NORFOLK, Va. — Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle shared their frustrations over the ongoing budget battles in Washington during the Hampton Roads Chamber’s 2025 Congressional Forum on Monday.
Republican Reps. Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman, along with Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott, spoke before a packed audience of business leaders about the federal spending bill, the impact of the recent shutdown and key issues such as defense and health care.
Kiggans, a Navy veteran who represents Virginia’s 2nd District, said she’s eager for Congress to move past what she called partisan gridlock.
“I need to get back to work. Frustrating for the last few weeks, frustrating for 41 days,” Kiggans said. “Yeah, it was a game. I feel like the Senate Democrats were playing. So this was a Schumer shutdown.”
Kiggans added that she wants lawmakers to refocus on defense priorities, including modernizing bases and supporting the Navy’s readiness efforts in Hampton Roads.
Wittman, who represents Virginia’s 1st District, echoed Rep. Kiggans' concerns about Washington’s budget dysfunction. He said Congress needs to pass all of its annual appropriations bills before taking recess to avoid future shutdowns.
“It’s pretty simple,” Wittman said. “If you want to go home in August, get all 12 appropriations bills done before you leave, and then we can avoid this continuing resolution foolishness that happens every year.”
Bobby Scott, who represents Virginia’s 3rd District and serves as the ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said he’s troubled by what’s missing from the new spending bill—particularly on health care.
“It also doesn’t deal with health care, which suggests to me that in January, we’ll be right back where we started."
Scott also noted that continued uncertainty in federal budgeting affects everything from education funding to workforce training programs.
All three lawmakers said they expect Congress to return to Washington this week to finalize the federal budget and hope to avoid another shutdown when temporary funding runs out in January.
The Hampton Roads Chamber’s annual congressional forum brings together business, military, and civic leaders to hear directly from members of Virginia’s congressional delegation on key legislative issues.
