U.S. Sen. Richard Burr and other Republican members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation said Tuesday that they would try to stop President Barack Obama’s effort to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Advocates of closing Guantanamo say that the prison has long served as a recruiting tool for militant groups and that holding extremists suspected of violent acts indefinitely without charges or trials sparks anger and dismay among U.S. allies. Opponents, however, say cha...
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Omega Construction of Pilot Mountain recently welcomed U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC 5th, along with 15 students from the Appalachian State Sustainable Technology and Built Environment department to one of its job sites. The purpose of the visit was to give Appalachian students who are interested in pursuing a career in construction the chance to tour an active job site so they could see the real-world application of what they are learning in the classroom. The students were able to hear persona...
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Representing the Watauga Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and Western Youth Network, Hollie Storie, Gretchen Summerville and Tommy Boyd were among 2,700-plus substance abuse prevention specialists and advocates from across the country in the Washington, D.C., area Feb. 1-4 for the 26th annual National Leadership Forum of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. Considered the premier training event of its kind, the annual forum offered 70 sessions on a variety of topics — from preventi...
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today released the following statement regarding the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia: "The United States has suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of Antonin Scalia. A passionate defender of the Constitution, Justice Scalia was a patriot who brought great intellect, character and wit to our highest court for nearly three decades. My prayers are with his family. His service to God and country will not be forgotten." ### U.S. Rep. Virg...
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today released the following statement regarding President Obama’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2017: “The national debt is nearly $19 trillion – that’s approximately $58,000 for every man, woman and child in America. Our country is in the middle of a fiscal crisis driven by reckless borrowing and runaway government spending. However, President Obama continues to ignore these realities and the magnitude of the problems we face. “Despite proposing to rai...
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today voted in favor of legislation to increase congressional oversight and prohibit sanctions relief for institutions and individuals supporting terrorism or Iran's ballistic missile program. “It’s clear that the Iran nuclear agreement has strengthened that country’s extremist regime,” said Foxx. “This legislation holds the Obama administration accountable for the assurances they made that American sanctions on Iran for its support of terrorism, its huma...
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today voted to override President Obama's veto of legislation that would dismantle his deeply flawed health care law and cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood. The vote to override the veto of H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, fell short of the required two-thirds majority in a 241-186 vote. “While today’s vote was unsuccessful, it’s evident that Republicans have a path forward to undo these harmful policies,” ...
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The U.S. Department of Education has agreed to create a searchable database to publicize which Christian colleges and universities have applied for exemptions from a 44-year-old gender-equality law. The announcement comes a month after the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBT advocacy group, accused Christian institutions of “hidden discrimination” for obtaining Title IX waivers. The same day HRC released its report, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and seven other Democratic senators a...
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The No. 2 Republican on the House Education and Workforce Committee is endorsing Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) to become the panel’s next chairman. In an interview with The Hill, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) said he would fully support Foxx to succeed retiring Education Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.). The endorsement all but guarantees Foxx — a current member of the GOP leadership team — will win the committee gavel later this fall. “She’s qualified as a former college administrator, as an educator wit...
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The White House Jan. 16 unveiled details about ambitious proposals to provide wage insurance for laid-off workers and expand existing jobless benefits, but the initiatives remain unlikely to get off the starting block during President Barack Obama's final year in office. The proposed wage insurance program would offer up to $10,000 in benefits for workers who are laid off and later take another job that pays less than their previous position. The Obama administration also said it wants to expand...
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