Opinion Pieces by Rob
A recent guest columnist highlighted my public advocacy against harmful defense budget cuts slated for later this year. I am glad he shares my commitment.
These additional reductions to our defense budget—known as sequestration—will hollow out our military and leave our nation in a position where our military leaders say we will be unable to defend against the threats we face.
Submitted by U.S. Sens. Mark Warner & Tim Kaine, and U.S. Reps. Rob Wittman, Scott Rigell, Bobby Scott and Randy Forbes
Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), made history Saturday, laying the keel for the U.S. Navy's 12th Virginia-class submarine. While this is newsworthy in and of itself, what makes the event historic is that this attack submarine, designated SSN 785, is the first in the class to be named after a person: Virginia's own former U.S. Senator John Warner.
Progress is fragile and fleeting, and without proper attention it can quickly be lost.
Today, pollution threatens all of the recent progress we've made at cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. At risk is not only the ecosystem's survival, but also a way of life for so many.
The chorus of resistance may have quieted, but the deafening effect of compounding budget cuts on our military blares through the halls of the homes of men and women in uniform, the buildings of our military bases, the rings of the Pentagon and our nation's Department of Defense (DoD).
By Scott Rigell, Randy Forbes and Rob Wittman
The Virginian-Pilot
February 24, 2013
In a House Armed Services Committee hearing, a picture of Naval Station Norfolk was circulated, showing five U.S. aircraft carriers and four large deck amphibious assault ships moored to the pier. Various other logistic support ships and surface combatants idled in port.
The cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay has been lauded recently, as Gov. Bob McDonnell announced last month that Virginia was "exceeding its commitments" under the Chesapeake Bay Program and was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as achieving the greatest reduction of nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
From Yorktown to Fredericksburg and A.P. Hill to Quantico, the spirits of patriotism and selflessness are powerful in Virginia's First District; it is truly a place where folks understand the sacrifices that are an unforgettable part of the history of our nation. It is also a region where we remember those who have served selflessly in the past and honor those who are currently defending our freedoms, not just on Memorial Day or Veterans Day, but every day.