Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today issued the following statement after voting in favor of the Fiscal Year 2015 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill (H.R. 240) and amendments to defund President Obama’s executive action on immigration: “The debate about defunding President Obama’s executive action is not exclusively a debate about immigration. It primarily is a debate ab... Read more »
Coal Keeps the Heat On and Food on the Table Much of the nation – including our region and areas further south – has been dealing with frigid weather. Several energy companies nationwide asked customers to reduce their electricity consumption for periods of time in order to decrease demand and reduce the potential for power outages. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) asked their distributors of ... Read more »
Changing the Rules: Part 2 I have previously proposed the U.S. Senate change its rules to be more efficient and to reflect the will of the people in a true democratic republican form of government. Of course, as I don’t serve in the Senate, some are prone to say, as in Luke 4:23, “Physician, heal thyself!” Accordingly, as of the writing of this column, I am proposing a rule change in the House of ... Read more »
As your Congressman, I am committed to making sure that your views and positions are heard when key issues are debated in Washington. Please share with me your perspective about some the issues and proposals that may come before the Congress in 2015. To take the 2015 Congressional Issues Survey, please click here or visit http://morgangriffith.house.gov/2015issuessurvey/ . With concerns, comments... Read more »
God Bless Us, Every One! 171 years ago in 1843, well-loved English writer Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol. Even if they don’t know of Charles Dickens by name, many Americans are familiar with the story of bitter, curmudgeonly old Ebenezer Scrooge and the redemptive journey that ultimately transforms him into a warmer, gentler, and more generous human being. A Christmas Carol is a timel... Read more »
More on Ending the Modern Filibuster Rule On many occasions, I have taken issue with the modern interpretation of the Senate filibuster rule. When I last wrote on this topic in a newsletter, it was just before this year’s elections. Control of the Senate had not yet been determined. As I have said previously, this is not a partisan issue. On running the government efficiently, it might not matter ... Read more »
The ABLE Act Much talk about Congress focuses on partisan conflict. But it is important to keep in mind that, though discord gets more attention, Democrats and Republicans can and do work together to get things done. Among my efforts are the bipartisan Drug Quality and Security Act (H.R. 3089) to clarify oversight of the compounding drug manufacturing system (which was signed into law) and the Pat... Read more »
Immigration – An Update It has been more than a week since President Obama announced his executive actions regarding immigration. I have serious concerns about his actions and their legality. My concerns include whether the President can broadly and unilaterally grant illegal immigrants permission to work. Further, among the red flags being raised about the President’s immigration announcement is ... Read more »
Giving Thanks, Attitudes are Contagious While there are many important national issues deserving discussion, this week is a time of Thanksgiving. We all have things for which we should be grateful. But if you are like most, you or a loved one have likely experienced some trials and tribulations during the last year as well. I was recently reminded of this when my colleague, Congressman Alan Nunnel... Read more »
Keystone XL Pipeline – Solutions On Friday, November 14, the House of Representatives again passed legislation (H.R. 5682) to approve the application for the Keystone XL pipeline, which has been slow-walked by President Obama and the State Department for more than six years. This is despite other pipeline projects requiring a Presidential Permit having taken 18 to 24 months to review and approve. ... Read more »
