Friends, 

Last week, our community was rocked by a terrible storm that tore through the northern part of Virginia Beach on Sunday. I am eternally grateful that no one was seriously injured; however, the damage from the storms was extensive.

Thank you to all of our brave first responders who worked around the clock to ensure the safety of our community, as well as our Commonwealth and local governments for their quick response to last Sunday's tornado. I’m incredibly proud of the resilience and compassion that our community has shown in the wake of this terrible storm...!

On Monday afternoon, I joined Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, Delegate Anne Ferrell Tata, the Virginia Beach Fire Department, and other first responders to tour the damage. While it won't be repaired overnight, I'm fully confident that our community will come together to support those who were effected.

Chesapeake Coffee with the Congresswoman

Last week I held another "Coffee with the Congresswoman" in Chesapeake...! Hearing your concerns about what's going on in Washington helps me better represent you as your Congresswoman. I always look forward to these events! I'll continue to host these forums on a regular basis, so be on the lookout for the next one. I hope to see you there!

We covered a number of topics, from TRICARE to resources for families with autistic children, to challenges facing the ship repair industry to unemployment fraud. However, one of the main issues I discussed was H.R. 2811, the Save, Limit, Grow Act, which passed the House last week. This bill - which I voted for - would save taxpayers trillions of dollars by reducing federal spending while responsibly raising the debt ceiling in order to help get our economy back on track.

Combatting Partisan Misinformation Scaring Our Veterans

Since the Save, Limit, Grow Act passed, the amount of lies and misinformation that have been spread about it have shocked me. As a veteran, I was devastated when I saw the Department of Veterans' Affairs had published a misleading press release falsely insinuating that our bill cuts critical benefits and services for our nation's heroes. This is not true.

Not only does the bill not make any specific cuts to the VA – it simply lowers topline discretionary spending – but every individual in the U.S. House Republican leadership has unequivocally stated on record that veterans’ health care and benefits are not on the table amid debt ceiling negotiations. Most recently, on Sunday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stated he would not bring any bill to the floor that makes cuts to VA funding. 

The dishonest, partisan use of the VA to spread fear and anxiety among our former service members makes me sick to my stomach. Thankfully, I have many colleagues that are as committed to protecting veterans' benefits as I am. On Thursday, I led over 50 of them in condemning the VA's misleading claims.

I hope that our letter will remind VA Secretary Denis McDonough that his mission is to serve and care for those who have borne the battle - not turn them into political pawns.

You can read the full text of the letter here or by clicking on the picture above.

Prioritizing our Maritime Industrial Base

As a Navy veteran, wife of a Navy veteran, mother of future Navy veterans, and member of the House Armed Services Committee, ensuring that our fleet is ready for the fight is one of my top priorities...! This week, I met with both small and large ship repair and modernization firms in the Hampton Roads area, as well as toured the Colonna's, BAE Systems, and MHI Ship Repair shipyards.

Our ship repair industry is critical to keeping our Navy the best in the world. During our meetings, I heard about the challenges facing these businesses, particularly staffing challenges.

Building new ships is important; however, the best thing that we can do to ensure that our military is always prepared for battle is to keep our current ships in operational condition. Thank you to everyone who took the time to meet with me this week - our discussion and tours always provide me with incredibly valuable insight!

2023 VA-02 Congressional Art Competition Winners!

On Tuesday evening we hosted our Congressional Art Competition Gallery at Virginia Wesleyan University here in Virginia Beach! My office received over 70 submissions from students at eight different high school across Virginia's Second District. I'm simply blown away by their talent, hard work, and dedication! Our winner was Dayna Watt from Nansemond River High School with her piece titled Self Portrait.

Congratulations to our additional winners:

• Amiyah Hayes from Salem High School Visual and Performing Arts Academy was awarded second place for her work titled Memories of Something Softer
• Madison Carr from Nansemond River High School was awarded third place for her work titled Insecurities
• Camden Cranmore from Catholic High School received the “Congresswoman’s Choice Award” for her piece titled Wings of a Warrior
• Amanda Mullins from Nansemond River High School received the “Staff Choice Award” for her piece titled Going Fishing
• Ava Terry from the Governor’s School for the Arts received an Honorable Mention for her piece titled Too Hard to Choose
• Jasmine Bugarin from Salem High School Visual and Performing Arts Academy received an Honorable Mention for her piece titled Borborygmus

The first-place winner is invited to a ribbon cutting ceremony in Washington, D.C. and their artwork will be on display in the U.S. Capitol for an entire year. The second-place winning entry will hang in my D.C. office for a year. The remaining winners will have their artwork on display in my multiple district offices!

I am also holding a ‘People’s Choice Award’ on my Facebook page, where you can vote for your favorite artwork. The student who receives the most votes for the People’s Choice Award will also get to have their artwork on display in one of my District offices for one year. Click here to check it out before voting closes...!

Highlighting Solutions to Burnout in the Healthcare Industry

Did you know that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the national need for nurses will increase by 28% by 2030? In fact, roughly 500,000 nurses left the bedside at the end of 2022 — creating a critical shortage of 1.1 million nurses — just as our nation's population of seniors, who often require more medical services for complex medical conditions, has begun to increase dramatically. 

As a geriatric nurse practitioner, this concerns me greatly. That's why I was honored to join Axios this week to discuss some of the major challenges facing healthcare workers during their event called "Burn Out: Addressing Mental Health and Well-Bring in the Healthcare Workforce".

We need to address the issues impacting nursing recruitment, education, and retention and focus on ways to improve employee well-being in the healthcare industry...because the bottom line is that any challenge facing our nurses hurts America's patient population.

You can watch my entire interview by clicking on the video below!

Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient of the Week

This week, I want to honor Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant First Class Nelson Vogel Brittin (Medal of Honor action date: March 7, 1951). 

U.S. Army Sergeant First Class (Sfc.) Nelson Brittin was serving with Company I of the 19th Infantry Regiment in Yonggong-Ni, Korea when he volunteered to lead an assault up a hill with minimal cover. Facing heavy fire, he requested that his squad lay down cover fire as he tossed a grenade at the nearest enemy position. As he returned back to the rest of his Company, he was wounded by an enemy grenade.

Refusing any medical treatment, Sfc. Brittin instead refilled his supply of grenades and ran back toward the enemy, lobbing grenades into hostile positions and firing his weapon at them as they fled. His weapon jammed, and without hesitation, he leapt into an enemy foxhole, eliminating its occupants with his bayonet and the butt of his rifle. He continued to move from foxhole to foxhole, meticulously wiping out the enemies in each.

Shortly after, Sfc. Brittin noticed that his squad had been pinned down, so he rushed to the rear of an enemy machine gun position, threw a grenade into the nest, and then ran around to the front and killed the three men inside with his rifle. He then led his squad further up the hill, where they ran into another machine gun nest flanked by additional enemy riflemen. Sfc. Brittin charged the position and was instantly mortally wounded by a burst of automatic fire.

Sergeant Fist Class Nelson Brittin was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by Secretary of Defense Robert Lovett on January 16, 1952 for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action". He was born on October 31, 1920 in Audubon, New Jersey and is buried at Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly, New Jersey. His Medal of Honor was presented to his parents at the Pentagon and is accredited to Audubon, Camden County, New Jersey.

Five Fast Facts from VA-02!

1. Virginia is the largest seafood producer on the East Coast and the third largest in the country!
2. Naval Station Norfolk is the largest naval base in the world.
3. Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk are all larger than the capital city of Richmond.
4. The Hampton Roads area has one of the biggest harbors in the world!
5. The nickname "Old Dominion" is a reference to Virginia being the first and oldest overseas English dominion.

This past week was an incredible reminder of the strength of our community. Again, I cannot stress how thankful I am that no one was hurt or injured in the tornado that hit Virginia Beach...! Next week, I'll be back in Washington to advocate for VA-02!

As always, 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