The last 8 years under this Administration have shown that bowing down to bullies or simply ignoring them does not make them go away. Our men and women in uniform are willing to stand up to those who threaten the United States, and they deserve the resources required to come home safely. I recently joined The American Spectator to discuss the challenges facing our Navy under this Administration – take a look here or below. Rep. Randy Forbes speaks out on Farci Island incident and other threats to our diminishing seapower The American Spectator ...
Wallops Island is already home to innovative work in the commercial space industry as well as important NASA and U.S. military missions. I’m delighted the Navy is considering basing the MQ-4C Triton unmanned maritime patrol aircraft at Wallops -- an ideal location to permanently station this important asset. In case you missed it, I recently led 18 Representatives and Senators from both parties in sending a letter to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations urging the use of Wallops Island, Virginia as the permanent East Coas...
A lot has happened in Congress these past few months that have a big impact on our region and our national security. Here’s a quick breakdown: My Seapower Legislation – As Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, it’s my job to author key portions of the annual defense policy bill that have to do with the Navy, Marine Corps, and the Air Force (and have a huge impact on Hampton Roads). This year, my Subcommittee’s legislation did several critical things, including 1) Authorize the highest level of shipbuilding funding since ...
The United States and the Philippines have been allies for decades, and our militaries have fought side by side from World War II to Vietnam to Iraq. Now, as China threatens Philippine sovereignty and destabilizes the Asia-Pacific region, it is more important than ever that Washington and Manila stand shoulder to shoulder. You can read my recent piece about the importance of the alliance in The Diplomat here or below. Yours in service, Randy P.S. Here in Hampton Roads, we are privileged to be home to one of the country’s most concentrated Filip...
Friend- While the world is only becoming more dangerous, from ISIS to Russia, our men and women in uniform are being asked to do more with less resources. After years of reckless cuts to our military, it is time to begin reinvesting in the tools our warriors need to keep America safe and come home safe themselves. Recently, my Seapower Subcommittee and the Readiness Subcommittee held a joint hearing to hear firsthand about these issues from the war fighters and operators dealing with them every day. Watch what they had to say on Fox News >> My ...
Did you know that over 10 million visas were issued by the United States in fiscal year 2015 alone? The problem is, the Administration is not doing enough to ensure these visas don’t fall into the wrong hands – because to a terrorist, travel documents are weapons. That’s why I recently introduced a bill to strengthen visa security. This bill, which just passed the House Judiciary Committee, adds layers of protection for Americans’ security by making common sense changes to our visa application screening process -- like requiring heightened secu...
Entry into the United States is a privilege not a right This morning I joined Stuart Varney to talk about my Visa Integrity and Security Act of 2016 (H.R. 5203), which recently passed in the House Judiciary Committee. This critical legislation strengthens visa security in order to help protect the safety of Americans from those who may wish to do us harm. Watch the full interview here or below. Yours in Service, Randy P.S. - Terrorists will always try to find a way to exploit the vulnerabilities in our immigration system to gain access to Ameri...
Friend – Did you know that only 1 in 4 Navy strike fighters is ready for combat? Or that some of our ships are spending so long undergoing repairs that their captain and crew never get to go to sea? These are just two of the challenges that our men and women in uniform are dealing with on a daily basis. Last week my Seapower Subcommittee and the Readiness Subcommittee held a joint hearing to hear firsthand about these issues from the war fighters and operators dealing with them on the deck plates. Watch what they had to say here >> Bottom-line:...
This week, the House Judiciary Committee passed my bill, the Visa Integrity and Security Act of 2016, which provides common sense solutions to help fix vulnerabilities in our visa security screening procedures. Entry into this country is a privilege not a right, and we need to ensure the safety of American citizens remains our nation’s top priority. You can read Breitbart’s coverage of my bill here or below. Yours in Service, Randy GOP Rep: Time For Visa Protocols to Err On The Side Of U.S. Security BreitBart May 26, 2016 Absent additional enha...
Wanted to share a couple photos with you from Monday, when I led a group of Democrat and Republican lawmakers down to Naval Station Norfolk to hear firsthand from some of our Navy warfighters – the men who command our ships and our aircraft every day -- about the challenges they face equipping, resourcing, and training our fleet. Did you know that: An average deployment has gone up from 5.5 months to 7 months -- many deployed sailors are away from their families for more than half of a year. America’s Navy can meet less than half of the demand ...
