Morgan Griffith

Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, has great credentials. He is a strong pick to join the Court, and I hope the Senate acts on his nomination promptly. But Judge Kavanaugh’s resume, while glowing, highlights an unfortunate fact about the Supreme Court. Of the nine current justices, all attended law school at Harvard or Yale (Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg started at Harvard before transferring to Columbia and finishi... Read more

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) has been inducted into the bipartisan House Liberty Caucus. He issued the following statement: “I believe public officials have a duty to defend the liberties guaranteed by our Constitution. Whether fighting for the repeal of laws and regulations that infringe on peoples’ rights or calling for Congress to take back its powers from the executive branch, protecting liberty has been a guiding principle. I am honored to join the Liberty Caucus, and I look forward t... Read more

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after the end of the government shutdown today: “Although this shutdown never should have happened in the first place, I am glad that the Senate has finally passed a measure to fund the government. This vote means that the government will reopen and our military will be paid. Importantly, it also means that the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will be funded for six years, taking care of thousands of Virginia children. “... Read more

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after the United States Senate failed to pass a measure to fund the government, thus triggering a partial government shutdown: “The Senate has failed to govern. The House of Representatives passed a measure that funded the government for four weeks and provided six years of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Senate did not pass this measure, or even amend it and send it back to the House for us to give... Read more

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement about the government shutdown caused by a Senate Democratic filibuster: “Senator Schumer and his Democratic Senate colleagues have chosen to shut down the government for their own political purposes. There is nothing in the continuing resolution (CR) passed by the House of Representatives on January 18 that they object to. It funds the government and additionally provides six years of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Pr... Read more

Marijuana and the Rule of Law In the very cold first week of 2018, marijuana became a burning public policy issue. As a CNN headline captured, many people found themselves thrown into confusion on the question: “Is weed legal or not?” Regular readers of this column likely know my position on marijuana. I support legalizing it for medicinal use but oppose legalization for recreational purposes. The most important matter now on the table is not marijuana itself. The issue is how marijuana affects ... Read more

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after voting for a continuing resolution (CR) funding the government until January 19: “I voted for today’s CR in order to keep the federal government open. I am not happy with this process or this legislation, but as the Senate has failed for 98 days to take up the appropriations bills passed by the House under regular order, passing the CR was necessary. It will keep the government running until January 19. “To cobble together e... Read more

Good Riddance to “Sue and Settle” You may recall from civics class that our Federal Government has three separate branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Your teachers probably never included the Sierra Club on that list. Thanks to the practice known as “sue and settle,” however, special interest groups like the Sierra Club may have more influence on our country’s laws than the legislative branch. Of course, this isn’t the way things should be. What makes “sue and settle” so problematic?... Read more

“When President Obama created DACA, he overstepped his authority. In Article I, Section 8, the U.S. Constitution grants to Congress the authority to establish rules of immigration. President Trump recognized this authority by choosing to end the program after a six-month period that would allow Congress to work on the issue. I believe it is appropriate for President Trump to end this program in an orderly manner, for Congress to step forward with solutions to the many problems in our legal immig... Read more

Vehicle Attacks, the Second Amendment, and a Free Society I was saddened to hear of the recent terrorist attacks in Spain. A terrorist drove a van into a popular Barcelona street packed with pedestrians and other members of the same terrorist cell rammed a car into a crowd in the seaside town of Cambrils. Fifteen people were ultimately killed in the attacks, many of them tourists simply enjoying a holiday. The attacks in Spain are the latest in a trend. In the past several years, people aiming t... Read more