E-Newsletter

A newsletter from 2017 entitled “Independence and Southwest Virginia” was one of my favorites. Many of you have told me over the years it was a favorite of yours too. Because of redistricting, the Ninth District has added some communities and lost some communities. So, I thought it might be of interest to review locations in the Ninth District named for influential figures during the… Read more »

The Committee on House Administration I serve on is trying to protect our elections, investigate weaknesses, and restore election integrity and voter confidence in our elections. Last year I introduced H.R. 4460, the NO VOTE for Non-Citizens Act, requiring only eligible American citizens to participate in federal elections. The bill withholds some federal dollars that go to localities… Read more »

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided some notable cases in 2024. Donald J. Trump v. Anderson was a unanimous decision by the justices to allow President Trump on this year’s ballot, despite efforts from states like Colorado and Maine to remove him. National Rifle Association v. Vullo arises from a New York state official accused of coercing banks and insurers into cutting ties with the… Read more »

On June 3, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) held a hearing with Dr. Anthony Fauci. This was my second time in 2024 participating in a meeting with Fauci. Fauci was a leading public health official during the pandemic, as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Fauci was looked to by many of the American public and… Read more »

In May, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a landmark rule related to regional electric transmission. FERC is the independent Federal agency that regulates most hydropower dam licenses and the wholesale rates and delivery contracts for the interstate transmission of electricity. Traditionally, cost allocation for interstate transmission projects was relatively… Read more »

Memorial Day is a time for celebrations across the Ninth District, only a few of which are mentioned here. For many Americans, Memorial Day means the beginning of summer as outdoor gatherings are embraced. But the weekend is not just a weekend of picnics, swimming pools, family vacations to the beach and cookouts. It is about celebrating people and honoring the U.S. military personnel… Read more »

You may be asking yourself what the D-Day Memorial in Bedford County and the Crooked Road have in common. But what they share is that both are in Virginia’s Ninth District, and both have been mentioned in National Geographic Magazine. In a June 2002 National Geographic article based on untold stories of D-Day, Bedford’s D-Day Memorial received attention for its historical contributions… Read more »

It has been roughly four and a half years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am determined that Congress needs to be fully informed on U.S. government funding of risky research projects, such as the research done at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), in order to make sure the same mistakes don’t happen again. During the 118th Congress, I’ve signed letters pressing the… Read more »

Our country is experiencing a massive shift in technology. Our daily activities often revolve around computers and smartphones.   Our Information Technology (IT) infrastructure grows daily. But so do the threats of cyberattacks.   This week, the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations, which I chair, held a hearing focused on the fallout from the… Read more »

Recently I attended “Thunder in the Hills”, a play based off the infamous 1912 Carroll County Courthouse shootout, performed at the Courthouse.   Carroll County and the nation were rocked by the March 14, 1912 shootout. Newspapermen from all across the country flocked to the region to cover events. Until the sinking of the Titanic, this was the nation’s top… Read more »