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Dear Friend- Just like, that we are at the end 2017. It's been a historic year for our country. There have been highs and lows along the way. However, I am confident the American spirit remains unshaken. Our shared values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness draw us together far more than any division may drive us apart.   As this year comes to a close, I've looked back on all that the last twelve months had in store. I've traveled all across our district, talked with thousands of constituents, worked to rebuild our nation's military, and helped provide tax relief for our working-class families and small businesses. For each month of the year, I want to share a photo an article. January I toured Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren with Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson. We discussed my legislation, passed in this years NDAA, that would make it the policy of the United States to achieve the Navy's requirement of 355 ships. Familiar faces in new places: Lawmakers to watch on defense in 2017, Military Times February I kicked off my healthcare listening tour at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg. Throughout the year, I met with healthcare providers and community leaders to discuss what Congress can do to expand access to affordable healthcare.   Rep. Rob Wittman, the latest in a line of influential chairmen, Defense News   March I met with the National Association of Elementary School Principals to learn about important issues facing schools, students, and administrators. We discussed our mutual support for measures in ESSA that eliminate the one-size fits all federal approach to education, schools, and teacher accountability measures.  Trump wants to end funding of the Chesapeake Bay cleanup. Here's who's fighting back, The Washington Post April As Co-Chair of the Congressional Chesapeake Bay Watershed Caucus, I spoke with the Choose Clean Water Coalition, the First District Environmental Council, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation on Chesapeake Bay Day. I shared all the work I've done to clean up the Bay, protect wetlands, and support water research. Rep. Wittman fears budget inaction would hurt shipyard, Daily Press May I held a press conference with Chief Stephen Adkins of the Chickahominy Tribe, Rep. Scott, Rep. Connolly, and Rep. Beyer. I sponsored H.R. 984, the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017, legislation that grants federal recognition to six Virginia Indian tribes. It passed the House and is awaiting consideration by the Senate. Caroline County commemorates anniversaries of WWI and WWII, The Free Lance Star June  I, along with my colleague U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., introduced bicameral, bipartisan legislation that would make it the policy of the United States to achieve the Navy's requirement of 355 ships. Under the "Securing the Homeland by Increasing our Power on the Seas (SHIPS) Act," the fleet would be comprised of the optimal mix of platforms, with funding levels subject to annual appropriations. Currently, only 276 ships are in the battle fleet. This legislation passed under this year's National Defense Authorisation Act. Wittman comfortable on the water, devoted to the bay, Richmond-Times Dispatch  July   I attended the commissioning of the USS Gerald Ford (CVN 78).This carrier will house over 2,600 officers and crew. I spoke with the crew and shipbuilders about ways I, as the Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, can work with them to help meet our nation's security goals.  Wittman: Strong Navy is best guaranty, Daily Press August  I was honored to participate in a Veteran Pinning Ceremony to recognize the service of several Veterans at the Commonwealth Senior Living community in Farnham and to discuss my commitment to ensuring our veterans can access the benefits they've earned through their service to a grateful nation. CODEL on Guam to look into North Korean threats, PNC News First September  I joined Governor McAuliffe and Rep. Connolly to commemorate job creation in Virginia's First District by attending a ribbon cutting for Iron Mountain's new data center, the first and largest of its kind in Prince William County. In Congress, we have taken many steps to roll back federal regulations so business can do what they do best— create jobs.  Rob Wittman column: Congressional irresponsibility is wrecking the military. That has to stop, Richmond Times-Dispatch October  I hosted a Rural Broadband Task Force Summit at the Northern Neck Electric Cooperative in conjunction with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. We had a great discussion about how we can provide broadband to all of Virginia's First District.  U.S. is overdue for more inclusive history, The Virginian-Pilot November  I hosted a "Faces of Tax Reform" event in Fredericksburg to talk with small business owners and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rogers about the need to reform our nation's complex and outdated tax code.  Tax reform isn't about brackets -- it's about people, House Republicans December I joined Speaker Ryan and other members of the House Armed Services Committee for the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act. President Trump signed the NDAA later in December; I am confident the NDAA will provide the U.S. Armed Forces with the resources to continue keeping our great nation safe.  A congressional perspective on the Fitzgerald, McCain collisions, Defense News To keep up with all of my work around the First District and in Washington, connect with me on Facebook. It's an honor to serve you and Virginia's First District in the People's House. Have a happy new year! I'll see you in 2018. Sincerely, Rob

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A Real Christmas Surprise: Bring Healthcare Home in Virginia

Speaker-Designee Kirk Cox wants to play Santa Claus with the taxpayers' money to give parental leave for employees to the House of Delegates.  What Grinch could oppose 12 weeks of parental leave?  But, which Hoos are going to pay for it?  How?  A real Christmas surprise worth having would be expanding health savings accounts (HSA) in Virginia – to allow working families affordable paid medical leave.  The gift that would really keep on giving is bringing Medicaid – and all Healthcare eventually back to home to Virginia. Expanding HSAs isn't really a gift.  It's better.  It's the right thing to do in healthcare.  Bring Medicaid and all healthcare home to Virginia. Candidates for higher office, from both political parties, should run on this: Virginia's Senators and Representatives to the U.S. Congress should submit a bill to move healthcare from the Federal Government back home to Virginia.  Move healthcare decisions from the Department of Health and Human Services to your home. The people know what's best for their family, not some Washington politician. Change policy choices from bureaucrats and lobbyists in Washington to your Virginia legislators – who will actually return your calls. Increase medical services available and decrease costs, inefficiency, waste and fraud. Create an economically sound, sustaining Virginia healthcare system that provides for the poor and cares for all. First, bring Medicaid home to Virginia.  Eleven states already administer Medicaid through their own programs.  Virginia should lead, be first again, to do it rightly.  We should get the Medicaid money taken from Virginians by taxes and put them in individual Virginia Health Savings Accounts.  Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are established already under Virginia law.  The General Assembly needs to expand HSA's in the Code of Virginia to create an HSA for every Virginian. There are 8.41 million Virginians.  1.01 million are on Medicaid.  $8.56 billion is spent on Medicaid in Virginia annually.  That's an average of $8,476 per person on Medicaid. Virginians pay over $70 billion in employment taxes and over $12 billion in business taxes to the Federal government.  We pay far more in to Washington than the $4.26 billion we get back for Medicaid.  If a new federal law would return just $5 billion of our own money to Virginia, we could fully pay Medicaid and put seed money into the HSA's of every Virginian.  Generous tax deductions can be given for families and employers to invest in HSAs.  Gift deductions can be made for church families, friends, work colleagues and neighbors to give to others' HSAs.  Health Savings Accounts return control of healthcare to the individual.  Not the insurance company.  Not the government.  Not some bureaucrat.  Not some hospital administrator.  HSA's are: More effective. When patients pay directly for services, more services will compete to provide more, better medical care. More efficient. When Virginia gets to keep its own money, we don't pay the pass through costs of the Federal Government.  If returning Virginia's money for Medicaid comes without strings – any rules or regulations on administration from Federal bureaucrats – Medicaid patients can be provided better care with more choices at lower costs. More freedom. When patients pay for their own care, they choose their own care. More sustainable. The money invested and saved over a lifetime will provide for all but rare catastrophic care – which is fixed by every Virginian contributing into an insurance pool of shared resources.  Even if a large portion of the HSAs are invested in government bonds yielding a flat 6% interest, significant money will be saved over time. Lower costs. Lowering the administrative costs of healthcare makes medical services cheaper. More jobs. The insurance providers, banks or other financial institutions certified to manage HSA's in Virginia will invest billions in Virginia businesses. More flexibility - portability. If a Virginian leaves the Commonwealth – (much to their loss) – their HSA can stay in Virginia and be drawn down like a debit card for their medical needs. For Family and others. When a Virginian dies, the remainder of their HAS should be bequeathed to the HSAs as willed by the deceased person. More Constitutional. Healthcare is among the plenary powers of States, not the limited powers of the Federal Government.  Follows the Constitution. Include parental leave and make other affordable expansions.       After a few years of success with Medicaid, then add Medicare to Virginia's administration.  Then, add Social Security.  Let Virginia lead again.  Make Virginia first, again, with the right ideas creating the best governance for the dignity, freedom and power of the individual and for our common good.   James Atticus Bowden   Help us give the Commonwealth back to the people. Donate Today Become a Commonwealth Member for just $10 per month! So, for the price of a pizza you can help us take back the Commonwealth. Click here -=-=- Virginia First Foundation · 9702 Gayton Rd, Suite 102, Richmond, VA 23238, United States This email was sent to alexanderofyork@yorkteaparty.org. To stop receiving emails, click here. You can also keep up with Virginia First Foundation on Twitter or Facebook. -=-=- Created with NationBuilder, software for leaders.

Your #5Actions for This Week!

Taxes, Net Neutrality, DREAM Act, more!

Dear Rob,

We're making a holiday action list and checking it twice! Gonna tell our decision makers who's naughty or nice. Moms are coming to town ... Please join us to take urgent action on a suite of red-hot priorities this week! And be sure to share with friends and family too. Together we're making this holiday season bright! 

Without further ado, or bad puns from us, here are the 5 actions for this week! -> 

1. Sign Up to Deliver a Tax Letter to Your Local Members of Congress' Office!
BACKGROUND: The GOP tax plan will raise our taxes, take away the health care of 13 million people, and lead to massive cuts in programs that boost our families all in order to give tax cuts to millionaires and wealthy corporations. Republican leadership is moving super, duper fast to pass a final bill by the end of this week---but they still need to reconcile the differences between the Senate and House bill (both evil and awful in their own right). This is an all-hands-on-deck moment! We need you to speak out! We need you to show up…literally!

Sign up now to print out a letter and bring it to your local member of Congress’ office! When you sign up, you’ll receive an email with all the information you need to make your delivery. We’ll send you a short 2-pager with a letter for you to sign and stories about the moms of America that will be hurt by the GOP tax plan. We'll also give you some talking points and a link of where to find your local Senators and Representative's office.

2. Tell FCC and Congress: Protect Net Neutrality!
BACKGROUND: An open internet is essential to protecting many of the freedoms we hold dear: Our ability to innovate, speak our mind, connect, and hear diverse voices and opinions. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to roll back 2015 rules that require internet service providers (ISPs) to treat all content the same. We can't let them. Net Neutrality ensures a level playing field. It stops ISPs from blocking or suppressing content. It limits them from manipulating the speed at which you receive certain content, or selling premium access to the highest bidder. Net Neutrality ensures that when we raise our voices online, they can be heard - loud and clear. Add your voice to the millions of people calling on the FCC and Congress to protect Net Neutrality.

3. Urge NO on National Concealed Carry Reciprocity!
BACKGROUND: Last week, the U.S. House voted on and passed national Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, which compels states to recognize concealed carry permits from all over the country, regardless of how lax permitting standards are in other states. The fight to stop this dangerous legislation now moves to the Senate. Should federally mandated concealed carry become the law of the land, an individual state would no longer be able to control who is authorized to carry a concealed gun within its borders. Police would not be able to quickly find out if out-of-state permits are valid, putting law enforcement and the public at higher risk of harm. With Americans already about 20 times more likely to be killed by a gun than people in other developed countries, and the nation still grieving the recent Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs shootings, two of the worst incidents of gun violence in recent history, now is not the time to weaken common sense safety standards or states rights!

4. Be an #ACAdefender for Open Enrollment 2017!
BACKGROUND: It’s time to #KeepMarching and use our outside voices for health care! President Trump and his administration have taken some terrible steps this year to sabotage our health care, limit consumer access to information, and confuse the public about our options for coverage. We need to do everything we can to help get the word out that quality, affordable health care coverage options are available at HealthCare.gov thru December 15th! 

5. Protect DREAMers
Stand with young adults who have been here since they were children by protecting the path to legal status for DREAMers! President Trump created a crisis in our country when he decided to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Through this decision, he snatched away the livelihood and aspirations of 800,000 young adults who have been here since they were children. **Join us in asking Congress to stand with 800,000 DREAMers and pass the DREAM Act!

 Thank you for all you do! #KeepMarching!

- Karen, Kristin, Kristin, Gloria, Khadija, Xochitl, Donna, Nate, and the MomsRising Team

P.S. Have you given an end-of-year gift to MomsRising yet? Now is the time! Your gift has double the power thanks to an anonymous donor who is offering a one-to-one match through Dec 31! Show your thanks for the power of moms and help us grow stronger by donating today. Thank you.

P.P.S. This whole Top #5Actions list is up on our blog too! Use this link to share with family and friends on Facebook, Twitter or anywhere else: https://action.momsrising.org/go/33991?t=12&akid=10070%2E847037%2E-zfIXj

 

---

                    

Join our Spanish language community, MamàsconPoder.org

What should MomsRising tackle next? Tell us!

This tax plan:

My father used to say, "Don't tell me what your values are -- show me your budget, and I'll know what your values are."

Robert -- My father used to say, "Don't tell me what your values are -- show me your budget, and I'll know what your values are." Well, last week, in the dark hours of morning, Republicans showed us exactly what they value when they passed a 500-page bill, full of last-minute changes literally made with hastily scribbled notes in the margins, and it's this: Helping the already-wealthy get even richer. Giving huge corporations larger tax breaks. All at the expense of the American worker. And that's not a figure of speech. If you're disgusted by this (and more than half of Americans say they are), then give what you can today to help elect a new kind of leadership for this country: those who will fight for working people, not just those who can stand to donate the most. This plan raises taxes on more than 80 million families with incomes under $200,000. It's not a middle-class tax cut; it's higher taxes for working families to pay for tax cuts to investors. At least 13 million Americans would lose their health coverage. Folks who make more than $3.5 million would get an average tax cut of over $700,000 every year. Under the House tax bill, taxpayers would no longer be able to deduct payments they made on student debt. Tax breaks for college tuition would be repealed. Graduate students would see their tax bills spike, as they'd be taxed on free tuition. All in all, it makes college more expensive for American families across the country. This Republican plan isn't anything more than the latest, worst edition of the same-old trickle-down economics that has failed time and time again. Even more than that, let's be clear about what's happening here. The goal the Republicans have today is the same goal they had when trickle-down economics first came on the American scene: Their long-term goal is to starve government. To say we don't have the money to pay for Medicare, for Medicaid, for Social Security. We heard it last week when one of the leading Republicans in the Senate actually said after passing this new tax cut that we don't have the money to pay for children's health care. Simply put, the values reflected in the Republican budget are shameful. They aren't my values. And I don't believe they're America's values either. And so it's time for a change. Right now, you can show that these actions have very real consequences. From now until 2018 and beyond, I'll be doing everything I can to help elect a new kind of leadership in our politics. Folks who actually understand the issues an average American faces. Folks who aren't scared to stand up to big corporations. And more importantly, folks who are absolutely committed to standing up for working people. Let's once again elect leaders with true courage. Thousands of regular Americans around the country are standing up to make a difference right now. Give $10 or whatever you can afford -- and let's go change the face of leadership in this country once and for all. From where I sit, tax reform is all about values. Based on my core values, here are five core principles I hope to see in any tax package that comes out of Congress. Pay for national priorities by closing ineffective loopholes. Our tax system is weighed down by expensive and inefficient gimmicks. We can pay for all the things that are important to Americans -- infrastructure, education, expanded Social Security -- by cutting back on the loopholes that have no economic value. To take just one example: We could pay for 14 years of free college education three times over if we just cut back on a loophole that lets wealthy heirs escape paying capital gains tax. To me, this is an easy choice. Treat workers and investors the same. Investors are a critical part of our economy, but they're not more important than workers. Our tax code confers an enormous preference for shareholders over people who make a living by working. Every time we give a dollar in tax cuts to an investor, a working family ends up paying more. It's time to give workers the break they deserve. Don't burden the next generation with our unpaid bills. We need a tax system that can bring in enough revenue to pay for our spending. I don't know a single parent who would take themselves shopping with their kids' credit card, but that's exactly what we're doing with some of the plans floating around DC. If a tax cut is worth making, it's worth finding a way to pay for it. Between rising student loan debt and increasingly expensive housing, the last thing our children need is to inherit our unpaid bills. Build a tax code that promotes growth, not tax havens. Taxes can influence how people choose to work, spend, and invest. If designed smartly, an efficient tax code can promote economic growth and prosperity -- especially if targeted at the middle class. But there is a wide gulf between a tax code that creates wealth and jobs and one that simply allows wealthy taxpayers to sidestep their civic duty to pay taxes. During the 2016 campaign, for example, Donald Trump proposed a tax cut that would lead to $2 trillion in additional tax evasion by large "passthroughs" like law firms and hedge funds, with little if any benefit for American workers. The future of our economy depends on knowing the difference. Tax reform is about real choices, not creative accounting. After four decades in the Senate and White House, I can tell you that tax reform requires tough choices and making hard tradeoffs. The American public elected members of Congress to make these difficult decisions, not to hide behind accounting stunts -- like overly optimistic dynamic scoring. If Congress settles on a plan, we need to know the real cost -- not the one contrived by fantastical thinking. There's a way to do this right. But it's going to take a new kind of courageous leadership willing to make tough choices. If you agree, then let's join together and elect the true representatives who will get it done. I haven't lost hope yet, Robert -- and I don't plan on it. -Joe Website Donate Contributions or gifts to American Possibilities are not tax deductible.   Paid for by American Possibilities and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.   © 2017 American Possibilities. All Rights Reserved. 918 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington DC 20003 Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Service  |  Unsubscribe

This tax plan:

My father used to say, "Don't tell me what your values are -- show me your budget, and I'll know what your values are."

Robert -- My father used to say, "Don't tell me what your values are -- show me your budget, and I'll know what your values are." Well, last week, in the dark hours of morning, Republicans showed us exactly what they value when they passed a 500-page bill, full of last-minute changes literally made with hastily scribbled notes in the margins, and it's this: Helping the already-wealthy get even richer. Giving huge corporations larger tax breaks. All at the expense of the American worker. And that's not a figure of speech. If you're disgusted by this (and more than half of Americans say they are), then give what you can today to help elect a new kind of leadership for this country: those who will fight for working people, not just those who can stand to donate the most. This plan raises taxes on more than 80 million families with incomes under $200,000. It's not a middle-class tax cut; it's higher taxes for working families to pay for tax cuts to investors. At least 13 million Americans would lose their health coverage. Folks who make more than $3.5 million would get an average tax cut of over $700,000 every year. Under the House tax bill, taxpayers would no longer be able to deduct payments they made on student debt. Tax breaks for college tuition would be repealed. Graduate students would see their tax bills spike, as they'd be taxed on free tuition. All in all, it makes college more expensive for American families across the country. This Republican plan isn't anything more than the latest, worst edition of the same-old trickle-down economics that has failed time and time again. Even more than that, let's be clear about what's happening here. The goal the Republicans have today is the same goal they had when trickle-down economics first came on the American scene: Their long-term goal is to starve government. To say we don't have the money to pay for Medicare, for Medicaid, for Social Security. We heard it last week when one of the leading Republicans in the Senate actually said after passing this new tax cut that we don't have the money to pay for children's health care. Simply put, the values reflected in the Republican budget are shameful. They aren't my values. And I don't believe they're America's values either. And so it's time for a change. Right now, you can show that these actions have very real consequences. From now until 2018 and beyond, I'll be doing everything I can to help elect a new kind of leadership in our politics. Folks who actually understand the issues an average American faces. Folks who aren't scared to stand up to big corporations. And more importantly, folks who are absolutely committed to standing up for working people. Let's once again elect leaders with true courage. Thousands of regular Americans around the country are standing up to make a difference right now. Give $10 or whatever you can afford -- and let's go change the face of leadership in this country once and for all. From where I sit, tax reform is all about values. Based on my core values, here are five core principles I hope to see in any tax package that comes out of Congress. Pay for national priorities by closing ineffective loopholes. Our tax system is weighed down by expensive and inefficient gimmicks. We can pay for all the things that are important to Americans -- infrastructure, education, expanded Social Security -- by cutting back on the loopholes that have no economic value. To take just one example: We could pay for 14 years of free college education three times over if we just cut back on a loophole that lets wealthy heirs escape paying capital gains tax. To me, this is an easy choice. Treat workers and investors the same. Investors are a critical part of our economy, but they're not more important than workers. Our tax code confers an enormous preference for shareholders over people who make a living by working. Every time we give a dollar in tax cuts to an investor, a working family ends up paying more. It's time to give workers the break they deserve. Don't burden the next generation with our unpaid bills. We need a tax system that can bring in enough revenue to pay for our spending. I don't know a single parent who would take themselves shopping with their kids' credit card, but that's exactly what we're doing with some of the plans floating around DC. If a tax cut is worth making, it's worth finding a way to pay for it. Between rising student loan debt and increasingly expensive housing, the last thing our children need is to inherit our unpaid bills. Build a tax code that promotes growth, not tax havens. Taxes can influence how people choose to work, spend, and invest. If designed smartly, an efficient tax code can promote economic growth and prosperity -- especially if targeted at the middle class. But there is a wide gulf between a tax code that creates wealth and jobs and one that simply allows wealthy taxpayers to sidestep their civic duty to pay taxes. During the 2016 campaign, for example, Donald Trump proposed a tax cut that would lead to $2 trillion in additional tax evasion by large "passthroughs" like law firms and hedge funds, with little if any benefit for American workers. The future of our economy depends on knowing the difference. Tax reform is about real choices, not creative accounting. After four decades in the Senate and White House, I can tell you that tax reform requires tough choices and making hard tradeoffs. The American public elected members of Congress to make these difficult decisions, not to hide behind accounting stunts -- like overly optimistic dynamic scoring. If Congress settles on a plan, we need to know the real cost -- not the one contrived by fantastical thinking. There's a way to do this right. But it's going to take a new kind of courageous leadership willing to make tough choices. If you agree, then let's join together and elect the true representatives who will get it done. I haven't lost hope yet, Robert -- and I don't plan on it. -Joe Website Donate Contributions or gifts to American Possibilities are not tax deductible.   Paid for by American Possibilities and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.   © 2017 American Possibilities. All Rights Reserved. 918 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington DC 20003 Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Service  |  Unsubscribe