Friend- 1,227. In 2017, 1,227 Virginians lost their lives to an opioid overdose. The opioid epidemic has taken the lives of too many. Addiction cannot continue to plague our country’s future. Given that this Saturday is National Drug Takeback Day, I wanted to draw your attention to how Congress and the administration are fighting back. Last year, the President designated the crisis a public health emergency, mobilizing federal resources to address the crisis with a new level of urgency. In addit...
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Wittman Statement on Release of FY19 NDAA SPF Mark WASHINGTON - Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01), chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, released the following statement after the subcommittee published its proposals for the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act: "As Russia and China grow their naval presence it is absolutely critical that we continue to invest in and rebuild our Navy. The mark released today would put our Navy on the path to...
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Weekly Update: The Worst is Over By Congressman Rob Wittman April 21, 2018 The worst is over. This week was the last time that taxpayers will ever have to deal with the old, broken tax code. This broken tax code has been weighing down our economy, holding America back from reaching its potential. As we bid farewell to this 30-year-old tax code, I think it is important to highlight the ways our new tax code, created under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, will benefit Virginia’s First District. Next yea...
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Friend- As you may know, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared before House and Senate Committees last week. Zuckerberg’s testimony came following the news that the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica gained access to up to 87 million users’ private data through Facebook. While millions of consumers were unaware their data, and the data of their friends, had been shared with a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica targeted these potential voters throughout the 2016 election ...
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WASHINGTON - Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) received the American Conservative Union Foundation's (ACUF) 2017 Award for Conservative Excellence, in recognition of his voting record on key issues and commitment to conservative values. "I'm honored to receive this award because staying true to conservative principles of governance and policy making is a top priority," Rep. Wittman said. "I remain committed to supporting the key conservative tenets of ensuring a strong national defense, empowering...
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America's dangerous submarine shortage Over the past few years, China has quietly improved the lethality and survivability of its attack submarines, building nine new nuclear attack submarines with quieter engines that will make Chinese submarines harder to locate and neutralize in a wartime scenario.Not to be outdone, Russia is embarking on its own modernization of its nuclear attack submarines. But in the United States, our submarine force is shrinking. Currently, the Navy has just 52 attack s...
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Friend- Did you know that a key priority of mine is to make sure Congress creates an environment for businesses to flourish? Too often, government extinguishes the entrepreneurial spirit and acts as a barrier to success. I believe that the small-business, the manufacturer, and the entrepreneur are the backbone of our economy, so we should do everything in our power to remove obstacles to job creation and economic growth. That’s why I supported the recent tax reform legislation and the rollback o...
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Wittman Receives Sea Services Award WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) was selected to receive the 2017 Congressional Sea Services Award by the National Capital Council of the Navy League. Each year, the council selects a member of Congress who has shown unparalleled support for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Maritime Administration. “Building the Navy, Marine Corps team is critical in this era in global power competition,” Wittman said. “Our world no...
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Friend- Last week, President Trump authorized the deployment of the National Guard to the southern border to aid Border Patrol in its mission. Following the President’s request—an approach also utilized by Presidents Bush and Obama—Secretary of Defense James Mattis formally authorized the funding for 4,000 National Guard troops. The President’s memo directing the National Guard to the border emphasizes that our nation’s lack of border security has reached a crisis point. Drugs pouring over the b...
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Wittman Advocates for a Bigger Navy WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01), released the following statement today after chairing the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee hearing titled, 355 Ship Navy: Delivering the Right Capabilities: “Today, the Navy has finally acknowledged that not only will they seek to obtain a 355-ship Fleet, but they will achieve that by the early 2030s. I applaud the Navy for their commitment to embrace our national policy of 355 ships, originally introdu...
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