Press Releases

Congressman Rob Wittman, Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, released this statement on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71): 

“As the Department of the Defense moves forward with a deeper review of events surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), we cannot lose sight of the current health of our sailors and what they continue to need as we respond to this pandemic.

“There are over 800 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Due to the tight quarters on our ships, the Navy has been acutely impacted. Testing deployed Naval forces should be the highest priority. Right now, our sailors are quarantined for 14 days before deployment, and deployed forces are being kept at sea, without port call.  Neither of these is sustainable. In these uncertain times, we must maintain a strong fighting force, and that starts with prioritizing the health of our warfighters.”