WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) released the following statement today on his selection as Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces: “I am honored and ready to serve the American people as the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee Chairman in the 115th Congress. Since 2008, I have served as a member of the Subcommittee and worked diligently with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in support of a stronger, more capable Navy and vi...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman delivered remarks today at the Surface Navy Association’s (SNA) 29th Annual National Symposium. The theme of this year’s Symposium was “Distributed Lethality-Enabling Sea Control.” Established in 1985, SNA’s mission is to promote greater coordination and communication among those in the military, business, and academic communities who support and have interest in Naval Surface Warfare. Congressman released this statement following his remarks: “Speaking to th...
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“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.” For the sixth time, I have been blessed to stand up before God and Country and promise to defend t...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) praised the U.S. Navy's decision today to move forward with its plans for USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) by officially putting the ship under contract. As Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, Wittman has been committed to funding the LPD-28 to ensure the Marine Corps receives its next amphibious transport ship: “Today marks a major milestone for our Navy and for our Marine Corps as they look to add more capacity and capability ...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) released the following statement today on the Secretary of the Navy’s announcement of the 2016 Force Structure Assessment: “The Force Structure Assessment released today confirms what I, and many of my colleagues in Congress, have known for a while: our Navy's current size and structure doesn't fully meet America's national security needs. “In an increased threat environment where China and Russia are rapidly expanding their naval capabilities, increas...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) released the following statement today after voting against H.R. 2028, a short-term continuing resolution that would extend government operations through April 28, 2017: “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: continuing resolutions are a bad way for Washington to do business. This bill is the result of broken process and a lack of accountability. Our job is to do the people’s work and to do it on time. These last-minute, stop-gap measures create ...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, released the following statement today after the results of an investigation into the crash of two CH-53 helicopters last January that resulted in the deaths of 12 Marines confirmed that significant readiness shortfalls contributed to the incident: “Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have always been willing to do more with less—that’s what makes them the greatest fighting force t...
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As a boy, I remember hearing a fable about a scorpion and a frog that goes something like this: A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The frog asks, “How do I know you won’t sting me?” The scorpion says, “Because if I do, I will die too.” The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they will both drown, but has...
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In the age of procrastination and irresponsible spending in Washington, continuing resolutions have become a comfortable fall back for Congress. Instead of buckling down, skipping the archaic breaks, and getting spending bills done in time for measured debate, lawmakers look to last-minute, stop gap measures to fund the federal government. The last time Congress was able to maintain regular operations without a continuing resolution was in 1996—two decades ago. I’ve said before that continuing r...
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Most of us are familiar with the idiom “never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” It’s the mantra of the industrious. Want to see progress? Want to find success? Want to reach the next rung on that ladder? Finish the task at hand and move on to the next one. That’s how we get from where we are to where we want to be. Mark Twain had a slightly different play on the phrase. “Never put off [until] tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well,” he said. For too long, that’s b...
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