Southwest Virginia is open for business. That’s the message I heard in November, as several companies announced expansions or new operations around the Ninth District. In Montgomery County, the tech company 1901 Group, founded by a Virginia Tech alumnus, plans to add 580 jobs at its Blacksburg operations center over the next three years. The company provides cloud-based information technology (IT) services, and federal contracts make up much of its business. According to the Roanoke Times, 1901 ...
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Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Justice announced a $133,665 grant to Roanoke County Public Schools as part of the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program: “Children should be safe as they learn and grow at school. I was proud to support the STOP School Violence Act, which provides federal support for this goal. Roanoke County Public Schools will receive $133,665 of these funds for training to prevent viole...
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Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act: “Educational programs should provide students with the skills they need to thrive in the workforce. Career and technical education programs provide a vital way to prepare prospective employees for jobs. The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act provides a boost to these programs, incr...
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Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced a $17,100,000 loan to renovate the elementary school in Galax: “These funds will go a long way toward improving the elementary school facilities in Galax. Mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems will be updated, windows will be upgraded to be more energy efficient, and exterior wall insulation will be installed. Thanks to this Rural Development ...
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School safety has been on the minds of many recently. As I’ve traveled the Ninth District, constituents have frequently approached me to discuss this topic. For our communities, schools are at the center of their life. Therefore, I believe the most important decisions regarding them should be made by the community. It would be neither appropriate nor helpful for the Federal Government to impose one-size-fits-all solutions from Washington. But there are things Congress can do to be helpful. I’ve ...
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Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today issued the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 4909, the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act: “Schools should be safe havens for students as they learn and grow. This legislation would authorize funding efforts to prevent violence and improve security at schools across the country. It would provide grants so that local decisions can be made about what works best for the community to make our schools safer. I...
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Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement today announcing those receiving congressional nominations from his office to the United States Service Academies: “One of my highest honors and privileges as a Congressman is to nominate a limited number of deserving young men and women to United States Service Academies. I am proud to recommend each of these students, and I commend them for their willingness to serve our nation, an honorable calling. Congratulations to the nomin...
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Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today announced that Dr. Abrar Qureshi, Neil Evans, David Walker, and Dr. Doug Edmonds will serve as the Ninth District judges for the Congressional App Challenge. The Congressional App Challenge is an opportunity for high school students to display their talents, engage their creativity, and encourage their participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education fields. As part of this challenge, a participating high school student or a gr...
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The Green Climate Fund and Us Recently, I spearheaded a letter to House Appropriations Committee leaders signed by 110 Members of the House in which we expressed our opposition to President Obama’s unilateral pledge of U.S. taxpayer funds for use in the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund. This fund, launched in 2009 with the goal of raising $100 billion a year in financing, is a fund intended to help developing nations catch up with the U.S. in addressing climate change. Despite serious domestic...
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Iran Agreement – A Suspect Side Deal In a previous column, I noted my opposition to the proposed Iran deal, as well as the opposition of Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and several other notable Democrats. At that time, I identified several of my concerns: Why did the Administration negotiate this deal without having included the handful of American prisoners being held in Iran? How is this not a treaty? What are the secret side deals? The Associated Press last week reported that “Iran will be allo...
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