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U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) introduced a bill today that would require the Office of Management and Budget to reduce at least $5 billion in federal spending by eliminating, consolidating, or streamlining government programs and agencies with duplicative and overlapping missions. The proposal reinforces the need for Congress to take…
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Gov. Bob McDonnell used a Thursday photo op to bring attention to his continued push for offshore drilling off the coast of Virginia. “America has an energy policy problem. Today, Virginia businesses and families are paying, on average, $3.88 per gallon for gasoline. That’s up $1.00 from a year ago. The Energy Information Administration estimates…
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The news of the death of Osama Bin Laden has “reinvigorated the great spirit of this great country,” said William H. Parrish, an associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University who served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the George W. Bush administration. “But that day is now behind us, and now we have…
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The U.S. Supreme Court has denied the request of Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to expedite the appellate review of the state’s constitutional challenge of the 2010 federal health-care reform law. The move had not been unexpected – as the Supreme Court rarely bypasses appellate courts in reviews of constitutional questions. Cuccinelli had asked for…
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This past week House Republicans continued to take action to bring real change to Washington by passing a long term budget plan for 2012 and beyond, which stops spending money we don’t have, lifts our crushing debt burden, and helps promote job creation. With $14 trillion in debt, $1.6 trillion in deficit spending, and the…
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President Obama on Wednesday released a down-the-middle plan for dealing with the federal government’s deepening budget crisis. I meant the term down the middle to mean one thing – that it features some elements that appeal to the left and some that appeal to the right. But I full recognize that it can mean something…
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This past week in Congress we continued to focus on taking the necessary steps to help foster a better environment for job creation for the people of the Fifth District by shrinking the size and scope of the federal government, reducing unnecessary regulations, working to lower energy costs, and cutting spending. I was proud to…
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U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.) filed legislation today that would ensure that federal workers receive retroactive pay for the duration of a potential government shutdown. Currently, federal pay is suspended in the event of a funding lapse or government shutdown, and retroactive payment for…
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A group of 16 moderate Democratic senators, led by Mark Udall of Colorado, today sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, urging him to prevent a shutdown of the federal government that would hurt our country’s still-fragile economy and distract from the need to work together to address greater, long-term fiscal challenges. The senators…
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U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell today that there are “legitimate questions” about the constitutionality of the Obama administration’s move to involve the United States in the UN intervention in Libya. “What we have seen in Libya is different than a lot of the other examples that people have been talking about….
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