Latest news with #RobWittman
Washington Post
20-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
The U.S. must break China's chokehold on our rare earth magnet supply
Rob Wittman, a Republican, represents Virginia's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and is former co-chair of the House Critical Minerals Policy Working Group. Nadia Schadlow is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a national security visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution. The Chinese Communist Party's recent decision to restrict exports of rare earth elements and magnets stunned many pundits and analysts. But for those who have observed China's decades-long campaign to consolidate and control the rare earth industry, it was entirely predictable.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Va. GOP congressman's scrutiny on federal cuts, job losses needs company from other Republicans
U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, speaks during a hearing before the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee April 14, 2011 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Photo by) U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, you wrote an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch this week pushing back against the madness emanating from Washington regarding budget cuts and federal job layoffs. It was welcome, given the chaos in D.C., but what took you so long? Are you, a Republican representing Virginia's 1st Congressional District, really bucking a president from your own party – or is this just PR? Among your column's salient points: Washington should spend taxpayer dollars wisely; even then-President Barack Obama said as much in 2010. The national debt has passed $36 trillion. The massive red ink 'jeopardizes economic opportunity for future generations.' Then the key takeaway: 'We need to pursue targeted savings – not reckless cuts,' you wrote. 'That means using a scalpel, not a sledgehammer, when it comes to rightsizing the federal workforce or realigning federal spending.' Your overall tack surprised me, since many Republicans in Congress – especially the House – have been scared to confront President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, he of the reckless chainsaw and chief of the dubiously named Department of Government Efficiency. Your colleagues have been much too obsequious, placing their jobs over the welfare of the country. What spurred you to speak up now? 'I've spoken up from the beginning,' you said Wednesday in emailed responses to that question and others I asked. You provided links to recent news articles, too. Maybe I missed them, but the op-ed was more prominent. 'I called for a compassionate approach to federal workforce reforms, raised concerns after mass layoffs at the Department of Education, and advocated for Virginia's research institutions to continue receiving federal funding,' you noted. 'I've shared personal stories from Virginia's First District directly with cabinet secretaries and White House officials to ensure the human impact of these policies is fully understood.' We'll see whether those discussions have an impact, but it's good you're making the arguments. Virginians are certainly incensed by the upheaval that the White House, the DOGE service (it's not a real 'department'), and feckless Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate majority have caused. They're all a sop to large corporations and the nation's wealthiest people. Under the ruse of slashing the debt, administration hacks and lawmakers are endangering the poor, disabled, immigrants and many more Americans. More than 341,000 federal employees lived in the commonwealth in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and many could lose their jobs – even when there's been no announced criteria for who stays and who goes, or an objective assessment of how essential their duties are. I'm glad you're publicly questioning the wisdom of what's happening in D.C., Rep. Wittman. You've been in office since 2007, and won many of your electoral contests comfortably, so you can afford to do so. You could, however, do more. You voted a few months ago for a budget blueprint in fiscal 2026 that targeted Medicaid, food stamps and other parts of the social safety net. The bill narrowly passed the House, 217-215, on a mainly party-line vote. Part of the goal is to extend the tax cuts passed in 2017 during Trump's first term that are set to expire this year. Those cuts worsened the situation. Trump's first term saw the national debt rise by $7.8 trillion – a staggering amount. You said your vote this year was procedural and didn't enact any cuts: 'It simply opened the door for future debate on a broader package …' A 'no' vote, however, would've broken with your party, sent a warning shot about the radical nature of this agenda, and forced the Trump-Musk partnership to reassess. Nearly 2 million Virginians receive Medicaid or FAMIS, the state's health insurance for children. Efforts to add work requirements for Medicaid, being debated in the U.S. House, would impact whether low-income Virginians still get health care. When I asked about Medicaid, you replied that after meetings and talks with House leadership, 'I am pleased to see Virginia's vulnerable populations protected in the Medicaid portion of the reconciliation bill. There will be no change to the federal match rate.' You said illegal beneficiaries would be removed from the rolls. We'll see if all that happens. You also skirted a chance to meet with your own constituents in April during a congressional recess, after the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee advised GOP members not to hold in-person town halls. Many Republican lawmakers followed that gutless advice. Politicians don't meet voters when they know their initiatives have incensed the hoi polloi – especially when constituents have no idea why certain jobs and programs are suddenly deemed 'extraneous.' Wittman constituents host town hall in his absence to address immigration, federal funding concerns The Virginia Mercury reported that 150 people showed up to a town hall in Henrico County last month held in your absence. They criticized overbearing immigration crackdowns and spending cuts. The event was mockingly dubbed 'Where's Wittman?' Incidentally, your website earlier this week showed you held three town halls last year. You also held a telephone town hall via Facebook in late March, the Mercury reported. One recent town hall, you said, reached over 9,000 constituents – though that's not the same as facing people in person. Maybe it's easier to meet constituents face-to-face when indefensible policies aren't on the agenda. As I wrote in late March, lawsuits and recalls to work of thousands of employees occurred after some of the initial, poorly planned federal layoffs. I asked Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, what might explain your willingness to speak out so forcefully now. As continued cutbacks are materializing, Farnsworth said, 'People are getting really worried about how that affects them.' Your op-ed, he added, 'speaks to the effectiveness of public opinion in shaping' the policies of lawmakers. 'The reign of Elon Musk has been very bad for the standings of Republicans in public opinion,' the professor said. Rep. Wittman, I'm glad you've spoken out. Your words seem to confirm your commitment to improving the quality of life of the Virginians you represent. The proof, though, will be how everyday Americans are affected following these budget negotiations. Many folks not in the top 1% are frightened by the possible outcome. 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Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Three local members of Congress call on Dr. Oz to fix nation's nursing homes
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A picture that captures a wedding party also captures a father wrapped in love. He spent his last days with family members who altered their lives to care for him at home. In health and in sickness, my mother would often sing, 'Give me my flowers while I'm living.' She died at home surrounded by her children. Another photo captures that last touch, COVID-19 style, as a son prepared to say goodbye for the last time to his mother, who had a vibrant lifestyle at a local facility. In sharp contrast, how loved ones spend their last days in Medicare and Medicaid supported facilities is top of mind for local members of Congress. Rep. Rob Wittman, who represents voters in Virginia's first congressional district, said he went through this with his parents. 'My parents were in these sorts of these facilities in the same area in Central Virginia,' Wittman said. 'We experienced those things as a family. My parents experienced those things with their parents.' Wittman is looking into a facility in Chesterfield County, where there were not only complaints of poor conditions, but also, 16 employees were arrested late last year on allegations of elder abuse. 'I've seen these issues where, at the time, we were concerned,' Wittman said. 'So when I hear about this again, it really hits home for us because I have experienced it and seen that when things aren't done properly at these nursing homes, the patients there suffer. And not only do the patients suffer, but the families do too.' Wittman, along with Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, are calling on Dr. Mehmet Oz, president Trump's new point man on Medicare and Medicaid to not only look into how Medicare and Medicaid are spending tax dollars, but also how our loved ones are spending the last days, their last hours and their last minutes. A 2024 report from the Department of Health and Human Services showed, in one scheme, skilled nursing facilities overbilled the government by $1.7 million. Other crimes involve multi-million-dollar fraud schemes. 'And that's a deep concern,' Wittman said. 'So we're going to continue to shine a light on this, continue to focus on this. And I'm so glad to have Sen. Warner, Sen. Kaine, as part of our efforts to get this done.' april_2025_cms_letter_re_colonial_heights_rehabilitation_and_nursing_center_Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Henrico voters will hold a Rep. Wittman town hall — sans Wittman
A group of Henrico County constituents says U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman won't hold an in-person town hall, so they're putting one on for him. Why it matters: Wittman will not be there; the Republican congressman declined the invitation, organizers tell Axios. But the constituents hope Saturday's " in-absentia town hall" can be a venue to have their voices heard. "Even if our representative isn't in the room, we believe our concerns deserve to be," organizers said in a statement. The big picture: Early last month, GOP leadership urged House Republicans to stop doing in-person town halls and instead host tele-town halls, Axios' Andrew Solender reported. The switch was because the in-person events were being "hijacked" by Democratic activists and liberal groups trying to bait lawmakers into confrontational moments, sources told Solender. Since then, most GOP lawmakers have complied as Democrats and other groups have stepped in to host their own out-of-district or " empty chair" town halls. How it works: These in-absentia events are generally held without elected officials from either party, but they still draw hundreds of attendees, who direct their questions, concerns and ire to an empty chair, The Independent reports. In some cases, the town halls have featured a photo of the absent lawmaker propped atop an empty chair. Zoom in: Saturday's " in-absentia town hall" is being held by Democracy Circle RVA, which describes itself as a "group of Henrico/Richmond friends and neighbors who are worried about attacks on our democratic institutions," organizer Jenny Pribble tells Axios. The event is for residents of Wittman's district, Virginia's 1st Congressional District, which includes parts of Henrico and Chesterfield. Residents, Pribble says, want to discuss their concerns about the country's leadership and the state of the nation, with each other and their congressman. Last month, the group met with Wittman and hand-delivered a letter signed by 79 of his constituents asking for an in-person town hall. Wittman declined, but the group decided to host the event anyway. The group plans to record it and deliver the recording to Wittman. What they're saying:"Congressman Wittman recently held a live telephone town hall that reached over 9,000 constituents. Anyone who tuned in could see he was willing to answer tough questions — even from those who disagree with him," a Wittman spokesperson said in a statement to Axios. Wittman has also hosted in-person roundtables and other events for "face-to-face interaction with constituents," the spokesperson added.
