Preserving the American Dream for the next generation
America 250 is an opportunity to celebrate the freedoms secured by the sacrifices of our Founders. It is also a moment to renew our commitment to preserving the American Dream for future generations.
For two and a half centuries, the United States has stood as a beacon of hope, freedom, and self-determination. Few places are more closely connected to that story than Virginia.
The foundations of our nation were laid in Virginia — from Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World, to Yorktown, where the decisive victory of the American Revolution secured our independence. The ideals born here shaped the Constitution, inspired generations of Americans, and continue to guide our nation today.
The significance of representing Virginia's First Congressional District, home to the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, is not lost on me. Serving the people of "America's First District" has given me a deep appreciation for the sacrifices that built this country and the enduring principles that have sustained it.
The American Dream is rooted in the belief that every person deserves the opportunity to build a better life through hard work, personal responsibility, and service to others. Those principles shaped my own life.
When I was born, my birth mother made the difficult decision to place me for adoption. I spent the first eight months of my life at the Children's Home Society of Virginia in Richmond before being adopted by my mom and dad. They gave me a chance at the American Dream and taught me the values that would shape my future.
My father was a World War II veteran. My mother was a schoolteacher in Hanover and Richmond. Together, they devoted their lives to serving others and instilled in me the values of service, resilience, gratitude, and faith in the promise of America.
Their example inspired me to join the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech, work in public health, serve as mayor of Montross, represent our region in the Virginia General Assembly, and ultimately serve in Congress.
Like so many Americans, my story would not have been possible without a family, a community, and a nation that believed opportunity should be available to everyone willing to work for it.
That belief remains worth protecting.
As your representative, I view my responsibility through a simple lens: preserving the opportunities that made my life possible for the next generation. Every child deserves the chance to pursue their dreams, build a family, serve their community, and contribute to something greater than themselves.
That mission guides my work in Congress. Whether it is expanding educational opportunities, making life more affordable for working families, strengthening our military, protecting our natural resources, supporting our farmers and watermen, or ensuring America remains safe and secure, the goal is the same: to leave our country stronger than we found it.
The next generation deserves the same opportunities that previous generations worked so hard to create.
On this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we should remember that America's story is still being written. The freedoms we enjoy today were not inevitable. They were earned through sacrifice, preserved through service, and strengthened by citizens who placed the common good above themselves.
As we reflect on the past 250 years and look ahead to the next 250, may we recommit ourselves to the principles that founded this nation: liberty, opportunity, personal responsibility, and service to others.
The American Dream has endured because each generation has accepted the responsibility to preserve it for the next. Now it is our turn.
America 250 is an opportunity to celebrate the freedoms secured by the sacrifices of our Founders. It is also a moment to renew our commitment to preserving the American Dream for future generations.
Read the full article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch here.