Congressman Don Beyer is serving his fourth term as the U.S. Representative from Virginia’s 8th District, representing Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, and parts of Fairfax County. He serves as the Chairman of Congress' Joint Economic Committee, and also serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, and on the House Committee on Science Space and Technology, where he chairs the Space Subcommittee. He is a Co-Chair of the New Democrat Coalition's Climate Change Task Force.
He was the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1998, and was Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein under President Obama. Rep. Beyer’s signature work as lieutenant governor included advocacy for Virginians with disabilities and ensuring protections for Virginia’s most vulnerable populations as the Commonwealth reformed its welfare system in the mid-1990s. Rep. Beyer was Virginia’s Democratic nominee for governor in 1997.
The fight for equality is one of the central struggles of the American story. It is also a major part of my work on behalf of the people of Northern Virginia.
Americans deserve equal treatment under the law without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, or disability. I have worked to advance this principle in a number of ways, from advocating for laws against voter suppression, to authoring legislation opposing the previous administration's Muslim Ban, to continuous advocacy for disabled Americans. I support full equality for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals, and have cosponsored legislation to ban workplace discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. In May of 2021, President Biden signed legislation into law which included the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, a bill I wrote to strengthen our nation's response to hate crimes.