News
Polis, Ros-Lehtinen to co-sponsor LGBT Hill staffer group
In first, Republican lawmaker offers support for LGBT CSA’s charter
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) (Washington Blade file photos by Michael Key)
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), who’s gay and chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), signaled they would support the charter for the LGBT Congressional Staff Association in the 114th Congress.
Because it’s an officially sanctioned, non-partisan group within the U.S. House, the LGBT Congressional Staff Association must have sponsorship of one or more sitting members of Congress.
“I’m proud of so many dedicated congressional staffers who have created the CSA to increase awareness and mentorship on Capitol Hill,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “Congressman Polis is a great leader on LGBT issues and I look forward to continue working with him to promote inclusiveness and acceptance on Capitol Hill and across our nation.”
Ros-Lehtinen’s co-sponsorship of the organization marks the first time a Republican has authored the charter for the LGBT Congressional Staff Association, according to the group. Previously, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and then Polis had sponsored the group — both within the 113th Congress.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen in supporting an organization dedicated to promoting diversity and openness here in Congress,” Polis said. “The values the CSA promotes, by encouraging staff to be honest about themselves and mentoring leaders for tomorrow, help make Congress a better place and I’m excited to join Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen in supporting their bipartisan work.”
The LGBT Congressional Staff Association is but one group on Capitol Hill for LGBT staffers. That organization, which was initiated 20 years ago and renewed in 2010, is for staffers working for the U.S. House. Another group, the GLASS Caucus, is for staff and interns employed by the U.S. Senate.
Michelle Mittler, president of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association, was among the members of the group praising Polis and Ros-Lehtinen for supporting the organization.
“The LGBT CSA has been sponsored historically by Democrats. However, the fight for LGBT equality is not a partisan issue, it’s a human one,” Mittler said. “It’s incredibly meaningful to have someone who is both a Republican and a woman take on this kind of leadership role. Congresswoman Ileana Ros Lehtinen’s co-sponsorship undoubtedly strengthens our organization and recruitment of new Capitol Hill staffers in the coming term of Congress.”
Mitchell Rivard, vice president of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association, said bi-partisan co-sponsorship sends a strong signal about the organization, which is estimated to have more than 160 members.
“We are honored and proud to partner with Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman Jared Polis to continue advocating for openly LGBT staffers on Capitol Hill,” Rivard said. “Having two champions of LGBT rights sponsor our organization in the 114th Congress — one Republican, one Democrat — sends a strong message that promoting equality isn’t a partisan issue. It is our hope that all Members of Congress can follow the leadership and bipartisan tone set by Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman Polis to order to promote equality for all.”
District of Columbia
Mayor Bowser signs bill requiring insurers to cover PrEP
‘This is a win in the fight against HIV/AIDS’
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on March 20 signed a bill approved by the D.C. Council that requires health insurance companies to cover the costs of HIV prevention or PrEP drugs for D.C. residents at risk for HIV infection.
Like all legislation approved by the Council and signed by the mayor, the bill, called the PrEP D.C. Amendment Act, was sent to Capitol Hill for a required 30-day congressional review period before it takes effect as D.C. law.
Gay D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) last year introduced the bill.
Insurance coverage for PrEP drugs has been provided through coverage standards included in the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. But AIDS advocacy organizations have called on states and D.C. to pass their own legislation requiring insurance coverage of PrEP as a safeguard in case federal policies are weakened or removed by the Trump administration, which has already reduced federal funding for HIV/AIDS-related programs.
Like legislation passed by other states, the PrEP D.C. Amendment Act requires insurers to cover all PrEP drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Studies have shown that PrEP drugs, which can be taken as pills or by injection just twice a year, are highly effective in preventing HIV infection.
“I think this is a win for our community,” Parker said after the D.C. Council voted unanimously to approve the bill on its first vote on the measure in February. “And this is a win in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”
Vice President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, will visit Hungary next week.
An announcement the White House released on Thursday said the Vances will be in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, from April 7-8.
JD Vance “will hold bilateral meetings with” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The announcement further indicates the vice president “will also deliver remarks on the rich partnership between the United States and Hungary.”
The Vances will travel to Hungary less than a week before the country’s parliamentary elections take place on April 12.
Orbán, who has been in office since 2010, and his Fidesz-KDNP coalition government have faced widespread criticism over its anti-LGBTQ crackdown.
The Associated Press notes polls indicate Orbán is trailing Péter Magyar and his center-right Tisza party.
President Donald Trump removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post Thursday, following growing criticism over how she and the Department of Justice handled a range of issues, including matters related to sex offender and Trump ally Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump announced Bondi’s removal on Truth Social, where he also said Todd Blanche will serve as acting head of the Justice Department.
“Pam Bondi is a great American patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my attorney general over the past year,” Trump wrote on the platform. “Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown on crime across our country, with murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900.”
Trump was seen as recently as Wednesday with the now-former attorney general at a Supreme Court hearing on citizenship.
The decision contrasts with Trump’s previous public praise of Bondi, the 87th U.S. attorney general and former 37th attorney general of Florida, who served in that role from 2011-2019 before joining the Trump-Vance administration. He has frequently lauded her loyalty and said he speaks with her often. Bondi was also one of president’s defense lawyers during his first impeachment trial.
Privately, however, Trump had grown frustrated that Bondi was not “moving quickly enough” to prosecute critics and political adversaries he wanted to face criminal charges, according to multiple sources. The New York Times reported that her inability to charge former FBI Director James B. Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James with any crimes is a large factor in the president’s choice to fire her from the government’s primary law enforcement agency.
The move comes as Trump has sought to minimize public turmoil within his administration, avoiding the perception of a revolving-door Cabinet that defined his first term.
Lee Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York who unsuccessfully ran for governor, has emerged as a leading contender to lead the Justice Department. He has been one of Trump’s most reliable allies.
“He’s our secret weapon,” Trump said of Zeldin in February during a White House event promoting the coal industry, adding, “He’s getting those approvals done in record-setting time.”
Bondi has also growing faced scrutiny from Congress.
The House Oversight Committee recently subpoenaed her to testify about the department’s handling of certain files, where she declined to answer key questions during a contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing in February.
The Tampa native has a long history of opposing LGBTQ rights through her roles in government. As Florida attorney general, she fought against the legalization of same-sex marriage, arguing it would cause “serious public harm,” pushing forward a legal battle that cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars. She also asked the Florida Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that found the state’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional.
More recently, Bondi established a “Title IX Special Investigations Team” within the Justice Department focused on restricting transgender women and girls from participating in women’s and girls’ sports teams and accessing facilities aligned with their gender identity. She also told Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to turn over the medical records of anyone under 19 who received gender-affirming care.
Her removal follows Trump’s decision last month to oust another controversial female Cabinet figure, Kristi Noem.
Mayor Bowser signs bill requiring insurers to cover PrEP
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