Weekly Updates

When Congress is not in session, I enjoy the time spent with folks around the First District keeping me up-to-date on the issues facing our communities, our Commonwealth, and our nation.

This past week, exemplary students from around the district have celebrated their nominations to the nation’s service academies. One of my duties as Representative includes nominating great young people to attend the five academies, and each year we receive a number of fantastic applicants who want to serve our nation. It is an inspiration to spend time with these young people and an honor to help them achieve their admirable goal of serving our country. If you know of a student interested in attending a service academy, please urge them to contact our office to learn more.

On Tuesday, I toured the Stafford Regional Airport’s new terminal building. This new terminal building will help serve additional air traffic in and out of Stafford County and is a great addition for further economic growth in Stafford. This terminal is an example of our local government and partners working together to better our community and an exciting milestone for the region and those wishing to do business in Stafford County. With more business comes more critical job growth for the area which will help get folks back to work. I also met with a number of community organizations and small businesses during my visits in Prince William County, and I thank those individuals who took the time to share their real-world knowledge and experience to help promote ideas on how Washington, D.C. can work better for our communities and help create jobs. We also discussed immigration, health care, education, veterans’ issues and more.

Three different forums brought an array of thoughts and ideas with open discussion by folks from around the area. I hosted a telephone town hall and participated in two town halls in Caroline County. It was valuable to hear thoughts and ideas regarding what’s happening in Washington. 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. I have been working with House leadership to vote on a simple straightforward alternative to Obamacare. I am a cosponsor of several bills that create simple, fundamental patient- and provider-centered reforms that will reduce costs and increase access to health care. We need to ensure that decisions are made by the patient and provider in any effort to fix our current challenges in health care.

While there is much work to be done in Washington, two recent developments provide great news for Virginia. Our working veterans have seen the Cost of Living Adjustments restored, with the House passing legislation to remedy the issue of COLA reductions. The House originally passed a COLA reduction for working military retirees as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act. While that legislation was critical to support  our men and women currently serving, I was vehemently opposed to the provision harming our veterans’ benefits. We cannot balance the budget on the backs of the servicemembers who have given their all for our country, and it is great news that the House, Senate, and now the President have taken action to remedy this issue for our veterans and their families.

The Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act also recently passed the House. This legislation, which I authored, will help bring efficiency and accountability to Bay restoration efforts. The Bay is an important natural resource and economic driver for our community, and I work hard to ensure that federal investments in Bay restoration are spent wisely. It is now up to the Senate to pass this legislation, and I will continue to work with our Virginia Senators to pass this bill and to see it signed into law.

The main streets of Virginia’s First District are full of ideas to get our economy back on track, and your feedback is so important to me as I serve you. I can be reached by telephone at (202) 225-4261, through my website (www.wittman.house.gov), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/reprobwittman), and via Twitter (www.twitter.com/robwittman).

Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee where he is the Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee.