I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t want clean air and clean water. Protecting our environment is something we all desire. But there are grand ideas about refashioning (but damaging) our economy that offer theoretical benefits we may never see, or there are nuts-and-bolts approaches that can make positive differences in both our environment and our economy. For too long at the Environmental Protecti... Read more »
Perhaps this person is your neighbor or friend. Perhaps you know this person from church or went to school together. Perhaps this person is your brother or sister, your father or mother, your son or daughter. Many of us know someone who has suffered from opioid addiction. It’s an affliction that does not recognize race, sex, class, or party affiliation. And it has taken too many lives before their... Read more »
This year’s federal income tax return due date is Tuesday, April 17. It’s the last time you will have to file under the old tax code that was replaced by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which will apply to next April’s returns. Although Americans will file under the old, broken tax code this last time, tax reform has already ushered in benefits for taxpayers and workers. I’ve written in this column pre... Read more »
As the House of Representatives considers banking legislation, I find myself thinking about the legacy of Maggie Walker, a great success story from the annals of Virginia. Walker was born in Richmond in 1864 to a former slave who, after the War Between the States, worked as a laundress. She helped her mother with this task as she grew up, then became a teacher, and eventually devoted herself to th... Read more »
Friday, March 30, marks the concurrence of two of the most significant holidays for two of the most prominent world religions. It is the beginning of Passover, and it is Good Friday. In Judaism, Passover commemorates the events described in the Book of Exodus, the leading of the Israelites out of Egypt. The last of ten plagues meant to convince Egypt’s Pharaoh to let the Israelites go was the deat... Read more »
You probably hear a lot about the disagreements in Washington, and that’s not surprising. Having two major parties that disagree on some bedrock principles, such as the role of government, means a lot of give and take. But there are some things on which we largely agree. Solving the opioid crisis, which takes the lives of 115 Americans on average per day, is one of them. On March 20th, 21st, and 2... Read more »
Disclaimer: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took effect at the beginning of 2018, so for your 2017 income taxes due this April, you will still pay according to the old tax code and its higher rates. But most should see bigger paychecks this year because the Federal Government will withhold less for 2018 taxes. Read on to learn more. In the months since President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in... Read more »
Everyone knows something is wrong with prescription drug prices. I hear frequently from constituents struggling to pay exorbitant prices for drugs. What is to be done in this situation and who is to blame are hot topics in public discourse. It’s worth keeping this background in mind when pondering what to make of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare’s announcement on March 6 that it “will expand pharm... Read more »
Members of Congress gathered together on the morning of Wednesday, February 28, not to vote or meet in committee, but for another important purpose: to honor the life of Reverend Billy Graham, who died on February 21. Billy Graham was only the fourth person to “lie in honor” (distinct from lying in state) in the Rotunda of the Capitol. As an expression of the nation’s respect for him, the Presiden... Read more »
Traveling Across the Ninth When the House of Representatives is not voting in Washington, I use the time I have to travel across the Ninth District to hear your stories, your questions, and your concerns. So far this year, I have visited all 29 jurisdictions that make up the Ninth. These visits covered topics from economic development to safety in our schools to individual constituent concerns in ... Read more »
