David's Blog
I want to welcome you to my blog, which I update often with discussions of policy issues and the news of the day. I hope that this will serve as a less formal way for me to interact with my constituents, and I encourage you to check in regularly. As always, please don’t hesitate to let my staff know if you have any questions or feedback.
Best wishes,
I applaud President Obama’s final budget request, which calls for the critical investments a great country must make while laying out a comprehensive blueprint to reduce our long-term deficits.
This February, we not only celebrate Black History Month and the vital contributions of African Americans to our national identity; we also mark the 146th anniversary of the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibited voter discrimination based on race.
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the first major bill that President Obama signed into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Act, which I strongly supported in the House of Representatives. This important legislation strengthened the ability of women to file employer discrimination claims, an important step in the battle for pay equity and workplace equality.
I am pleased to report that I received a perfect score on the Humane Society’s legislative scorecard for 2015. I am a lifelong lover of animals -- our family includes two beloved cats -- and protecting pets, wildlife, and livestock from harm remains an important priority for me in Congress.
Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that 2015 was the warmest year on record, breaking the previous mark set just last year. The message is clear – we must take action to mitigate the effects of climate change.
As we look ahead to the Second Session of the 114th Congress and President Obama's final State of the Union address, I want to provide a brief update about the past year and the challenges we face moving forward.
As Congress concludes debate on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement with Iran, I wanted to provide resources to my constituents who are interested in learning more about my position on this critically important issue.
I am proud to have stood on the floor of the United States House of Representatives and cast a vote in favor of the Americans with Disabilities Act 25 years ago. Since its passage, the ADA has empowered millions of Americans who for too long languished in the shadows of exclusion and bigotry.
In 2014, a devastating coal ash spill in Eden, North Carolina released tens of thousands of tons of ash and an estimated 27 million gallons of polluted water into the Dan River.