Environmental Conservation

Folks are rightly frustrated that simple issues become more complicated because of bureaucratic red tape, especially with regard to health care. Too many individuals have shared with me their struggles involving Obamacare. Read more »

While it is absolutely necessary to reduce government spending and change the way Washington operates, sequestration is a haphazard method that fails to protect the necessary functions of government. That is why I have voted to replace the sequester with more targeted, specific spending reductions to rid the government of waste. Read more »

I strongly believe that our defense funding should be driven by the need to do all we can to defend this nation and support our men and women in uniform. While this budget does restore significant funding to our defense budget for FY 2014, extensive budget cuts, known as sequestration, remain in place, and I believe these cuts must be replaced in order to ensure that our men and women in uniform have the highest caliber of resources and training that they need to accomplish their missions. Read more »

I believe that it is critical to clean up the Bay by restoring water quality, protecting critical habitat and restoring plant and animal life. The Bay drives all sorts of economic, cultural, and recreational activities, and its restoration is a smart investment for the long term economic prosperity of all Virginians. Read more »

By keeping more of their capital to invest in employees and business growth ... small businesses can do what they do best: innovate, grow, and put folks to work in our communities. I was pleased to support this bill, which now awaits consideration in the Senate. Read more »

The simple truth is that with high gas prices, the economy’s recovery is stunted. Congress must ensure that government policies aren’t contributing to these rising energy costs, and has to take action to promote an atmosphere where pain at the pump isn’t continually controlling folks’ budgets. Read more »

[The NDAA] provides direction for the important missions and priorities of our armed forces, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that our service members and their families have the resources and support they need and deserve. Read more »

The consistent theme I’ve noticed when conducting town hall discussions, having individual meetings, and even just when talking with others in line at the grocery store is that folks are frustrated with Washington. This frustration, at least, shows that folks are alert and engaged with what’s going on in their government. This participation is vital as our nation faces such challenging issues. Read more »

We should be cutting Members’ salaries first, and then making substantive cuts to all Congressional operations. Congressmen and women should lead by example and show the American people that they, too, are willing to sacrifice in order to get our fiscal house back in order. Read more »

One of the constant issues I hear about from folks is energy prices. Families must continuously budget for the cost of energy for their homes and their vehicles. Small businesses must account for the possibility of rising energy costs as the market evolves throughout the year. As I recently hit 275,000 miles on my 2005 Toyota Corolla, I know the pain of $4-a-gallon gas, and though prices… Read more »