Joseph Schiarizzi

Joseph Schiarizzi earned a bachelor's degree from The George Washington University in 2018. Schiarizzi's career experience includes working as an engineer.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m Joe Schiarizzi from Falls Church and I'm running to be your next U.S. Congressman. I'm an engineer, inventor with two patents, small business owner, and affordable housing activist. I'm running to declare a national housing emergency, fight for working people, protect our climate, and hold our government accountable.

My dad was a union plumber, then a small business owner. My mom worked the night shift at UPS so we could have healthcare. My family achieved the American dream but now the ladder we climbed is being pulled up by people at the top, and it makes me sick.

I chaired the Falls Church Environmental Sustainability Council for four years between 2021-2025, helping pass Climate Action Plans aligned with the Paris Agreement after Trump withdrew the US from it. I co-founded Bike Falls Church and Falls Church Forward, and have been a Regional Lead for YIMBYs of Northern Virginia for 5+ years, fighting against segregation-era zoning laws that block affordable housing.

I studied Computer Science & Naval Science at GWU, patented my first invention at 21, and in 2019 thru-hiked all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail. I've founded multiple companies with successful exits and started an investment syndicate that funds climate-focused businesses. For six years I've volunteered to teach a free coding bootcamp, because everyone deserves access to technical skills.

I’m a queer Methodist Christian. I believe in kindness and pursuit of truth.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The average first-time homebuyer is now 40. We stopped building enough new homes, tearing our communities apart. I'll push Congress to declare a national housing emergency, repeal the Faircloth Amendment to build modern public housing again, and pair supply-side reforms with transit-oriented development.

Congress can unlock federally owned land in cities and offer low-interest loans to veteran organizations like VFWs, American Legions, and others to modernize their posts and build housing, like we've done in Arlington, VA successfully. Every church and place of worship should be able to build affordable homes on their land if they choose. All at $0 cost to taxpayers.Climate & Environment:

I'm an inventor and engineer who believes in science. I'll push to re-enter the Paris Climate Agreement, stop the Trump administration from sabotaging wind and solar projects in Virginia, and preserve national parks from private investors.

We also need to make data centers pay their fair share. Mom and pop cannot compete with Amazon when buying electricity. Data centers should pay to build new renewable energy and invest in the communities around them so they are being good neighbors. That means modernizing the grid, rebuilding critical water infrastructure, and paying to repair our roads.Government Accountability

I will stand up to the corruption that has taken over our government by bringing forward articles of impeachment against Trump and many of his appointed cronies on Day 1.

It's time to get dirty money out of politics. Our campaign doesn't take corporate PAC money. I support overturning Citizens United, ending congressional stock trading, and building a small-dollar public financing system so candidates answer to voters, not donors.

I'll fight to pass the PRO Act to protect labor organizing and make sure billionaires don’t end up paying a lower effective tax rate than teachers and nurses. We must protect federal workers and reinstate telework.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordable housing, clean energy, government accountability, healthcare, and economic opportunity for working families. These issues are deeply connected and they are crushing the middle class. After Obamacare was enacted, I was able to start my first business because I could stay on my mother’s healthcare for a few more years. Medicare-for-All would unleash a wave of new small businesses that restore the American Dream.