Governor McAuliffe Celebrates Success of Virginia Values Veterans Program

Over 11,000 Veterans Hired by V3-Certified Employers

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe today recognized Virginia businesses for their ongoing commitment to creating employment opportunities for Virginia’s veterans.  The 350 businesses certified under the state’s Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program have hired over 11,000 veterans.

Governor McAuliffe presented 15 awards to individuals and announced significant veteran hiring milestones made by V3-certified companies.  Since 2010, over 80,000 veterans have been added to Virginia’s labor force – more than all other states combined.

“The V3 program is a true example of what we can achieve when the public and private sectors work together for the good of our Commonwealth,” said Governor McAuliffe. “I am so proud to announce that we met my goal of hiring 11,000 veterans through the V3 program 900 days ahead of schedule, and that today we are raising the bar to hire 20,000 before the end of my term. It is an honor to work with these companies to leverage the unique training and talents of our veterans so that they can lead happy and productive lives in a new Virginia economy.”

Making veterans a part of the new Virginia economy is a top priority for Governor McAuliffe.  To ensure that veterans have the opportunity to find challenging, well-paying jobs that capitalize on their talent, skill, and drive, the Governor in 2014 (via Executive Order 23) charged the Virginia Department of Veterans Services to ensure that V3-certified companies had hired 11,000 veterans before the end of his term.

“More service members are leaving the military now than at any time in recent history,” Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs John C. Harvey, Jr. said.  “Businesses have a great opportunity to capitalize on these highly trained men and women leaving the military to help their businesses grow and succeed.  The V3 Program helps Virginia companies implement solutions for filling urgent work force demands with a very high-quality supply of talented veterans.”

To recognize the significant commitment of Virginia businesses to hiring veterans, Governor McAuliffe presented fifteen awards to companies in two categories:  the V3 Governor’s Award recognized companies for the total number of veterans hired in Virginia, while the V3 Perseverando award recognized companies for their perseverance in making Virginia the most veteran-friendly state in the nation in which to work.

The V3 Governor’s Award winners are:

Enterprise Employer Category (1,001+ employees)

·         Apex Systems, Inc.

·         CACI International, Inc.

Large Employer Category (301 – 1,000 employees)

·         C.R. England

·         Norfolk Sheriff’s Office

Medium Employer Category (51 – 300 employees)

·         PD Systems, Inc.

·         ITA International, LLC

Small Employer Category (1 – 50 employees)

·         Command Post Technologies

·         Veteran Reporters, Inc.

State Agency Category

·         Virginia Tech

·         Virginia Department of Transportation

The winners of the V3 Perseverando Award are:

·         Enterprise Category (1,001+ employees):  Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries

·         Large Category (301 – 1,000 employees):  Stratford University

·         Medium Business (51 – 300 employees):  PD Systems

·         Small Business (1 – 50 employees):  G2 Global Solutions

·         State Agency: Virginia Department of Transportation

“Veterans have the knowledge, skills, and ability to help Virginia businesses succeed,” said Virginia Department of Veterans Services Commissioner John L. Newby II.  “We are honored to recognize these 15 companies at today’s ceremony, and are excited to see even more great things from more great companies in the future.”

The Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program is a Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Veterans Services Program. V3 helps employers understand, design, and implement nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining veterans.  For more information about the V3 Program, contact Andrew Schwartz at Andrew.Schwartz@dvs.virginia.gov or visit us athttps://www.dvsv3.com/.

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Congressman Rob Wittman's Weekly Update, January, 2014

United States Capitol Building (Photo credit: Jack Says Relax)

This past week, Congress again faced a deadline to fund the federal government. By passing last-minute legislation, Congress averted a shutdown by a slim margin and funded the government for the rest of fiscal year 2014. As I mentioned in my update before the holidays, I don’t agree with every provision in this agreement. However, I supported the legislation because a shutdown benefits no one, and it provides not only the basic funding of our Department of Defense but also a partial restoration of funding for our national security and military readiness. Ensuring our troops, deployed across the globe or those training here at home, have what they need to do the mission at hand, is essential to me. Much work remains not only to get our nation’s spending under control but also to ensure it is properly managed.

 

Some of the folks watching this debate closely are our veterans, concerned with the provision originally included in the budget agreement in December that slowed the rate of the cost-of-living adjustments for their pensions. I am pleased that medically-retired personnel and survivor benefit plan recipients will see a COLA restoration, but am disappointed that this legislation did not reinstate the reduction for all veterans. I have sponsored legislation to restore the COLA and am working with House leaders and House Armed Services Committee leaders to fix this issue. I will continue to work toward the goal of full restoration. Our budget should not and cannot be balanced on the back of our nation’s military men and women.

 

In 2014, I will continue to fight for Congress to simply get back to work, a return to “regular order.” The budget agreement set a path forward to a return to regular order for passing legislation related to federal spending. The work of the nation can be much more thoughtful and efficient when it’s not left to the last-minute. I have and will continue to advocate for regular order: consideration of legislation for each area of spending in a timely manner before a new fiscal year begins. It is simply common sense, and would help avert the “crisis management” that plagues Washington, D.C. 

The main streets of Virginia’s First District are full of ideas to get our economy back on track, and your feedback is critically important to me as I serve you. I can be reached by telephone at (202) 225-4261, through my website (www.wittman.house.gov),

An Update on Benghazi

Rob continues to fight for accountability from the Administration, especially with regard to the 2012 attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya. The House Armed Services Committee recently released a series of declassified transcripts of briefings held by the Committee on the Benghazi attack.  Rob took part in questioning witnesses at the briefings, which were part of the Committee’s examination of the actions of the military chain of command before, during, and after the attack.

Fox News highlights Rob’s questioning in their reports on the recently released transcripts 

From the House Armed Services Committee: Fox News journalists James Rosen and Jennifer Griffin presented in-depth reports on the HASC investigation into the terrorist attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012. Jennifer Griffin's report detailed the administration's inadequate military posture before the attack while James Rosen's report focused on senior military leaders informing the administration that the episode was, in fact, a terrorist attack and not a demonstration over a video. 

You can read the House Armed Services Committee report here.
 

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Supporting Military Commissaries and Exchanges

Rob recently spoke on the House Floor about the importance of preserving military commissaries and exchanges. Watch his one-minute speech here.

"While our federal budget is under pressure, the benefits to our military personnel must not be targeted as a means to reduce our national debt."
- Representative Rob Wittman, on the House Floor, January 10, 2014

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Congressman Rob Wittman's Weekly Updates

As the summer goes on, I’m continuing to fight for our furloughed federal civilian employees. This week, I heard from so many of you that are losing 20% of your income until September 30, as federal government employee furloughs continue. On Tuesday, the Department of Defense (DoD) officials came to brief members of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) on the furlough situation as a whole. As Chairman of HASC’s Readiness Subcommittee, I requested this briefing because I remain concerned that furloughs are both unnecessary and detrimental to our military’s readiness. The brave citizens who have been tasked with defending this nation, whether in or out of uniform, deserve answers and solutions. It seems to me that Congress continues to duck and dodge from addressing one of the most important issues: sequestration. However, I was pleased to vote for legislation this week that would prohibit furloughs by the DoD for the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2013. Political gamesmanship and indiscriminate furloughs have no place in governance. I believe Congress has an opportunity and an obligation to do the right thing and truly address out-of-control spending in a responsible way - not on the backs of dedicated patriots working for the DoD or any federal government agency.

Also during the month of July, the House acted to delay several burdensome provisions of Obamacare. I feel strongly that health care in this country must be reformed, but I will continue to oppose Obamacare and its harmful provisions. I was proud to support the Authority for Mandate Act (H.R. 2667), which delays the requirement that businesses with over 50 full-time employees provide minimum essential health care coverage to employees or face a fine. The rush to implement something like this will have nothing but negative consequences for individuals, families, and the small businesses that employ so many of our neighbors. A second bill, the Fairness for American Families Act (H.R. 2668), would in turn suspend the provision known as the individual mandate, which requires that all citizens purchase health coverage or pay a penalty tax. I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 2682, the Defund Obamacare Act of 2013. I have long argued that the goal of any health care reform must be to drive costs down so that quality health care coverage is affordable and accessible to every American. Since the health care overhaul was signed into law, costs have gone up, and folks continue to lose coverage due to the regulations within this law. I continue to support responsible, commonsense reforms that target the true factors driving up health care costs for individuals. Any reforms must ensure that doctors and patients, not insurance companies or government bureaucrats, are the ones making important health care decisions. I will continue to work with my constituents and press Congress to pursue true solutions to address our nation’s rising health care costs.

As we move closer to the August district work period, while I always look forward to spending more time with you and the good folks in the district, I continue to urge my colleagues to stay in Washington to ensure the nation’s business is finished. I believe Congress should not leave during the month of August, but should remain in Washington to get the job done and will oppose adjourning just as I did last August. It is important to connect with constituents, and I am fortunate to be able to drive home each night and stay connected with reality. However, unfinished business should be addressed. Congress has a job to do and should not leave until the job is done.

The main streets of Virginia’s First District are full of ideas to get our economy back on track, and your feedback is critically important to me as I serve you. I can be reached by telephone at (202) 225-4261, through my website (www.wittman.house.gov), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/reprobwittman), and via Twitter (www.twitter.com/robwittman).

Our Notes:  Universal health care is neither a Constitutional right nor privilege.  To force this down everyone's throats in the US is dictatorship and tyranny.  Violations of the Oaths of Office.  Throw the bums out.  Tar and feather them?  That is what would have been done in the past.  We need a serious return to our Constitutional past and forget these reforms of communism.   Uncle Sam Wants His Country Back!

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Congressman Rob Wittman's Updates On Sequestration

Too many desks sat idle this week, as furloughs began for many federal civilian employees in the Department of Defense (DOD) due to the indiscriminate budget cuts known as sequestration. These DOD workers are truly dedicated patriots who are tasked by Congress with their duties. Their efforts to support our war fighters are vital to the mission of our overall national security, and these cuts continue to undermine the strength of our military’s readiness. As Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Readiness Subcommittee and an American, this deeply concerns me, and I reminded my colleagues on Thursday of the personal and professional challenges our dedicated civilian workers face.

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel issued a memo detailing the DOD’s plan for reducing its budget by $52 billion in fiscal year 2014, as mandated by sequestration. These budget reductions simply cannot happen. The impacts that they will have on our military’s future capabilities are unacceptable. Secretary Hagel’s memo addresses just one fiscal year, and yet it is indicative of a long term, systemic challenge facing our military. This In turn will require a long term, strategic solution: how to effectively provide for and maintain a fighting force in a world of both budgetary constraints and constant threats against our homeland. Congress and the President were elected to make tough decisions - not to stand idly by as the foundation of our nation’s military is compromised.

At the same time, it is important to remember that at the heart of this issue are dedicated Americans who sacrifice for this nation. These include young Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen whose training and resources are being undermined by sequestration; civilian DOD employees who support those individuals but are being forced to sit at home under furlough; and the children of those furloughed federal employees who will feel the brunt of sequestration as their parents find fewer dollars in their paychecks. They are all patriotic Americans who have dedicated their lives to this country so that it will remain the greatest nation the world has ever known. Instead of balancing the budget on their backs, let’s prove to them that we’ve got their backs - because they’ve had ours since 1776. I have sounded the alarm on this issue for almost two years now, and I will continue to urge Congress and the White House to find a solution. It’s time to make the tough decisions.

Finally, I am pleased to share great news for Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay. The House passed my Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act (H.R. 739) last week as part of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (H.R. 2642). The Bay is an economic engine and a cultural beacon for our region, and many industries and citizens have a vested interest in a clean Bay. My bill would enhance coordination, flexibility and efficiency of restoration efforts. This was a great achievement for Virginia and America’s First District, and I am eager for the Senate to pass Senator Warner’s companion legislation and see this bill become law. As Co-Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Caucus, I will continue to advocate for and support measures to restore and preserve this national treasure.

The main streets of Virginia’s First District are full of ideas to get our economy back on track, and your feedback is critically important to me as I serve you. I can be reached by telephone at(202) 225-4261, through my website (www.wittman.house.gov), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/reprobwittman), and via Twitter (www.twitter.com/robwittman).

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GVLN - America's Missile Defense System Operators Sure Do Love Porn

Seal of the United States Missile Defense Agency. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Government employees are just like you and me. Just like you and me, they wake up in the morning, put on some chinos, go to work and sit at a computer all day. Just like you and me, sometimes they get bored, so they surf the web a little bit. And — this is where we stray from the “just like you and me” trope — sometimes they watch hours and hours of hardcore porn at work. That’s right: gigabytes of filth are being downloaded from a government-controlled network onto government-issued computers and consumed during government-billed hours. These are your tax dollars at work, people.

It seems like there’s a government-worker-watching-porn-at-work scandal every single year, and 2012 is no exception. However, the stakes are a bit different this year since the government workers who got busted with smut also happen to control our ground- and sea-based missile defense system. Last Friday, the executive director of the Missile Defense Agency sent out a memo to his staff, scolding them for “engaging in inappropriate use of theMDA network.” John James Jr. clarified, “Specifically, there have been instances of employees and contractors accessing websites, or transmitting messages, containing pornographic or sexually explicit images.”

“Inappropriate” is certainly one word you could use to describe these Defense Department employees’ procrastination methods. “Dangerous” is another. James explained, “These actions are not only unprofessional, they reflect time taken away from designated duties, are in clear violation of federal and DoD and regulations, consume network resources and can compromise the security of the network though the introduction of malware or malicious code.” Indeed, cyber security experts warn that porn sites are especially susceptible to hackers who want to mine government networks for intelligence or even to launch an attack. So these guys are wasting your tax dollars and compromising national security.

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