of a Trump presidency will bring far more sweeping changes to our government, our society, and to the foundational ideals of rights and freedoms as defined by the Constitution.
The weight of response and responsibility now falls on our state governments. As we enter the new Session in January, Virginia’s General Assembly will necessarily need to be forecasting the impacts of the changes on our constituents and constituencies, the communities that we serve, and essential rights that we must protect.
Virginia’s Election Results
Despite Republican gains nationally, the Democrats of the Virginia Delegation held strong as voters overwhelmingly sent Senator Tim Kaine, and incumbent US Representatives Bobby Scott, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, and Jennifer McClellan back to Congress. Additionally, the Virginia Democratic Congressional Delegation welcomed two new members: my current Virginia Senate colleague Suhas Subramanyam succeeds Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton in CD-10, and Eugene Vindman succeeds Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in CD-07. I look forward to continued collaboration with our federal partners.
In addition to our federal elections, numerous local elections, including in Senate District 15, were significantly important for the Richmond region. Congratulations to Dr. Danny Avula on his success in Richmond’s mayoral race, and congratulations as well to the members-elect of Richmond City Council and Richmond City School Board.
Committee and Commission Meetings
Last Wednesday, I joined colleagues on the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Committee. The Committee received an update on the scholarship's implementation and reviewed its expenditures and available funds for future applicants. Resulting in legislation in the 2023 session, this fall marked the first semester the Committee has dispersed scholarships to descendants of persons eligible under the scholarship's original criteria. This scholarship program was created in 2004 by the General Assembly after the 50th anniversary of the unanimous Supreme Court landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision that the separation of children in public school on the basis of race was unconstitutional. In Virginia, the Supreme Court decision triggered Massive Resistance, a period of time during which lawmakers used policies and the courts to delay and obstruct the desegregation of public schools. Many localities chose to shut public schools down entirely, rather than desegregate. This scholarship seeks to redress wrongs that occurred during Virginia’s Massive Resistance.
That same afternoon, I also attended the meeting of the Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS). This Commission heard presentations on device-based age verification, which aims to ensure the protection of children in an ever-increasing online world. JCOTS then took up bill recommendations from its Subcommittees; the Commission's executive director also presented the mission and values statement, and a plan to hire additional staff as the work of JCOTS expands its efforts to guide policies on increasingly complex topics.
Shadowing the Senator
Last week, my office hosted our sixteenth Shadowing the Senator program participant, Sheri. Our day consisted of hearing presentations from SAS Institute on public education and workforce development data, a policy discussion with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), a meeting of the Joint Subcommittee on Pandemic Response and Preparedness, and one-on-one meetings with me and my staff. Sheri shared these reflections on her experience with my office:
“The experience leaves me in a state of awe given the myriad of legislation and policy challenges you face day in and day out. Senator Hashmi impressed me with her calmness and compassion as she listened and presented questions with various organizations and governmental department leaders. I consider getting to know you and your staff as a life highlight as it enriched my understanding of what it takes to care for the people. Your stories will stick with me.”
My office holds Shadowing the Senator opportunities throughout the year for students (high school or older) and for adult constituents. Interested individuals can reach out by email to senatorhashmi@senate.virginia.gov.
Select Community Engagements
Last Thursday, I joined other elected officials, business leaders, and government representatives for the 11th Annual Executive Briefing co-hosted by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. The work of the Foundation has focused on the impact that quality childcare and early learning have on creating a more stable workforce, a thriving economy, and opportunities for success. During this upcoming General Assembly session, one of my key legislative and budgetary priorities will be strengthening this sector so that families have access to high-quality, affordable childcare.
On the Friday before last, I also joined US Senator Mark Warner, state Senators Lashrecse Aird and Lamont Bagby, Delegates Delores McQuinn and Mike Jones, and Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors Jim Holland and Jessica Schneider, as Senator Warner presented a $2.25 million check to Richmond International Airport (RIC). This funding from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program, made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, will go towards building a new TSA screening area to accommodate RIC’s growing number of travelers.
On the last day of early voting, I stood alongside members of Network NOVA and the Liberal Women of Chesterfield County to kick off a canvass in support of Leslie Mehta, our Democratic candidate for CD-01. Leslie ran a strong campaign focused on reproductive freedom, healthcare access, and support for Virginia’s families. I have no doubt that she will continue to serve her community well, no matter what opportunity she pursues next.
In the lead-up to Tuesday’s elections, my staff and I traveled across the Commonwealth and to our southern neighbor, North Carolina, to canvass for Democrats. While I was in Chesterfield County supporting Leslie Mehta’s campaign, my Legislative Assistant, Gerardo, knocked on doors in CD-02 for Missy Cotter Smasal’s Congressional race in Virginia Beach. My Chief of Staff, June, similarly knocked on doors for Democrats in Rocky Mount, NC.
Election Day was busy as I traveled across the Metro Richmond Area, going to precincts in the City of Richmond, Chesterfield County, and Henrico to greet voters and thank volunteers for their tireless efforts. The enthusiasm and energy at the polls for candidates throughout the day was palpable.
As the polls closed across Virginia, supporters of Senator Tim Kaine gathered at the Hippodrome in Richmond to celebrate his reelection to the United States Senate. As a public servant for over two decades, from Richmond City Council to the United States Senate, Senator Tim Kaine has been a consistent presence, advocating for a better Virginia for us all.
Veterans Day
Today, Monday, November 11, is Veterans Day. I will be attending the 68th Annual Veterans Day Ceremony at the Virginia War Memorial. The event is free and open to the public. Details are available.
Veterans Day serves as an opportunity to recommit ourselves to supporting Virginia’s nearly 714,000 veterans and their families through investments in mental health care, education, and broadening career opportunities for veterans as they transition back to the civilian workforce. We must also address widespread housing and economic insecurity among our veteran population.
Connecting With My Office
My office can be reached at the following:
Email: SenatorHashmi@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: 804.698.7515
If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up to receive my office’s weekly newsletter here.
— Ghazala
