The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is one of our most important rights. I strongly support the Second Amendment, and many Southwest Virginians proudly and safely exercise it. Many gunowners are concerned that this right will be in jeopardy under the new majorities in the Virginia General Assembly. The first actions of the new assembly, which began on January 8, confirmed some of thos... Read more »
New Laws As 2019 drew to a close, President Trump signed two bills that had passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate. I have previously highlighted them in this column as legislation that I support and cosponsored and am glad that they are now law. On December 30, the President signed the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019. The Debbie Smith Act was first passed in 2004 and pro... Read more »
I respect religious opinions that differ from my own, but as a Christian, I wish everyone the peace of this season, and for my Christian brothers and sisters, Merry Christmas. O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie. Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting Light. The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee to... Read more »
After a brief and biased “inquiry,” House Democrats have put forward two articles of impeachment against President Trump, the first charging him with abuse of power and the second alleging obstruction of Congress. Neither article holds up under scrutiny. Article One The abuse of power President Trump supposedly committed was an attempt to coerce Ukraine into opening an investigation to benefit him... Read more »
House Democrats are spending most of their time on the impeachment of President Trump. They soon plan to take a break from that activity, however, to push Speaker Pelosi’s unconstitutional and anti-cures drug pricing bill. Reducing prescription drug prices should be a priority for the House of Representatives. It has been for Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee, including myself. We h... Read more »
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It has to be fought for and defended by each generation." These words of President Ronald Reagan come to mind when I observe events in Hong Kong today. The people of that territory in East Asia, which came under the sovereignty of China less than a generation ago, are now fighting to keep alive the freedom they have known. Hong Kong ... Read more »
The year 2019 has been one of commemoration in Virginia. It marks 400 years since several events that unmistakably shaped the future of our Commonwealth and our country: the arrival of women, slavery, and representative government. Some were accomplishments in which we should take great pride, such as the institution of the Virginia House of Burgesses and thus representative government in the New ... Read more »
Help for New Mothers More mothers are dying during childbirth. This trend is even more pronounced in rural areas. On November 13, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee passed legislation focused on improving maternal health. Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began national monitoring of pregnancy-related deaths, it has observed a tragic trend. These... Read more »
One hundred and one years ago, on November 11, 1918, the guns of World War I fell silent. One hundred years ago, November 11, 1919, was a day for remembering. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation commemorating November 11 as Armistice Day. He wrote: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s servi... Read more »
“Trick or treat?” is the question on everyone’s lips each Halloween. House Democrats this year opted for tricks. On Halloween, of all days, they voted for a resolution supposed to lay out the “next phase” in their impeachment of President Trump. But the next phase looks similar to the past several weeks. There will be more closed hearings, limited input by the Republican minority, and due process ... Read more »
