Friends,

This week got off to quite the start with the President visiting Virginia Beach on Tuesday! It was an honor to be able to host him here, but I really wish the purpose of his visit was less partisan...it's disappointing that he came to pit Republicans and Democrats against each other on the issue of healthcare.

Instead of reaching across the aisle to have a commonsense conversation about how to strengthen Medicare and lower healthcare costs, the President painted this red versus blue picture to scare seniors and others who rely on these critical programs.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my first two months in Washington, it’s that actions speak louder than words...! As the only geriatric nurse practitioner in Congress, I’ve had the privilege of caring for our Greatest Generation for many years, proudly providing them the quality healthcare they deserve as they age...they’ve spent their entire lives paying into programs like Social Security and Medicare, with the promise that the government would pay them back one day; that’s a promise that I intend to keep.

I am laser focused on my work in Congress to provide affordable and accessible care for Virginians and all Americans. I encourage the President, and my Democrat colleagues, to stop playing politics and work with me and the new House majority to deliver real, permanent relief to rising healthcare costs that Americans deserve.

Fighting to Improve Quality of Life for Servicemembers

If one good thing came out of the President's trip, it was that he flew into Naval Air Station Oceana so he could see the condition of our base infrastructure and meet some of our servicemembers who work there.

That same day, I was proud to advocate for those servicemembers in a House Armed Services Committee hearing on military readiness...quality of life is so important...!!

Vote Highlights of the Week

The two biggest votes we took this week in Washington were H.J.Res.30 and H.R.347!

H.J.Res.30

H.J.Res.30 would block the U.S. Department of Labor rule greenlighting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing in employer-sponsored retirement plans. Many of my patients - and my constituents - rely on a combination of their own retirement savings - as well as programs like Social Security - to get by. This ESG rule, which would impact the retirement funds of more than 152 million Americans, puts the future of millions of Americans in jeopardy...especially retirees who have already been negatively affected by inflation. 

I was proud to support this Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal this federal overreach and ensure retirement plans focus solely on workers’ financial interests, not liberal political causes. Washington should not play politics with your retirement account...it's that simple!

I was very glad to see my colleagues in the Senate agree and pass this legislation as well. I can only hope that the President will sign it into law so that we can protect Americans’ hard earned dollars…!

H.R. 347, the REIN IN Act

The REIN IN Act would require the Biden Administration to publish the inflationary impact of executive orders before enacting them. 

Our new majority in the House is committed to honoring the promise we made to the American people to stop the reckless spending that fuels inflation, which continues to pummel hardworking families across the nation. This legislation would require some much-needed transparency on the hidden costs being passed on to working families through the President's Executive Actions, and I was proud to vote for it...!

Meetings, Meetings, Meetings!

It may have been a condensed work week in Washington but that didn't stop me from meeting with as many constituents and groups important to Virginia as possible...! In the span of four days, I met with 17 different groups, ranging from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters to Old Dominion University Student Veterans to the Military Produce Group, to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and the Choose Clean Water Coalition! 

I even got to meet with the Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol! The Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. It's always a good day when I have fellow aviators in the office...!

Speaker for the Day!

On Friday morning, I was appointed by the Speaker of the House to preside over the U.S. House of Representatives as the Speaker pro tempore! It was a great honor to stand in front of a chamber where so much history has taken place….!

As Speaker pro tempore, I approved the Journal from the previous day, led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and referred several resolutions from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to the Committee on Appropriations, including some that will result in $382 million in savings from avoided lease costs and space reductions.

You read about all of the proceedings here, on the website of the House Clerk...!

A Day At The Naval Academy

Later that afternoon, I drove to Annapolis, Maryland to visit the U.S. Naval Academy.

As the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service, the Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Students attend the academy for four years, during which they are midshipmen on active duty in the Navy. They then graduate with bachelor of science degrees and commissions as ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Naval Academy graduates serve at least five years in either the Navy or Marine Corps.

I'm so proud of our nation's midshipmen - including my son...!

A big thanks to the U.S. Naval Academy Commandant for taking the time to meet with me and discuss the future leaders of our Navy!

Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient of the Week

This week, I want to highlight Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Paris Davis (Medal of Honor action date: June 17 - 18, 1965)!

Nearly 60 years after he was recommended for our nation’s highest military award, retired Colonel Paris Davis received the Medal of Honor this past Friday for his bravery in the Vietnam War.

One of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat, then-Captain Davis was wounded in an assault in Bon Son, Vietnam, where his unit had been surrounded by hundreds of enemy forces. Despite his injuries, Captain Davis kept helped hold off the enemy for 18 hours, even engaging the North Vietnamese in hand-to-hand combat. Even after he was hit by grenade shrapnel and shot again, Captain Davis disobeyed an order to move out and leave behind his fellow Americans, Billy Waugh and Robert Brown, who were both gravely injured. He then hauled the injured soldiers under his command to safety.

Captain Davis’ commanding officer, Billy Cole, nominated him for the nation’s highest military honor right after the battle, but the papers vanished...twice. After retiring from military service in 1985 with the rank of Colonel, he went on to publish a small newspaper in Virginia. A resident of Arlington County, Virginia, Colonel Davis was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame in 2019.

Five Fast Facts from DC!



1. The youngest Speaker of the House was from Virginia! Mr. Robert M. T. Hunter was elected Speaker on December 16, 1839, at the age of 30.
2. There are marble bathtubs in the U.S. Capitol! They were installed in 1859 because at the time, Congressmen and Senators often lived in boarding houses that had no running water.
3. The Library of Congress is the largest Library in the world...! There are more than 160,000 objects in its collection!
4. To date, nobody has beat Jimmy Carter's record of watching 480 movies in the White House movie theater.
5. There's only one U.S. President buried in D.C. - Woodrow Wilson is entombed at the National Cathedral.

Please don't hesitate to contact my D.C. Office at (202) 225-4215 or my Virginia Beach District Office at (757) 364-7650 with questions, concerns, or if you require assistance with a federal agency. And don't forget - if you’d like to stay up to date with what I’m working on, check out my website and follow my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages (linked below) to stay up to date!

Take care,

Jen A. Kiggans

Congresswoman, Virginia's Second District