Robert J. Wittman

“I want the House to pass this bill. Data centers use huge amounts of power and strain our electric grid. Tech companies should pay for their own power grid upgrades, so regular families do not get stuck with higher electric bills.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act. This legislation will require State utility regulators to examine standards to ensure that data centers pay all the costs associated with their power generation, transmission lines, and grid upgrades needed to serve their facilities. The Commonwealth of Virginia is home to approximately 13 percent of all data centers in the world. Some of these data centers are located in the district that I represent. While data centers create economic opportunities for our communities, they also come with enormous challenges. Data centers support telehealth, mobile banking for American small businesses, and everyday technologies like streaming services. At the same time, they consume massive amounts of power and place increasing strain on our electric grid while threatening to increase costs for families. Virginians and Americans who choose to have data centers in their communities should not be paying higher electric bills as a result. Instead, these costs should be borne directly by the data center developers, the primary catalysts of this increased demand for energy. We have a responsibility to ensure that our constituents are not picking up the tab for data centers, and this legislation will do exactly that. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Ratepayer Protection Act, and I urge all of my colleagues to support its passage.”

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It keeps funding the federal office that helps clean up and protect the Chesapeake Bay. The bay covers several states and supports thousands of jobs in farming, fishing, and tourism. This bill helps states work together, study the water, and train students to take care of the bay.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6893, the Chesapeake Bay WATERS Act, and I am very proud to co-lead this bipartisan bill with Representative Kiggans. The Chesapeake Bay is one of our Nation’s most important natural resources, and this bill will ensure the bay remains healthy for generations to come. H.R. 6893 reauthorizes the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Program office, which has been a leading partner in bay restoration efforts. Working alongside universities, State and local governments, and other stakeholders, this office supports the science and coordination necessary to understand the health of the bay and make informed decisions about the future. Importantly, this bill supports the observation, monitoring, collection, and analysis of marine resource data, an area I was committed to for over 27 years with the Commonwealth of Virginia. That information is used by policymakers, resource managers, and the public to better understand and protect the bay and its living resources. The bill also supports training and education programs, and strengthens coordinated efforts to manage, protect, and restore bay habitats and living resources. For communities across Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay is far more than a natural resource. It is part of our way of life. It supports our watermen, farmers, small businesses, and families throughout the Commonwealth. The bay is a major economic driver, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and generating billions of dollars in economic activity. Protecting the bay means protecting those jobs, strengthening our local economies, and preserving the natural resources that our communities depend upon. By continuing to invest in sound science, monitoring, education, and coordinated restoration efforts, we can ensure the Chesapeake Bay remains healthy for generations to come. This is truly a Federal role because this truly is what interstate commerce is all about. The bay is that economic engine that involves all of the States in the bay watershed. It is our responsibility as a group of States to make sure we continue to improve the water quality there and, in turn, the economic resources that come to us from the bay. The bay is an incredible economic driver for the seafood and tourism economies. All of those things are key. The Chesapeake Bay Program Office allows us to coordinate and make sure that all of us in the bay watershed are doing our part to make sure the bay continues to get cleaner and cleaner. I am very proud to support this bipartisan effort to protect one of our Nation’s most vital resources, and I encourage my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 6893.”

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It funds research across the country to keep our water clean and reliable. We need this research as new technology and businesses use more water.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support today of H.R. 7889, the Advancing Water Research and Collaboration Act. This legislation would reauthorize the Water Resources Research Act, better known as the WRRA, and it will strengthen Federal investment in the water research that our communities depend upon. It supports a nationwide network of research institutes that address State and regional water challenges. This is locally driven, nationally significant research. It helps safeguard drinking water supplies, reduces nutrient pollution, and addresses emerging contaminants that we may find in critical water resources. With growing water demands from advanced manufacturing, data centers, and artificial intelligence infrastructure, the need for sound water science has never been greater. In Virginia, the WRRA supports research that helps to address water challenges that matter most to our communities, including efforts to improve the health and resilience of our great natural resource, the Chesapeake Bay. Reauthorizing this program will help ensure that every State has the science-backed information it needs to address its own unique water challenges. By investing in scientific research today, we help ensure future generations have access to safe, reliable water resources. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to lead this bipartisan effort, and I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in support of this bill.”

“I want the House to pass this military defense bill. It buys new fighter jets and helicopters, improves our drone technology, and helps the military produce more ammunition.”

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support today of H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027. I thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith for their leadership in putting together this critical piece of legislation. I also thank my friend and subcommittee Ranking Member Don Norcross for his partnership in leading the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces. Also, I thank our Tactical Air and Land professional staff: Michael Kirlin, Heath Bope, Caroline Kehrli, Brooke Alred, Amelia Litynski, Jay Vallario, and Andrew Smith. The FY27 NDAA takes several steps to ensure that our servicemembers operate with unmatched capabilities to deter and defeat any adversaries. This bill allows the Secretary of War to enter into multiyear procurement contracts for both the F-15EX and F-35 aircraft. H.R. 8800 prioritizes helicopter and rotorcraft procurement, authorizing the purchase of additional Chinook, Black Hawk, and Grey Wolf helicopters. It also fully funds the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program to continue development of the MV-75 Cheyenne. Our forces must excel in both offensive and counter-small UAS mission sets. This bill also assists the Department in achieving this by standardizing sUAS operating systems, establishing sUAS test ranges to inform and accelerate drone innovation. To counter such systems, the bill strengthens the definition of counter-UAS systems and applies standards for networked, autonomous, kinetic capabilities for sUAS defense. This NDAA also emphasizes the importance of our munitions supply. It directs the Army to expand and upgrade facilities used to manufacture 155-millimeter artillery rounds and advances the integration of novel energetics into weapon systems. Lastly, the bill leans into innovation by expediting the development and procurement of nontraditional intermediate-range fires capabilities. Mr. Chairman, this is an extremely strong bill that sends a signal to our servicemembers that we have their back. I urge this bill’s passage.”