Well folks, as we wind up the month of July and look into the August work period back in the district, we have the issues of financial services reform, food safety and Department of Defense spending left to take up in Washington. There is also the possibility of the health care reform bill coming before us. All of us here in Congress agree that we must fix the current system to reduce costs to make health care affordable. We cannot continue on our current path where, we as a nation spend 17% of...
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Just this past week, I held the first meeting of my Small Business Advisory Council. The Council includes small business owners, economists, and chambers of commerce. It's important for Congress to understand how legislation directly affects these vital engines of the American economy. Small businesses create a large majority of the new jobs in our Nation each year, and their continued success is what will help place our economy back on track. I heard from a number of business owners that they w...
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Congress returned to Washington this past week and hit the ground running on several important issues. A hearing on my Chesapeake Bay legislation took place, we passed a bill to aid small businesses, and we announced a grant to help transport wounded warriors in Virginia to job training programs. First, the Insular Affairs Subcommittee of the Natural Resources Committee, both of which I serve on, held a hearing on my Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act. As you know, I've been an advo...
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It has been great spending this past week back in the First Congressional District and visiting with folks from Fredericksburg to Yorktown. I've met with many constituents and seen first hand the impact of lost jobs and a continually slowing economy on their daily lives. Just this past Thursday, the unemployment rate rose to a 26-year high of 9.5%, with a total loss of 467,000 jobs across America. Here in the First District, unemployment rates hover around 8%. While we are faring better than ma...
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Congress wrapped up business this week on the Defense Department Authorization bill for 2010 and voted on a Cap and Trade bill which would fundamentally alter the way carbon emissions are limited in the United States. First, I was pleased to support the National Defense Authorization Act which authorizes $550.4 billion for standard operations at the Department of Defense, as well as $130 billion for funding ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The House approved the bill by a vot...
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Congress was quite busy this past week working on the supplemental funding for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and on crafting a plan to reform the American healthcare system I am deeply disappointed that Congressional leaders chose to include unrelated spending in the War Supplemental. The final version of the bill cut $4.6 billion from original troop funding levels in order to bailout foreign governments and help buy up old gas guzzling cars. If Congress wanted a vote on "Cash for Clunkers"...
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Work continues in Washington on many issues which will have a lasting impact on our veterans and troops overseas. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee I am committed to honoring our Nation's obligations to those who serve and have been quite busy with promising legislation. This past week, I joined with members of both the Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs Committees in a letter to the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, urging him to utilize the "reserve funds" he imbedded i...
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This past week, while participating in a conference call with General Motors management and members of the President's Automotive Task Force, I received the troubling news that General Motors plans to close its Powertrain plant in Spotsylvania County by December 2010. GM's decision to end their thirty year relationship with the area will have a tremendous impact on both the employees who worked there and the surrounding community. In response to this news, I wrote to Frederick Henderson, the C....
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This past week I have been to all corners of the First Congressional District as Congress wraps up its District Work Period. It is always refreshing to see familiar faces and hear your thoughts on the goings on at home and in Washington. I kicked off the week attending Memorial Day ceremonies, held meetings at both ends of the District with my Historical Preservation Advisory Council, and joined Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle who represent the Hampton Roads region to discuss ec...
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This week in Washington, Congress has taken action to reign in credit card companies from performing unscrupulous business practices. Unfortunately, I've heard from many constituents who have received a letter from their credit card company notifying them that their card's limit has been reduced or their interest rate has been raised without notification. Even with a history of prompt payments you can still be affected. I myself have been hit by such a practice. I had a credit card which I paid...
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