Friends,

I hope you enjoyed a relaxing long weekend celebrating Presidents' Day. As I'm sure you're aware, our Commonwealth proudly holds the record as the home of the most presidents in our nation's history (eight). We are blessed to have such a historical place to call home!

Before we talk about the success Congress had last week, I want to address something that the House and Senate did not do... On Thursday the House left Washington without passing any additional appropriations bills. More concerning is that we only have three legislative days before significant parts of our government shut down on March 1st!

I came to Congress to cut through the chaos and partisan politics of Washington. What I have experienced, and the American people have witnessed over the past several months has been frustrating and unacceptable. I have grave concerns about the impact a government shutdown would have on Virginia’s Second District and all those who reside within it, particularly our military. I am also concerned by the way that continuing to pass stopgap funding bills will negatively impact our military and other critical programs for federal agencies, including the VA and Medicare.

I will return to Washington later this month to get back to work of the American people sent us here to accomplish – things like securing our borders, supporting our allies, and ensuring our military is best equipped for the challenges facing our nation.

Now on to the highlights from another busy week in Washington:

Honoring Our Fallen Heroes

On Tuesday, I spoke on the House Floor to honor the five U.S. Marines that were tragically killed in a recent training accident in San Diego, California. These young men embodied what it means to be aviators and U.S. Marines.

These young men will forever be remembered in the military aviation community. Please keep their family, friends, and squadronmates in your prayers… We are eternally grateful for their service and sacrifice to our nation.

Holding the Secretary of Homeland Security Accountable

On Tuesday, February 13th, the House voted to impeach the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. After careful consideration of the facts, I voted in favor of impeaching Secretary Mayorkas for his willful refusal to comply with the law and his breach of public trust. I took no pleasure in this vote; however, I believe Secretary Mayorkas’ actions required Congress to act.

The House Committee on Homeland Security approved these articles following a nearly year-long investigation into the causes, costs, and consequences of the unprecedented crisis at America’s borders. Unfortunately, throughout this process, Secretary Mayorkas refused to cooperate with requests to appear before the Committee to provide testimony. 

Again, this is not a vote I took lightly. The crisis at our Southern Border is completely out of control. Rest assured that when the House returns to Washington later this month, I will continue working with my colleagues to pass meaningful legislation to stop the chaos along the border.

Supporting the Fight Against Childhood Cancer

On Wednesday, I met with the Alliance for Childhood Cancer during their DC advocacy day!

For more than 20 years, this nonprofit organization has been working tirelessly to raise awareness of childhood cancer and advocate for policies that will advance critical research and developments in pediatric cancer. During our meeting, we had a productive conversation about how Congress can partner with doctors, scientists, and advocacy organizations to help children battling this disease.

I’m a proud cosponsor of the Give Kids a Chance Act, which would allow the FDA to request and approve clinical trials for critical innovations that make a difference in this fight. Thank you so much to the members of the Alliance for all the important work they do in Washington and around the country!

Meeting with USTRANSCOM Leadership

On Thursday, General Van Ovost, who commands the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), stopped by my office for a visit! TRANSCOM plays an invaluable role in the daily lives of our servicemembers and their families, as they are responsible for handling all military logistics. It was great learning of the work that General Van Ovost is doing to support our Military Sealift Command which is headquartered in Hampton Roads.

I am proud to serve on the Readiness Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee where we work to ensure our military is ready to respond to any threat from around the world. Without the important work that USTRANSCOM is doing, that readiness would be impossible. Keep up the great work…!

Holding Hamas Accountable for its Evil Acts

On Wednesday, the House came together to stand with women and girls in Israel against the heinous actions of Hamas. H.Res. 966, which I introduced with Congresswoman Lois Frankel, Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, and Congresswoman Kathy Manning, strongly condemn Hamas' sexual violence during and after their October 7th attacks. Our bipartisan legislation overwhelmingly passed the House by a vote of 418-0-1.

The reports that emerged following the October 7th attacks with evidence about how sexual violence was weaponized against women and girls in Israel were shocking and horrifying. ANY form of sexual violence - especially when used as a weapon of war - cannot be tolerated. As a woman serving in Congress, I believe it is my duty to use my voice to condemn such sickening actions.

Our resolution condemns all rape and forms of sexual violence as weapons of war, calls on all nations to criminalize rape and sexual assault, and hold accountable all perpetrators of sexual violence, including state and non-state armed groups, and calls on all international bodies to unequivocally condemn the barbaric murder, rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping by Hamas and other terrorists on and since October 7th, and hold the terrorists accountable. I'm very proud to stand with nearly every one of my colleagues in Washington to send a strong message: the United States stands with our ally Israel and with women around the world against these despicable acts of sexual violence.

Weekly Poll

With nearly 450 votes last week, more than 60% of respondents agreed that Secretary Mayorkas should have been impeached by the House. I agree with you, which is why I chose to impeach Secretary Mayorkas.

And now on to this week's poll question!

Medal of Honor Recipient of the Week

This week, I want to honor Medal of Honor recipient Steven Logan Bennet of the United States Air Force. (Medal of Honor action date, June 29, 1972)

Steven Bennett was born on April 22, 1946, in Palestine, Texas. Bennett grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana and attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute where he was a part of the ROTC program. After he graduated in 1968, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. 

Upon entering the Air Force, Bennett trained in the B-52 Stratofortress, eventually being assigned to the 325th Bomb Squadron in May of 1970. In April of 1972, Bennet was deployed to his first overseas assignment serving in the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron as a forward air controller, at Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam.

On June 29th, 1972, Captain Bennett was assigned to fly an artillery adjustment position in South Vietnam. Flying low, his Marine gun spotter in the rear seat of the OV-10A Bronco spotted a South Vietnamese unit about to be overwhelmed by a larger North Vietnamese unit. At the time, there were no American fighters in the area, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. 

Bennett began strafing the North Vietnamese soldiers, pushing them further back with each run. After four times. On Captain Bennet’s 5th Pass, his aircraft was struck by a surface-to-air missile which severely damaged the left engine and the left main landing gear. As fire spread in the left engine, he realized that returning to safety at an airfield was impossible. He instructed his observer to prepare for ejection, but was informed by the observer that his parachute had been shredded by the force of the impacting missile. Although Captain Bennett still had his own parachute, he knew that if he ejected, the observer would have no chance of survival.

With complete disregard for his own life, Captain Bennett elected to ditch the aircraft into the Gulf of Tonkin, even though he realized that a pilot of this type aircraft had never survived a ditching. The ensuing impact upon the water caused the aircraft to cartwheel and severely damage the front cockpit, making his escape impossible. The observer successfully made his way out of the aircraft and was rescued. Captain Steven Bennett’s body was recovered the next day. 

For sacrificing his life, Captain Bennett was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The decoration was presented to his widow by Vice President of the United States Gerald Ford on August 8, 1974. He was buried in his hometown of Lafayette Louisiana. 

Five Fast Facts!

1. The military aviation museum located in Virginia Beach houses one of the largest collections of military aircraft in the world.
2. F Scott Fitzgerald and his wife were frequent visitors of the famous Cavalier Hotel and resort and it is believed that it was during one of these stays that Fitzgerald was inspired to write the Great Gatsby. 
3. During World War 2, the Cavalier hotel was commandeered by the US navy and used as a Radar Training Center.
4. On March 27, 1891 the Norwegian ship Dictator was en route to England from Pensacola, Fl and ran aground off the coast of Virginia Beach. The ship eventually sunk and in honor of its seven crew members who died the “Norwegian Lady” statue was erected in Virginia Beach and its home port in Moss, Norway.
5. According to historical records, more than 1,800 vessels have sunk in Chesapeake Bay waters.

I'll be back in southeast Virginia this week as I continue to hear directly from my constituents about the policies they believe will benefit our community, our Commonwealth, and our country.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact my DC 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