Mark R. Warner
November 23, 2010
VA congressional delegation, Governor, meet with Pentagon about JFCOM
Virginia’s governor, Sen. Warner and other members of the congressional delegation met for more than an hour today with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and afterwards the Virginians were cautiously optimistic about preserving significant pieces of Joint Forces Command in Hampton Roads.
On August 9th, Secretary Gates announced a plan to shut-down JFCOM, which employs 3,900 people in Hampton Roads and 6,000 altogether.
State officials described it as “a productive meeting,” but cautioned that Gates made no promises, according to the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot.
“This is still a moving target,” McDonnell said after the meeting. The Pentagon did agree to allow state advisors and military experts to be involved in meetings with Gen. Ray Odierno, a four-star general who recently took command of JFCOM, about the specifics of disassembling the command and what to do with its various components.
Senator Warner noted that the federal government has invested $270 million in facilities in Suffolk alone, and would have to pay $60 million to break leases if they left completely.
Gates also agreed to allow state officials to consult with the federal government about his goal of reducing support contracts by 30 percent – a major concern in northern Virginia, home to many defense contracting companies.
- 12/01/10 -Sen. Warner Disappointed in Coastal Drilling DecisionSecretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that no offshore oil drilling will be allowed off the coast of Virginia for at least the next seven years. This announcement reversed an earlier Obama administration decision to open certain parts of the American coastline to drilling, including off the Atlantic Coast of Virginia.
- 12/01/10 -Senator Warner's Statement on the Fiscal Commission PackageU.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate’s Budget and Banking committees, released the following statement today on the debt reduction package produced by the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
- 11/29/10 -Our first annual Virginia Women's ConferenceSenator Warner hosted our first Virginia Women’s Conference on Nov. 22 in Richmond with the theme A Financial Roadmap for Smart Money Decisions. AARP, Dominion, and Genworth Financial co-sponsored the conference.
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11/23/10 -Current record
- 11/19/10 -Senator Warner to co-chair bipartisan India CaucusYesterday, Senator Warner announced that he will join Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) as a co-chair of the Senate India Caucus in January. Senator Warner will take the place of Senator Chris Dodd, who is retiring at the end of the year.
- 11/18/10 -Day Four on the Peninsula and in Hampton RoadsSenator Warner began the fourth and final day of our trip last Friday at a breakfast meeting of the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce in Newport News, where he discussed his compromise proposal on the Dec. 31st expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts
- 11/16/10 -Senator Warner's op-ed in the Financial TimesSenator Warner has proposed a compromise on the Bush tax cuts that is drawing attention from members of both parties.
- 11/15/10 -Day Three: Hampton Roads and the PeninsulaOn Veterans’ Day, Senator Warner began the second leg of our week of traveling in at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
- 11/09/10 -Day Two in the Shenandoah ValleyOur second day of travel in the Shenandoah Valley began in Hot Springs, where Senator Warner delivered the keynote address for the Virginia Association of Counties annual conference. Senator Warner praised the hundreds of local elected officials for their continued hard work before taking questions from the crowd.
- 11/08/10 -Day One in the Shenandoah ValleySenator Warner began two days of travel in the Shenandoah Valley by honoring veterans at a lunch at the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park.
- 10/28/10 -Senator Warner's statement on the death of former Congressman Owen Pickett"I have known and respected Owen Pickett for more than 20 years. The Congressman was a tireless advocate for our nation's military and our military families, and he was a committed public servant representing the Hampton Roads region for more than three decades."
- 10/27/10 -Senator Warner "Troubled" by Pentagon's continued lack of cooperation, disclosure on JFCOMSenator Mark Warner today wrote Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates expressing disappointment and frustration with the Pentagon’s continued lack of transparency or cooperation on the August 9th decision to close the Virginia-based U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM)
- 10/27/10 -Three town halls before lunchAs part of the October congressional recess, Senator Warner has hosted a series of town halls and community meetings – including three on Monday in Northern Virginia.
- 10/27/10 -Calling on the President to create a foreclosure task forceWASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner today urged the President to create an independent, nonpartisan task force to examine problems surrounding the mortgage foreclosure process.
- 10/26/10 -Rail to DullesSenator Warner and Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-11) toured the site of the half-mile Metro tunnel under Tyson’s Corner, which eventually will connect two of four Metro stations being built in Tyson’s Corneras part of the huge rail to Dulles International Airport project.