WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) released the following statement today after voting against H.R. 2028, a short-term continuing resolution that would extend government operations through April 28, 2017: “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: continuing resolutions are a bad way for Washington to do business. This bill is the result of broken process and a lack of accountability. Our job is to do the people’s work and to do it on time. These last-minute, stop-gap measures create ...
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In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War and the adoption and ratification of the United States Constitution, there remained a heightened level of anxiety about the kind of power the President might wield. The nation—in its early infancy—needed an executive who was strong enough to protect the national interests, but not so strong that his rule was oppressive to the people (who had just come out from under the thumb of the tyrannical King George III). He had to be balanced, level-headed, and ab...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) released the following statement today after House passage of legislation that provides temporary funding for government operations through December 9, 2016: “I have consistently said that continuing resolutions are a lazy and irresponsible way to fund government operations. These short-term, stop-gap funding mechanisms create uncertainty for federal workers, perpetuate waste by prolonging inefficient and ineffective government programs, foster partisa...
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In the age of procrastination and irresponsible spending in Washington, continuing resolutions have become a comfortable fall back for Congress. Instead of buckling down, skipping the archaic breaks, and getting spending bills done in time for 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’ve said before that continuing r...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Wittman applauds passage by the House Natural Resources Committee of legislation that would grant federal recognition to six Virginia Indian tribes. Wittman’s bill, H.R. 872, was included in a larger package of federal recognition bills that were considered by the Committee late last week. Wittman’s legislation would right long-standing historical wrongs by extending federal recognition to the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock,...
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Most of us are familiar with the idiom “never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” It’s the mantra of the industrious. Want to see progress? Want to find success? Want to reach the next rung on that ladder? Finish the task at hand and move on to the next one. That’s how we get from where we are to where we want to be. Mark Twain had a slightly different play on the phrase. “Never put off [until] tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well,” he said. For too long, that’s b...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) this week sent the following letter to Speaker Paul Ryan advocating against the adjournment of the House of Representatives for August recess: Dear Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that Congress again plans to leave Washington, D.C. for August recess without addressing critical issues important to the American people. As you know, I have long advocated for Congress to skip the August recess and stay in session until the appropriations process is complete...
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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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It’s hard to believe that the year is coming to an end, and in just a few weeks, we’ll be celebrating the start of a new one. We’re right in the middle of resolution season, and I’ve been thinking a lot about mine. Those of us who have broken resolutions before—and with my wife Kathryn’s delicious cooking, I’ve broken a few—know that change is impossible without action. I’ve heard it said that faith plus action equals success. We can’t daydream our way into change. It takes effort. I think it’s ...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Readiness, introduced the Accountability, Collaboration, and Transfer (ACT) Now for Veterans legislation, which includes measures to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits claim process and expedite Veteran access to quality care. “In recent years, Congress has passed major legislation that has gone a long way toward addressing the failure of the VA to adequately serv...
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