2010 News
July 22, 2010: Virginia Senators, Congressmen Advocate for 3rd F-22 Squadron at Langley PDF Print E-mail
July 22, 2010

Washington, DC--Virginia Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner and Congressmen Glenn Nye, Jim Moran, Randy Forbes, Bobby Scott, and Rob Wittman yesterday sent a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norman Schwartz advocating the assignment of an additional F-22 Raptor squadron at Langley Air Force Base (LAFB).   A decision by the Air Force is expected soon. 

 

“We believe that Langley Air Force Base is the best-value alternative for the Air Force and the taxpayer,” wrote the Senators and Congressmen. They stressed that such a move would be consistent with President Obama’s June 2010 memorandum to make better use of existing federal real estate and avoid redundant excess assets. At a time when Secretary Gates has directed the military departments to achieve more than $10 billion in programmatic savings, LAFB can accommodate the third squadron with minimal cost and personnel. 

 

Following last year’s decision to curtail acquisition at 187 F-22s, there were insufficient numbers for all bases scheduled to receive the aircraft.  As a result, the Air Force initiated a study to determine how best to consolidate the F-22 fleet from four to three locations.  The review is currently being conducted by a Senior Basing Executive Steering Group, which is expected to forward its recommendations to Air Force leadership this week. 

 

Three operational F-22 squadrons were originally slated for LAFB, and approximately $95 million was appropriated to construct three hangars specially designed for them. Due to reductions, only two of Langley’s new hangars currently house F-22 aircraft.  The third will be vacated this September when an F-15 squadron is retired. Langley’s operational capacity and modern infrastructure would enable operations with a third F-22 squadron to commence almost immediately.

 

 

The text of the letter is below:

 

The Honorable Michael Donley

Secretary of the Air Force

1670 Air Force Pentagon

Washington, D.C. 20330

 

General Norman Schwartz, USAF

Chief of Staff of the Air Force

1670 Air Force Pentagon

Washington, D.C. 20330

 

Dear Secretary Donley and General Schwartz,

 

Our purpose in writing is to ask that Langley Air Force Base (LAFB), Virginia, be given all due consideration among the four candidate bases currently under consideration as recipients of an additional F-22 Raptor squadron.  For a number of important reasons, we believe that Langley Air Force Base is the best-value alternative for the Air Force and the taxpayer.

 

The need for an updated beddown plan for the F-22 is necessitated largely by the curtailment of the Raptor program at 187 aircraft.  As you are aware, the original F-22A beddown structure for Langley AFB called for the assignment of three squadrons composed of 24 primary assigned aircraft (PAA).   

 

To implement this plan at LAFB, the Air Force was appropriated approximately $95 million to build the facilities necessary for squadron operations and support.  These military construction projects included three fully mission capable aircraft hangars specifically designed for the F-22.  Two of these hangars currently house F-22s.  The third will be vacated this September following the retirement of an F-15 squadron, resulting in excess operational capacity and modern facilities. 

 

A number of additional projects will further improve LAFB’s ability to host a third squadron and should be considered during the rebasing review.  The President’s fiscal year 2011 budget request included $8.8 million to build a Low Observable Hangar/Maintenance Facility.  This project has already been approved by the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the House Military Construction and Veteran Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee and included in their spending bills.  The House has also authorized and appropriated $3 million to purchase land in Langley’s “clear zone.”  These land purchases will improve the air space quality and safety around LAFB.  Additionally, $3 million has been authorized to provide shelters to protect the F-22s and enable maintenance on the ramp during inclement weather.  

           

Langley also hosts one of the most experienced Air National Guard squadrons in the nation.  As members of the initial cadre of the first operational F-22 squadron and the first Guard unit to fly the F-22, the 192nd Fighter Wing’s operational achievements and depth of technical knowledge of the aircraft are unparalleled.  The assignment of a third F-22 squadron will help to preserve that unit’s identity, sustain personnel retention, and expand leadership opportunities in ways that exist today in other states.  Langley is uniquely poised to move into an Active Associate model to provide even more flexibility.

 

With the importance of the Air Sovereignty Mission, Langley is well-positioned as an operational base with full command-and-control and mission-support facilities.  Unlike other locations which are unable to conduct operational missions, Langley will not require additional construction or manning to make it an operational base.  In short, owing to past investments, Langley is a “turn-key” installation that can commence operations with a third F-22 squadron almost immediately. 

 

We believe that President Obama’s June 10, 2010, memorandum titled, “Disposing of Unneeded Federal Real Estate – Increasing Sales Proceeds, Cutting Operating Costs, and Improving Energy Efficiency,” should guide your F-22 basing decision.  The President’s memo states, “For decades, the federal government … has managed more real estate than necessary to effectively support its programs and missions.  Both taxpayer dollars and energy resources are being wasted to maintain these excess assets ….  Agencies shall also take immediate steps to make better use of remaining real property assets as measured by utilization and occupancy rates, annual operating cost, energy efficiency, and sustainability.” 

 

Secretary of Defense Gates has directed the Department of Defense and military departments to find savings of more than $10 billion in future budgets.  He recently said, "Given America's difficult economic circumstances and parlous fiscal condition, military spending on things large and small can and should expect closer, harsher scrutiny.”  Langley is ready now to accept a third operational F-22 squadron—a superb opportunity for the Air Force to demonstrate sound fiscal discipline by making better use of its existing facilities with attendant cost savings for the taxpayer.

 

In closing, the consolidation of this critical national asset at one of the premier fighter bases in the Air Force would vastly improve efficiencies in maintenance and operations of the F-22 fleet overall, as well as allow Langley’s active and Air National Guard components to operate together more effectively in the performance of their homeland defense and overseas contingency missions. 

 

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

 

Sincerely,

 

Senator Mark Warner

Senator Jim Webb

Representative Glenn Nye

Representative James Moran

Representative Randy Forbes

Representative Bobby Scott

Representative Rob Wittman

 
July 16, 2010: Congressman Wittman Supports House Bill to Extend National Flood Insurance Program PDF Print E-mail
July 16, 2010

Washington, DC – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) made the following statement today after the House passed legislation Thursday to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years through 2015:

“This is great news for homeowners and buyers and sellers of residential and commercial property; especially those who have been negatively affected by the uncertainty in the program this year,” Wittman said. “Too many homes and businesses in the First District have been damaged by severe weather and this legislation is critical to ensure that areas across the country at high risk of flooding are identified and mapped, that flood insurance is made widely available, and that flood losses are reduced through improved management of floodplains.  I urge the Senate to consider this legislation quickly.”

 


Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee where he is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
 
July 15, 2010: Congressman Wittman Introduces Legislation to Enhance Federal Leasing Activities in the First District PDF Print E-mail
July 15, 2010
 

Washington, DC – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) introduced H.R. 5713 this week to direct the Administrator of General Services to extend to private property owners and managers in the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford in Virginia the same preferences in negotiating for the leasing of space for the use of the Federal government that are given to private property owners and managers in jurisdictions in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The General Services Administration (GSA) definition of the NCR includes the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland, and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties in Virginia and all cities within those boundaries.  The GSA’s leasing mechanism for building space available to the Federal government, the Automated Advanced Acquisition Program (AAAP), only shows properties located in the NCR. 

“This legislation would ensure that when the GSA’s Federal customers are seeking space, they are not limited to just those sites within the NCR,” Wittman said. According to the 2015 Vision of the Director of National Intelligence, by 2015, employees from different agencies will have to be collocated to more remote locations, away from centralized headquarters.  “As Federal agencies look for ways to ensure continuity of operations, it makes sense for the GSA to facilitate the availability of property outside the current boundaries of the NCR.  “Adding Federal leasing opportunities in the First Congressional District has the potential to generate economic development in our region and would provide the Federal government with more available options for housing their operations,” Wittman said.

For more information on the GSA’s National Capital Region, visit www.gsa.gov/ncr.


Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee where he is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
 
July 14, 2010: Congressman Wittman Applauds Passage of Telework Bill PDF Print E-mail
July 14, 2010

Washington, DC – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) applauded passage today of H.R. 1722, the Telework Improvements Act of 2010.  H.R. 1722 would require each executive agency to establish a telework policy under which employees would be authorized to telework to the maximum extent possible without diminished employee performance or agency operations. The bill would permit employees to telework at least 20 percent of the hours worked in every two administrative workweeks.

“Telework is a key part of the solution to alleviating traffic congestion, and it’s also crucial to ensuring continuity of operations in the case of a national emergency or weather event like the 2010 winter storm on the East Coast. This bill will help ensure that Federal employees who are eligible to telework are able to do so and have access to facilities that can accommodate them,” said Wittman. 

Under the bill, the head of each agency must designate a Telework Managing Officer and each agency must ensure that no distinction is made between employees who telework and those who do not for performance appraisals, training and other purposes.  The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) would issue regulations and guidance to agencies to implement telework programs, and OPM and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) would be required to evaluate and report on agency telework programs.

After taking into account the 30% of Federal workers found to have been teleworking during this winter’s week-long snow storm, the Office of Personnel Management downgraded its initial estimate that the government lost $100 million worth of productivity each day it remained closed to a projected lost of $71 million for each day during the closure.

Earlier this year, Wittman introduced H.R. 4348, the Telework Tax Incentive Act, which would provide eligible taxpayers with an annual tax credit for qualified teleworking expenses paid or incurred by the taxpayer that year, up to $1,000.  Employees working in a teleworking arrangement where the employee works at least 75 days per year would be eligible to receive the tax credit.  Wittman also successfully included language in the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2010 which directs the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration, to assess sites within the Washington Metropolitan Area in order to identify at least two sites for a possible pilot program to provide secure teleworking for Federal employees.

“Despite the fact that there are numerous benefits to teleworking, such as reduced traffic congestion and energy consumption, cost savings, competitive hiring and retention, and emergency preparedness, many Federal agencies continue to underutilize telework.  These bills are a step forward to getting vehicles off the roads in our region, enhancing productivity, reducing costs, and ensuring continuity of operations within the Federal government,” added Wittman.

The legislation passed by a vote of 290-131.

Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He was elected to his first full term in November 2008 and serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee where he is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
 
July 12, 2010: Tonight: Wittman to Co-host Town Hall Meeting to Discuss Toxic Chinese Drywall PDF Print E-mail
July 12, 2010

Washington, DC – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) will join Delegate Glenn Oder to co-host a town hall meeting to discuss issues concerning Toxic Chinese Drywall, TONIGHT from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. in the James Conference Room at Fountain Plaza II in Newport News. They will be joined by representatives from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Interested homeowners, members of the community, and members of the media are welcome to attend. 

 

WHO:

 

Congressman Rob Wittman

Delegate Glenn Oder

Chris Day, Congressional Affairs, Consumer Product Safety Commission

Jay Howell, Acting Assistant Executive Director, CPSC Office of Compliance

Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development

 

WHAT:

Toxic Chinese Drywall Town Hall Meeting

Press availability to follow

 

WHEN:

TODAY, Monday, July 12, 2010, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

 

WHERE:

James Conference Room
Fountain Plaza II

700 Town Center Drive

Newport News, VA 23606

 

Congressman Wittman recently introduced legislation, the Toxic Drywall Homeowner Relief Act, to aid homeowners in the First Congressional District and across the country who have been affected by toxic drywall. Specifically, Wittman’s legislation would allow individuals a tax deduction for the costs incurred to remove and replace toxic drywall and degraded electrical system components and appliances in their principal residence, up to $20,000 during each taxable year. Additionally, the bill would allow individuals whose homes are severely affected a deduction for the cost of alternative living expenses they incur while determining whether toxic drywall is present in their homes and during the remediation process, up to $1,000 per month for no more than three years. The tax deductions and credit in Wittman’s bill would be available to taxpayers for returns filed for 2009, 2010, and 2011. This bill is awaiting consideration by the House Committee on Ways and Means. 

Interested media can contact Abigail Shilling at 202-225-4261 or 202-593-1424 (cell). 

Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee where he is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
 
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