It all starts with a spark, a twinkle in the eye of a student who has found her passion, solidified his future. She might have just completed a career and technical education (CTE) program in manufacturing technology. He may have figured out a high-level math problem. One thing is sure: These two students are on their way to achieving their dreams even before receiving a high school diploma. But the United States is falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to enrolling students in CTE ...
Read more
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Wittman voted in favor of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act to advance the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) – a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement. Ratifying the USMCA has been a major priority of both Congressional Republicans and President Trump in 2019. “I was proud to finally cast my vote today to advance the USMCA. Ratifying this agreement is absolutely critical to the First District and entire Comm...
Read more
We have a tradition in my family on Thanksgiving. We all sit down at the table, and before we start eating the beautifully prepared feast, we go around and say what we are thankful for. Well this year, I wanted to do the same thing for work as I do for family - look back through 2019 to think about what I am most thankful for. As I reflected on this year, I thought about all that we have accomplished and all that still can be done. From the outset of 2019, I made it a priority to work on the iss...
Read more
Here in the First District we have both rural and suburban areas - each have their own unique challenges. Suburban areas across the country are expanding. Studies show that most all of the population growth in our top 50 metropolitan areas comes directly from growth in the suburbs and it is critical that Congress respond to their issues. That is why this week I joined with my colleagues to restart the Suburban Caucus - to fight for these suburban families. Our new Caucus will address the challen...
Read more
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) voted "no" House Amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 3055 - Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and Further Health Extenders Act of 2019. “Yet again, Congress has kicked the can down the road,” Wittman said. “Our men and women in uniform are facing certain threats abroad, while the support for their training, equipment, and operations remains uncertain at home. Our highest priority should be keeping the Department of Defense full...
Read more
LOUISA, VA – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman participated in a roundtable at the America First Policies event 'USMCA - A Better Deal for American Workers' featuring Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence. The panel discussed the importance of ratifying the US Mexico Canada (USMCA) Agreement signed by President Trump on November 30, 2018 and the effect it could have on the Commonwealth and the nation. Other panelists included Rep. Denver Riggleman (VA-05) and Former Governor George Allen....
Read more
The economic relationship between the United States, Mexico, and Canada is vitally important to the overall success of folks across our nation. In recent years, however, I believe that this relationship was not an equal give-and-take between all three partners but instead the United States was contributing more than our two neighbors. In an attempt to right this wrong, President Trump has negotiated the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA). The USMCA is a critical piece of economi...
Read more
Friend – What a busy month we’ve had across Virginia’s First District. Throughout all of September, I spent a great deal of time hearing from folks across our region about the issues that matter most to them and in Washington advocating on your behalf to my colleagues in Congress. I started off the month hosting my second Community Broadband Field Seminar in Lancaster, held the inaugural meeting of the First District Career and Technical Education (CTE) Task Force, and visited the great folks at...
Read more
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) voted "no" on H.R. 4378 – Making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2020. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome. Ten years of passing continuing resolutions (CRs) to fund the government has led to wasted taxpayer money and government inefficiencies; yet today, we voted again to budget by crisis. Under a CR, our military is unable to properly budget, leading to insufficient traini...
Read more
In the age of procrastination and irresponsible spending in Washington, continuing resolutions (CR) have become a comfortable fall back for Congress. Instead of buckling down and getting spending bills done on time through measured debate, lawmakers look to last-minute, stop-gap measures to fund the federal government. The last time Congress was able to maintain regular operations without a continuing resolution was in 1996—two decades ago. I believe it’s time for Congress to move past the age o...
Read more
