Weekly Updates

Friend- Yesterday marked the beginning of National Preparedness Month. After witnessing the devastating effects of hurricane Harvey in Texas, we must work to prepare ourselves in the event of a similar disaster here in Virginia. Disasters may not be able to plan ahead, but you can! I wanted to share with you some resources to assist you in helping to keep yourself, your family, and… Read more »

Dear Friend - Let's face it: there is a lot of news coming out of Washington these days. And much of it is designed to draw a reaction from you or get you to take sides. But there is another story out there that you're not hearing. That's the story of the important accomplishments made by the House during the first eight months of this year. From the outset of 2017, we made it… Read more »

For American families, the next several weeks are prime vacation time. Thousands will flock to Virginia's beaches, wildlife areas, and historic sites for rest, relaxation, and some time off from work. These vacations are a well-deserved reward for the months of hard work and school that preceded them. But in just a few weeks, Congress will go on its annual month-long August vacation… Read more »

Dear Friend - One of the fundamental duties of the federal government is to "provide for the common defense." As a member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), I work every day to ensure we take that duty seriously and that the members of our Armed Forces are supported as they do the difficult job we ask them to do. Last week, the HASC advanced the major bill through which… Read more »

Friend, This week, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act, with my support. It is clear the Affordable Care Act is failing and must be fixed. Having reviewed the text of the bill and the Upton and MacArthur Amendments, I believe this legislation does what is necessary to protect individuals with pre-existing conditions, meets the principles for… Read more »

Dear Friends - It's spring time in Washington and that means you can count on two things: the cherry blossoms returning to bloom and Congress renewing the budget and appropriations process. The season always kicks off with the release of the president's budget, which serves as a recommendation to Congress. The House and Senate Budget Committees then produce budget resolutions of their… Read more »

Dear Friend - Last week I sent a letter to the White House. My message was simple: protect the Chesapeake Bay. Specifically, I, along with a bipartisan group of concerned members of the House, asked President Trump to include $73 million for the Chesapeake Bay Program in the Fiscal Year 2018 budget. The letter also states how critical federal funds are for the continued health of… Read more »

Friend - Unnecessary regulations are continuing to strangle the American economy. Instead of protecting consumers, workers, and the environment, these regulations are increasing the power of government agencies and driving up the costs of compliance for Main Street. In fact, we have so many unchecked regulations, it is nearly impossible to keep track of them all and there is red tape… Read more »

Dear Friend, Communicating with you is an important part of my job as your representative. One of the tools that I use to communicate with First District constituents are Telephone Town Hall Meetings. These telephone meetings, held numerous times each year, allow thousands of callers to participate in a conference call forum to ask me questions about issues before Congress in a live… Read more »

Knowing that you share my commitment to upholding family values, I wanted to update you on an award I just received! The family is at the center of American society, and at a time when traditional values are under attack, it’s so important for leaders to step up and protect that first source of support and understanding. I was adopted, and I’ve seen first-hand the transformative power… Read more »