The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Sept. 11 that federal emergency aid has been made available to the Commonwealth of Virginia to supplement Commonwealth, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions in the area affected by Hurricane Florence beginning on September 8, 2018, and continuing.

Today, Sept. 11, 2018, two U.S. Senators and all 11 Representatives from Virginia called on President Donald Trump to issue a federal emergency declaration ahead of Hurricane Florence. At 2:57 p.m. Update: President Trump just approved Virginia’s federal emergency declaration ahead of Hurricane Florence.

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following statement Sept. 7 on his decision to vote against the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. He said, "“I acknowledge that Judge Kavanaugh is a hard-working public servant who has won the admiration of many...in these troubling times, I fear his confirmation to the Supreme Court would compromise judicial independence and threaten critical precedents.”

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urge everyone to be ready in case hurricanes, powerful winds, and thunderstorms cause destruction and power outages. To help Americans prepare, DHS has declared September as National Preparedness Month. Here are some tips.

The Self-Employed Mortgage Access Act would help creditworthy borrowers with non-traditional forms of income by allowing lenders to verify an applicant’s income using additional forms of documentation other than the W-2.

Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Vice Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has released a new congressional report that found the Republican tax law will disproportionately hurt Northern Virginia homeowners, especially those with home equity loans.

Look for future new industrial sites, broadband access, clean energy development, tourism, and agriculture in southwest Virginia as a result of a $10 million pilot federal grant program which was part of the federal Omnibus Funding Bill passed in May.

The office of Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA)is accepting applications for the 2018 Congressional App Challenge. The challenge is a opportunity for high school students to join with their peers to create their own apps and learn how to code.