Weekly Updates

Like many other Members of Congress, the month of August is a time to get our boots on the ground and to hear what folks are thinking back at home. This week, I met with dozens of constituents in the district offices and at events.  I've also had the opportunity to get an update on the status of the James River Ghost Fleet and to speak with members of the healthcare coverage… Read more »

Many of you may recall that back in early May there was discussion of bringing detainees currently housed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to the Marine Corps Base at Quantico or housing them at the Naval Station at Norfolk. The possibility of detainees being shipped to the Hampton Roads became greater this past Thursday as the Washington Post reported that the Federal District Court House in… Read more »

This past week the Virginia Employment Commission released its June unemployment numbers showing that the percentage of those out of work had reached 7.3% statewide and 7.4% in Hampton Roads. Additionally just this past Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that 247,000 more Americans lost their jobs in July. Just before I left D.C. to spend August in the First… Read more »

This past week we've seen a lot of developments as Congress moves towards its August District Work Period. I know that in the forefront of many minds is the move towards healthcare reform. Through my travels in the District and participation in tele-townhalls, I have heard from a great deal of folks who are afraid of a change in their health benefits through a government-run health… Read more »

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… Read more »

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… Read more »

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… Read more »

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… Read more »

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… Read more »

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… Read more »