As a local government leader, Gerry Connolly balanced the budget every year. In his first term in Congress, he has voted against more than $500 billion in wasteful overspending and become a leader in the fight against budget deficits.
As a local government leader, Gerry Connolly lowered the tax rate by 21% and eliminated the auto decal fee. He understands that a low tax burden is key to Northern Virginia's economic success.
In his first term in Congress, he has voted for more than $800 billion in tax cuts for families and small businesses, and opposed efforts to raise taxes on Northern Virginians. He supported the Recovery Act because it created 25 separate tax cuts, totaling nearly $300 billion and benefiting 95% of all Americans. More than 241,000 families in the 11th District have received the Making Work Pay tax cut, and 79,000 seniors received a $250 Social Security tax credit. He has also been a strong supporter of the Homebuyer Tax Credit to encourage demand and stabilize the housing market.
For small businesses, he supported $40 billion in tax cuts to make providing health care coverage for their employees more affordable. He supported the HIRE Act, which provides small businesses with tax incentives to hire new employees, and is a cosponsor of legislation to make permanent the R&D tax credit for Northern Virginia technology companies. He cosponsored legislation that would put more money into the hands of small businesses by providing a payroll tax holiday and introduced legislation to eliminate the antiquated federal tax on landline telephones.
Gerry Connolly broke with his Party and the Administration to oppose proposals to cap deductions for mortgage interest and charitable contributions. He is also one of a handful of Democrats who support extending the Bush tax cuts while the economy continues to recover, a position the Wall Street Journal calls "reasonable."
Gerry Connolly has a record of standing up for consumers against big banks and the credit card companies. In Congress, he voted to stop the release of TARP bank bailout funds, instead fighting to use the money to pay down the deficit. He voted to crack down on credit card companies for their exorbitant fees, rate hikes, and deceptive practices hidden in the fine print.
Gerry Connolly puts children and schools first. As a local government official, he helped make Fairfax County schools among the best in the nation by making smart investments in our teachers and kids. In his first term in Congress, he secured new funding to help lower class sizes and save 877 Fairfax and Prince William teachers from being laid off. He voted to secure bonds to upgrade and renovate schools in Northern Virginia.
Gerry Connolly is proud to represent tens of thousands of active and retired military families. He believes there is no duty more sacred than providing for their well-being. To fulfill our obligation and honor our troops and veterans Connolly has fought to ensure they have full health coverage, better pay, and access to veteran's services throughout their lives.
Gerry Connolly voted for health insurance reform because he believes the current system is too expensive and gives too much power to the insurance companies. Northern Virginia families and small businesses will see lower costs, better quality of care, and meaningful insurance reforms from this legislation.
Gerry Connolly knows keeping Virginians out of traffic is important to our quality of life. As a local government leader, he initiated Fairfax County's first dedicated transportation plan. That plan included widening Route 123, improving the Braddock Road/Route 123 interchange, launching the Richmond Highway Express (REX) bus line, and achieving final approval for Rail to Dulles.
