“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Remember being asked that question? Remember all the possibility at the other end of it? Anything you could dream about, you could be. But as adults, we know that question is about more than choosing a career. It’s about aspiring to be better than we are. It’s about seeking greatness. As we shape our next generation of leaders, that’s what we have to keep in mind: we’re not just molding minds, we’re building character. I often reflect on that when I’m s...
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February 3, 1959. That’s the day I was born. But home didn’t start there. It started when my mom and dad adopted me. And in a way, that’s comforting. My family chose me—they could have chosen anyone, but they chose me. And the woman who brought me into the world gave me more than life; she gave me possibility. She gave me a shot at a boyhood full of fishing boats and baseball cards and the opportunity to have a wife and children and now grandchildren of my own. She gave me the chance to serve th...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) released the following statement today after President Obama appeared before a joint session of Congress to deliver his final State of the Union address: “Before the President’s State of the Union address tonight, I said that I hoped he would deliver a cogent, comprehensive strategy for defeating ISIS. I was disappointed to hear him double down on this administration’s failed national security policies. Even as the President spoke tonight, 10 American ...
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We’re at the beginning—a New Year filled with new opportunities—and I’ve been thinking a lot about my priorities. When I consider the challenges we’re facing at home and abroad, I can see how it might be easy to get bogged down in the details. But I want to rise above that for a moment. If I’ve learned anything from my time as a public servant, it’s that our greatest resource and our best hope for overcoming even the toughest challenges is our people. Our forefathers knew that progress isn’t abo...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) released the following statement in response to President Obama's announcement that he will use executive order to restrict American gun ownership: “President Obama’s actions today represent a long-standing pattern of blatant disregard for the Constitution when it comes to Second Amendment rights. Once again, Democrats are playing politics with fundamental, constitutionally-protected guarantees, just as Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring did last m...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) released the following statement today after supporting the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 (H.R. 3763), a measure that funds Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs for six years: “As I travel to and from Washington, D.C. every day from my home in Montross, VA, I witness first-hand the frustration that the debilitating traffic on our roadways causes. I’ve often experienced that exasperation my...
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Last week, Congress fulfilled its constitutional duties by passing the annual defense policy legislation, the National Defense Authorization Act, for fiscal year 2016. The bill simply awaits President Barack Obama's signature to become law and assure our men and women in uniform that they will have the tools and resources they need. Despite strong bipartisan support for the legislation, the president has promised to veto the bill in order to gain leverage for increased domestic spending demands....
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) released the following statement today after Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) withdrew his name from consideration for the position of Speaker of the House: “Today’s events reinforce the need for strong, united Republican leadership in the House. I will continue to remind all leadership candidates that my top priorities include returning Congress to a regular budgeting and appropriations schedule, getting our work done on time, empowering members...
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“Congress' unfortunate tendency to govern by crisis stymies the efforts of these dedicated public servants. I will fight to minimize the impacts of this funding uncertainty on the well-being of our federal workers and their families, while also working to return Congress to a regular schedule of budgeting and passing appropriations bills."
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"It is unconscionable to think that taxpayer dollars are being given to an organization that finds this behavior humane. I strongly believe that we must fundamentally change the way the federal government deals with this organization."
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