WASHINGTON-Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) released the following statement following the collision of the USS John S. McCain off the coast of Singapore: "My thoughts and prayers are with the crew of the USS John S. McCain after last night's collision. I am grateful for the hard work of the search and rescue teams as they look for the ten missing sailors. “While I support the Chief of Naval Operations operational safety stand down of the fleet, I believe that there are even more basic causes for ...
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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 a priority to work on the issues that matter most to you and I believe we took meaningful steps to grow our economy, str...
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Dear Friend- Before adjourning for recess, the U.S. House of Representatives advanced a critical bill to fund the Department of Defense, including our nuclear weapons programs, military construction projects, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Passing the Make America Secure Appropriations Act sends a strong signal that we are dedicated to the safety and security of all Americans and the well-being of our veterans. The world is an increasingly dangerous place and, having assessed those thre...
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Dear Friend - As Chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, I am committed to ensuring our Navy remains the most powerful naval force anywhere in the world. But as we move into the 21st Century, we must ensure that our Navy is prepared to meet the numerous challenges of the future. I laid out my vision for the Navy of the future and how we, in Congress, can support its development for an article in the August edition of Proceedings, the magazine of the United ...
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Dear Friend - As an Armed Services Subcommittee Chairman, my focus is on strengthening our national security and maintaining Virginia's role in ensuring our military remains the greatest fighting force the world has ever known. To do that, three specific areas I am working on are boosting the base defense budget, growing the size of the Navy's Fleet to 355 ships, and utilizing technology and innovation to maintain a competitive advantage over our adversaries. I explained why each of those is imp...
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WASHINGTON – WASHINGTON - Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) today backed House passage of H.R. 3219, the Make America Secure Appropriations Act, which funds the Department of Defense, military construction and veterans affairs projects, energy and water development, and the Legislative Branch. "Passing this national security funding bill sends a strong signal that we are dedicated to the safety and security of all Americans and the well-being of our veterans," Rep. Wittman said. "The world is an i...
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Dear Friend - As Chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, my top priority is growing the Navy's Fleet to 355 ships. That is the number of ships Naval leaders told Congress they need to adequately deter our adversaries, support our allies, and respond to threats and humanitarian challenges around the globe. I included language in the recently-passed defense authorization that would codify that the policy of the United States is to have no fewer than 355 ships...
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Dear Friend - Knowing of your interest in education and workforce development, I wanted to update you on my recent work in this critical area. Last week, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18 NDAA) with my strong support. This bill is the main mechanism through which Congress "provides for the common defense" of our nation. It equips, supplies, and trains our troops; cares for them and their families; and sets national security policy in a dangerous w...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01), chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, today backed House passage of H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18 NDAA). The bill is the main mechanism through which Congress "provides for the common defense" of our nation. This bill equips, supplies, and trains our troops; cares for them and their families; and sets national security policy in a dangerous world. The autho...
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Dear Friend - As you know, I recently joined with Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi to introduce a resolution that would make it the policy of the United States to achieve the Navy’s requirement of 355 ships. A 355 ship Naval Fleet will allow us to deter our adversaries, support our allies, and respond to threats and humanitarian challenges around the globe. Senator Wicker and I joined to pen an op-ed for Fox News explaining why a 355 ship Navy is critical for our national security and to ensu...
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