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Rob Wittman's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Office:

On The Ballot: Running, Republican for U.S. House (VA) - District 1

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Rob Wittman did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2022 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

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Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2022.

  • ""House Republicans have asked Democratic leadership to bring this legislation to the floor 25 times, but each time we have been met with silence," said Rep. Wittman. "Just because a child survives a failed abortion doesn't mean he or she shouldn't get the same chance to live as a similar child born outside of an abortion clinic. The American people deserve to know where their representatives stand on this issue. As a child of adoption, I am grateful every day that my birth mother chose life; and I've been able to use my story to fight for the sanctity of life. I hope my House colleagues across the aisle will also recognize the right of the most vulnerable amongst us to live." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Madam Speaker, for decades, the Hyde amendment has shielded the American taxpayer from being forced to fund abortion. And for decades, the Hyde amendment has enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Even President Biden supported the Hyde amendment as recently as 2019. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Now, President Biden has reversed course, proposing we repeal the Hyde amendment. In turn, this would require American taxpayers, no matter what their personal beliefs, to fund abortion." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by National Right to Life Committee. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 36 "Pain-Capable Unborn Childd Protection Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "House Republicans have asked Democratic leadership to bring this legislation to the floor 25 times, but each time we have been met with silence," said Rep. Wittman. "Just because a child survives a failed abortion doesn't mean he or she shouldn't get the same chance to live as a similar child born outside of an abortion clinic. The American people deserve to know where their representatives stand on this issue. As a child of adoption, I am grateful every day that my birth mother chose life; and I've been able to use my story to fight for the sanctity of life. I hope my House colleagues across the aisle will also recognize the right of the most vulnerable amongst us to live." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against S 610 "Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "I believe Medicare and Social Security have served our nation well, providing medical benefits and retirement security for millions of Americans. Addressing the challenges facing Social Security, a program created decades ago to help prevent seniors from falling into poverty, is critical to strengthening retirement security for seniors today and generations to come. I am firmly committed to protecting Social Security and Medicare for our seniors. We must honor our commitment to current Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries and those who are nearing eligibility -- there should be no change to their plans." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Medicaid is a critical program designed to provide health security to some of our nation's most vulnerable patients. However, the Government Accountability Office has identified the Medicaid program as "high risk" and unsustainable in the long run, costing taxpayers $1 trillion by the end of the decade. The current Medicaid program is stretched to the breaking point, denying support to those most in need. I support efforts to implement commonsense reforms and give states much needed flexibility to better serve their patients most in need. To ensure the future of Medicaid, important steps need to be taken now to focus the program on providing better care for the most vulnerable." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 11% by Alliance for Retired Americans. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "H.R. 1 is a big government power grab that further weakens the integrity and security of our election system. It mandates unconstitutional changes, reversing the longstanding history of state and local control of the electoral process, and instead creates a federally mandated process. H.R. 1 forces states to accept ballot harvesting, weakened voter ID requirements, unrestricted absentee voting without sufficient identification requirements, and the automatic pre-registration of 16- and 17- year olds to vote. Overseeing these new, highly controversial provisions would be a newly partisan FEC, headed by a Commissioner who some are already calling the "Speech Czar," empowered to decide what campaign speech is acceptable and what is not." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by Common Cause. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 1 "For the People Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • "Simply put, we need to do this together. But, unfortunately, H.R. 7120 presents significant due process concerns, has unvetted provisions, and could ultimately have unnecessary negative impacts on officer and community safety. I believe we must work to deliver real reform aimed at making our communities better and safer, which is why I cosponsored the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act. This bill offers real solutions to increase transparency, accountability, and performance so our nation's law enforcement officers are better prepared to protect and care for the communities they serve. These policies will build upon the directives in President Trump's Executive Order to develop policies that encourage proactive police strategies to address concerns and strengthen and build upon the relationships that ensure the safety and security of all communities." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 1280 "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • "Passage of this year's NDAA is not only critical for our national security, but also to the Commonwealth of Virginia. This additional funding will fuel economic growth and create jobs for hardworking Virginians. With many of these ships built, maintained, and repaired in Virginia, the Commonwealth's economy especially stands to benefit from the passage of the FY22 NDAA." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by Center for Security Policy. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Signed Letter to President Biden: "This is a crucial period for our national security," the letter continued. "If we do not make the investments our military needs today, we will not be able to defend our nation or our allies in the future. The security of the free world depends on a credible American military. We must work together to ensure the men and women of our Armed Services have the resources and support they need to successfully carry out their missions now and for decades to come." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S 1605 "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022." (votesmart.org)
  • ""The public wharves, landings, and harbors in the region have served as critical infrastructure for the region's seafood and marine economies for centuries, yet many have been neglected in recent years or failed to evolve in a manner that meets the needs of the ever-evolving seafood and marine industry," said Congressman Wittman. "I am proud to have helped secure this funding that will advance key regional economic development strategies and lead to the implementation of improvements intended to enhance access for seafood and marine industry businesses and the general public. I look forward to the ways in which this project will address the economic challenges and needs of some of the most rural parts of Virginia's First Congressional District."" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "There is still much left to do to improve American infrastructure and get our economy moving again. That's why I joined the republican led STARTER Act 2.0 as an original cosponsor. The STARTER Act would provide a historic investment of more than $400 billion in American roads and bridges. As well as reform outdated bureaucratic regulations unnecessarily delaying construction, which would reduce costs, spur our economic recovery and help to rebuild our nation's infrastructure. I remain committed to responsible, fiscally-sound solutions to our nation's infrastructure issues." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 3684 "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 5376 "Build Back Better Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "The public wharves, landings, and harbors in the region have served as critical infrastructure for the region's seafood and marine economies for centuries, yet many have been neglected in recent years or failed to evolve in a manner that meets the needs of the ever-evolving seafood and marine industry," said Congressman Wittman. "I am proud to have helped secure this funding that will advance key regional economic development strategies and lead to the implementation of improvements intended to enhance access for seafood and marine industry businesses and the general public. I look forward to the ways in which this project will address the economic challenges and needs of some of the most rural parts of Virginia's First Congressional District." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I supported this package today because it is critical to our continued recovery as a nation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it provides much-needed funds to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) created by the CARES Act and provides additional monies to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) grant program. Replenishing the fund is good news, but comes too late for many small businesses who were denied access to emergency loans since the PPP ran out of money due to the needless delay on negotiations. This is unacceptable and we must do better. It also provides an additional $75 billion for reimbursements to hospitals and $25 billion for necessary expenses to research, develop, validate, manufacture, purchase, administer, and expand capacity for COVID-19 tests. Testing is critically important to getting our economy back underway and to determine the true extent of this pandemic. I am happy we were able to get this done today in a strong, bipartisan fashion. We need to continue to work to accomplish the work of the people and lead America on the road back to recovery." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 266 "Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "We are in both a public health crisis and an economic crisis. Congress needed to act -- swiftly and decisively. I am proud to support the CARES Act because it does what is necessary to stabilize our economy, protect American families, and provide our health care workers the resources they need to continue to fight this battle. This legislation will make a big difference. It provides resources for hospitals that are running low on supplies, it provides American families with direct payment, it provides the necessary funding for telehealth services, and it provides businesses -- especially small businesses -- the resources to stay afloat and keep their employees on the payroll." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "This legislation also implements taxes as our economy enters a recession, the burden of which will be carried by working families in the form of higher prices, fewer jobs, and lower wages. We cannot tax and spend our way out of inflation, which remains the top problem our nation is facing. Instead, we must push for legislation such as the Reduce Exacerbated Inflation Negatively Impacting the Nation (REIN IN) Inflation Act, which would require the Biden administration to publish the inflationary impact of executive actions before enacting them." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Today's inflation report, showing prices soaring 9.1% in June, reinforces the reality of the dire condition of our economy under the Biden Administration's policies. My colleagues and I have been sounding the alarm on skyrocketing inflation for well over a year at this point. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration refused to take our concerns seriously - even referring to inflation as "transitory,' while continuing down their path of excessive government spending." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 5376 "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • "Biden’s proposal to ‘cancel’ student debt is fiscally reckless and will only transfer the responsibility to hardworking American taxpayers. This is an insult to those who didn’t have the opportunity to attend college and those who worked hard to pay off their own debts." (twitter.com)
  • Signed Letter to Speaker Pelosi: "We write to you concerned with the massive executive overreach by President Joseph R. Biden to illegally cancel federal student loan debt. On Wednesday, August 24, President Biden announced that he would cancel $10,000 in federal student debt for individual Americans earning $125,000 or less per year or married couples making less than $250,000 a year. In addition, those who receive federal Pell Grants and make less than $125,000 a year would be eligible for total forgiveness of $20,000. Unfortunately, this policy will cost us over $300 billion and establishes a terrible precedent that will drive up the cost of higher education, exacerbating the very problem President Biden pretends to address." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "H.R. 1 forces states to accept ballot harvesting, weakened voter ID requirements, unrestricted absentee voting without sufficient identification requirements, and the automatic pre-registration of 16- and 17- year olds to vote." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 5746 "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "It is in America’s best interest to further develop our nuclear energy capabilities. US submarines and aircraft carriers are fueled by nuclear power and in the era of Great Power Competition, we must further invest in technology that offers energy independence." (twitter.com)
  • "I voted against HR 1941 today as it makes us strategically weaker as a nation. Banning US energy development will only increase our dependence on foreign oil and natural gas. We have the ability to achieve energy security by safely and responsibly developing our resources here." (twitter.com)
  • Voted against HR 4447 "Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1119 "SENSE Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "It is in America’s best interest to further develop our nuclear energy capabilities. US submarines and aircraft carriers are fueled by nuclear power and in the era of Great Power Competition, we must further invest in technology that offers energy independence." (twitter.com)
  • ""I am proud to join my colleagues to continue our work to protect the Chesapeake Bay," said Congressman Wittman. "NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office does important work protecting and conserving the critical coastal and marine habitat in Virginia -- ensuring healthy and sustainable fisheries and vibrant commercial and recreational opportunities for so many. Also, by helping students to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay and what it takes to protect it, we can inspire the next generation to conserve this national treasure."" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I am proud to see this legislation that will improve the air quality at schools, construction sites, highways, rail yards, and ports pass the House today. This critical legislation incentivizes heavy-duty equipment and vehicle owners to upgrade or replace technologies on their existing diesel vehicles and engines -- ultimately resulting in cleaner air and a healthier environment. Through grants and rebates, DERA can help drastically reduce emissions and every dollar of federal assistance generates $5 to $21 in health and economic benefits," (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Signed Letter to Secretary Haaland: "The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) completed necessary environmental reviews to schedule lease sales in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Montana for March and April of last year, but the Biden administration's freeze on new federal oil and gas leasing prohibited further progress. These politically motivated delays represent a clear violation of requirements under the Mineral Leasing Act to hold quarterly lease sales in each state with an active BLM oil and gas leasing program. Further, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) deferred several planned offshore lease sales, delaying critical revenues to coastal restoration efforts. After an eight-month delay, BOEM finally held lease sale 257, which brought in $191 million in bonus bids, indicating significant interest in continued oil and gas development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 9 "Climate Action Now Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "I am proud to join my colleagues to continue our work to protect the Chesapeake Bay," said Congressman Wittman. "NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office does important work protecting and conserving the critical coastal and marine habitat in Virginia -- ensuring healthy and sustainable fisheries and vibrant commercial and recreational opportunities for so many. Also, by helping students to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay and what it takes to protect it, we can inspire the next generation to conserve this national treasure." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Just as many of you are, I am concerned about gun violence and believe we should continue to address this problem, but without curtailing Second Amendment rights. However, H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 are ineffective responses to gun violence that will have the effect of depriving law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights while doing little to prevent mass shootings or prevent individuals who should not possess firearms from purchasing firearms. We already have such a strong background system in place: The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and current federal laws are already strong on background checks and transfer guidelines. All sales from firearm dealers, or sales between residents of different states, must satisfy the background check requirements, regardless of whether those sales happen in a gun shop, at a gun show, or out of the back of somebody's trunk in a parking lot." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 92% by National Rifle Association (NRA). (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 1446 "Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against S 2938 "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "I believe The Affordable Care Act shows that government-run health care does not sufficiently address the core challenges facing our health care system; in many cases, physician choice disappeared, and premium costs skyrocketed. I will continue to push back against the Democrats' attempts to institute Medicare For All, a single-payer health care plan run by the federal government that would cost $32 trillion to operate. Single-payer plans would eliminate the private health care market and completely transform the health care system as we know it by implementing socialized medicine. This would require a massive tax increase and would outlaw the choice of private insurance, forcing 158 million Americans who get their health insurance through their employer into a one-size-fits-all government-run plan." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Proud to support paid family leave in #FY20NDAA, and I appreciate @POTUS’ call for access to affordable childcare. ~40m families are benefiting from the expanded Child Tax Credit, each seeing ~$2k more in their pockets. I will continue to support hardworking Americans. #SOTU" (twitter.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6201 "Families First Coronavirus Response Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "I believe lowering the costs of prescription drugs is a critical component to fixing our broken health care system. I support the three bills that passed with unanimous, bipartisan support in the Energy & Commerce Committee: H.R. 965, The CREATES Act, which would penalize branded drug makers that withhold samples from generic manufacturers; H.R. 1499, The Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act, which would ban pay-for-delay agreements; and H.R. 938, The Bringing Low-cost Options and Competition while Keeping Incentives for New Generics (BLOCKING) Act, which would limit first-approved generic makers' ability to stall another rival's launch." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "One thing is clear in #SOTU: @POTUS’ commitment to lowering healthcare costs and the high costs of prescription drugs. That is one of my priorities as well, which is why I have signed on to @repgregwalden’s #HR19 to address the concerns facing Americans regarding healthcare." (twitter.com)
  • Voted against HR 3 "Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 6833 "The Affordable Insulin Now Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Signed Letter to President Biden: "Rescinding Title 42 will lead to the worst border crisis this country has ever faced. Your own Administration has admitted it is preparing for up to 18,000 illegal border crossings per day. This would mean approximately 540,000 per month, which is more than twice the number of encounters in July 2021--the highest number during your presidency. This will further overwhelm our Border Patrol agents and overcrowd border facilities. This crisis will make it more difficult for Border Patrol agents to interdict human traffickers, drug traffickers, and other bad actors. Further, as your Administration has embraced catch-and-release, having half a million illegal immigrants flood our border every month and be later released into the interior of the United States will put massive strains on our local communities, including hospitals, that they are unequipped to handle." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Thousands of inadmissible migrants arrive at our border every day and overwhelm our immigration system. The current immigration policy of catch-and-release is extremely flawed. In order to remedy this, we need to invest in our Border Patrol agents and law enforcement officers. We have laws on the books-- we must ensure that our nation's current immigration laws are enforced, immigration programs work properly, and that we provide the resources for law enforcement officials to get their jobs done. We must hire additional immigration judges and support staff, hire additional Border Patrol agents, and increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "America is a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. Those who wish to come here must do so legally. Right now, we have thousands of children stranded at our southern border. Offering amnesty to the children of illegal immigrants only further incentivizes illegal immigration, sending the wrong message at the wrong time. We can work to find a path to legal status for DACA recipients, but I do not support amnesty for individuals illegally residing in the United States. Granting amnesty to illegal immigrants only further encourages illegal immigration, incentivizes criminal behavior, rewards lawbreaking, and would even provide preferential treatment for illegal immigrants." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 95% by NumbersUSA. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3003 "No Sanctuary for Criminals Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3004 "Kate's Law." (votesmart.org)
  • "America is a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. Those who wish to come here must do so legally. Right now, we have thousands of children stranded at our southern border. Offering amnesty to the children of illegal immigrants only further incentivizes illegal immigration, sending the wrong message at the wrong time. We can work to find a path to legal status for DACA recipients, but I do not support amnesty for individuals illegally residing in the United States. Granting amnesty to illegal immigrants only further encourages illegal immigration, incentivizes criminal behavior, rewards lawbreaking, and would even provide preferential treatment for illegal immigrants." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3003 "No Sanctuary for Criminals Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3004 "Kate's Law." (votesmart.org)
  • "Congress must act to limit the potential catastrophic impact of this aggression," Wittman said. "This bloodshed must stop -- if Turkey decides to continue on with these violent actions, then they must face the consequences associated with their aggression. The United States should remain an important presence in the region to maintain stability; we simply cannot allow our gains in suppressing terror to be undone." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 4695 "Protect Against Conflict by Turkey (PACT) Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6968 "Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "The U.S. should significantly increase its military aid by arming Ukraine. On top of traditional military equipment, this includes providing short-range air defense systems, rocket artillery systems, and access to Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "This Administration must continue to do everything in their power to provide aid and support to Ukraine and put an end to this horrific and unprovoked war. We must continue and accelerate the provision of military aid to the Ukrainian armed forces, backfill contributions of our allies and partners to Ukraine's defense, and reinforce the strength of NATO." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 7691 "Making emergency supplemental appropriations for assistance for the situation in Ukraine for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, and for other purposes." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S 3522 "Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • "This pro-family, pro-growth plan for tax reform was inspired by hardworking men and women across the country who are struggling under our current tax code. With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, we are helping students by doubling the standard deduction and maintaining tuition waivers; we are helping working class families by increasing their take home pay and expanding the Child Tax Credit; and we are helping small business owners by lowering their tax rates. H.R. 1 also makes our corporations competitive again on the world stage by lowering rates and implementing a territorial tax system where taxes are imposed in the country where business activity occurs instead of the country of ownership." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Two years ago, House Republicans laid out a bold policy agenda called A Better Way to tackle some of the biggest challenges of the day, including reforming the tax and regulatory system to work for all Americans. We are now delivering on those promises. After years of sluggish growth, our economy is finally making a comeback. The policies we planned and passed this Congress are unleashing historic economic growth; last month, Bloomberg reported that the U.S. economy accelerated to a 4.1% growth rate." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1 "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" (votesmart.org)
  • ""I was proud to finally cast my vote today to advance the USMCA. Ratifying this agreement is absolutely critical to the First District and entire Commonwealth; over 13,000 jobs in Virginia depend on manufacturing exports to Canada and Mexico," Wittman said. "Accounting for nearly a quarter of all exports from Virginia, trade with our northern and southern partners is necessary for continued job creation and growth here at home. By increasing duty-free access of the world-class agricultural products we create in the Commonwealth and improving outdated policies, the USMCA improves the financial position of all Virginians."" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5430 "United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "I was proud to finally cast my vote today to advance the USMCA. Ratifying this agreement is absolutely critical to the First District and entire Commonwealth; over 13,000 jobs in Virginia depend on manufacturing exports to Canada and Mexico," Wittman said. "Accounting for nearly a quarter of all exports from Virginia, trade with our northern and southern partners is necessary for continued job creation and growth here at home. By increasing duty-free access of the world-class agricultural products we create in the Commonwealth and improving outdated policies, the USMCA improves the financial position of all Virginians." (justfacts.votesmart.org)

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