I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Bob McDonnell on being elected the 71st governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

I look forward to supporting his vision of bringing new jobs and more opportunities to every region of Virginia.

Congratulations also go out to Bill Bolling who was re-elected as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and Ken Cuccinelli, elected as Attorney General.

Majority Leader John Boehner and I recently sent a proposal to President Obama that would save taxpayers $375 billion over the next five years.

Here are some examples of the proposed cuts, terminations and spending suspensions:

• Suspend spending on Federal Land Purchases, decreasing spending by $990 million over five years.
• Terminate Federal Transportation funding for “Non-Motorized Transportation Projects”, decreasing spending by $125 million over five years.
• Consolidate and reduce funding for Federal Advisory Committees, decreasing spending by $170 million over five years.
• Eliminate Federal Transportation funding for landscaping, museums, and other transportation “enhancements,” decreasing spending by $4.1 billion over five years.
• Terminate duplicative Education Programs, decreasing spending by $2.2 billion over five years.

With most Americans making budget cuts of our own it is time we pushed the government to follow suit.

Click here to view the proposed budget cuts we sent the President or please leave a comment with your thoughts.

This week I had the opportunity to visit Page County — a beautiful part of Virginia, located in the northwestern tip of the 7th District. We stopped at landmarks such as the Mimslyn Inn and Luray Caverns. I was honored to meet the Graves family who have operated the Caverns as a family business for over a century and have made them the premier attraction in the Valley.

It is families and businesses and jobs such as these that I am fighting to protect in Washington. In facing this economic crisis, we have to find solutions that are constructive, not obstructive. My good friend, Delegate Todd Gilbert from the Fifteenth District put it best in saying:

“If we’re not the party of limited government, if we’re not the party of personal responsibility, if we’re not the party that respects the free market and free people to do what’s right for themselves, then we might as well hang it up.”

There is a great article in the Free Lance-Star has a great article on the President's recent visit. Here's the quote: "Rep. Eric Cantor, who represents Orange, Culpeper and part of Spotsylvania counties, said he agrees with the message...to 'set our priorities and stop the unnecessary wasteful spending in Washington.'"