Since I was first elected to Congress in 2004, I have heard from thousands of constituents across North Carolina’s Fifth District. In recent years, there has been an understandable note of frustration in their voices over the direction that our country is headed. These folks know all too well the struggle to find a job and pay the bills. They’re angry that it takes an average 111 days just to make enough to pay the government before starting to keep what they earn for the year. They’ve watched a...
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The Obama administration will soon publish its plan to rate more than 6,000 colleges nationwide based on the value they provide to students and to society. The goal is to steer billions in federal financial aid toward the colleges that rate highly — and to yank funds from those that fail to meet administration standards on yardsticks such as the graduation rate, the cost of tuition or the percentage of low-income students on campus. Congressional Republicans, outraged, are already going on the a...
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Gridlock and dysfunction may be common in Washington, but two of Rowan county’s representatives in the U.S. House say the recently ended lame-duck session was productive. The lame-duck session ended for the U.S. House last week. The Senate is still considering the $1.1 trillion “cromnibus” that would avert a government shutdown. One of the most significant measures considered during the lame-duck session, the “cromnibus” is the combination of a continuing resolution, which funds the government a...
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today issued the following statement regarding passage of the bipartisan “omnibus” spending bill to appropriate funds for the federal government: “While an omnibus spending bill is not ideal, it allows changes to policy that a continuing resolution simply cannot. For example, this legislation includes provisions to help meet the goal of ending the disability claims backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs by the end of 2015. It also prevents the Army...
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, which authorizes funding for America’s military and defense initiatives. It passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 300 to 119. “Providing for the common defense of the United States of America is the federal government’s primary responsibility,” said Foxx. “This bill maintains the nation’s defense readiness and ensures the continued success of our military men a...
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today voted in favor of bipartisan legislation that would allow families of a severely disabled child to save for their child's long-term disability expenses in the same way that many families currently save for college through popular 529 investment plans. H.R. 647, also known as the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act or ABLE Act, overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 404 to 17. “Individuals with disabilities often face enor...
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As was probably expected, both of Iredell County’s Congressional members were less than pleased with the announcement made by President Obama Thursday night regarding his plans to take executive action on the matter of illegal immigration. U.S. Representatives Virginia Foxx and Robert Pittenger – both Republicans who have been outspoken on the matter of undocumented residents of the United States – issued statements suggesting Obama contravened the power allowed him by the Constitution in a plan...
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today issued the following statement regarding a decision by U.S. District Court Judge James A. Beaty Jr. to lift a 2010 injunction and allow the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners to return to their former policy of allowing sectarian prayer before meetings: “Once again local officials will be able to open their meetings with prayer as long as anyone may offer the prayer and no one is required to participate. It is wonderful to know that Forsyth Count...
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today issued the following statement following President Obama’s announcement that he will take executive action to grant amnesty to millions of immigrants illegally in the United States: “President Obama does not have the legal authority to legislate, and his unilateral actions on immigration are a blatant overreach of his Constitutionally-granted executive authority. The president claims to believe in the Constitution, but his actions tonight demonstrat...
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today praised passage of legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. H.R. 5682 passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 252 to 161. “For more than six years, supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline have been fighting to secure the necessary approval that would allow the U.S. to take advantage of vital oil production in Canada and the northern United States,” said Foxx. “Republicans and Democrats have coalesced in support of the pipeline, recognizing i...
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