Virginia — 9th District

D Democratic Joy Powers

Supports universal healthcare and rural hospital investment

Powers considers healthcare a human right and supports universal coverage, while stressing that coverage alone is insufficient without accessible local facilities. She advocates protecting federal Medicaid funding to prevent rural hospital closures and investing in rural EMS, clinics, maternal care, and mental health services.

• Supports universal healthcare coverage and affordable access
• Advocates protecting federal Medicaid funding for rural Virginia hospitals
• Proposes federal investment in rural clinics, EMS, maternal care, mental health, and the health workforce

“I believe healthcare is a human right, and I support universal healthcare.”

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Supports regulatory relief for providers and opioid intervention

Griffith focuses on reducing regulatory burdens on hospitals and health providers to foster economic stability. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee, he has spearheaded efforts to improve prescription drug monitoring to combat opioid addiction.

• Introduced the EPA Regulatory Relief Act to reduce regulatory burdens on hospitals and manufacturers
• Leads legislative initiatives to strengthen prescription drug monitoring programs to combat opioid abuse
• Serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee

“From treatment to prevention, Morgan is a leader in creating new policies to reduce opioid addiction.”

D Democratic Joy Powers

Opposes corporate price-gouging and economic consolidation

Powers attributes rising prices to corporate consolidation, price-gouging, and trade tariffs that hurt working families and farmers. She proposes economic development through infrastructure investments in rail, roads, broadband, housing, and job trades.

• Target corporate price-gouging and consolidation in food, seed, and medicine
• Rebuild rural economic foundations through rail, roads, broadband, water/sewer, and industrial sites
• Oppose trade tariffs that inflate input costs for farmers and consumers

“That means going after the price-gouging and the consolidation that lets a handful of companies set the price of your food, your seed, and your medicine.”

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Promotes deregulation and tax cuts for job creation

Griffith believes private enterprise creates prosperity and that government regulation and high taxes hinder job growth. He advocates reducing federal oversight to allow private businesses to expand in Southwest Virginia.

• Support cutting taxes and eliminating unnecessary federal regulations
• Promote private enterprise and free-market job creation
• Voted for H.R. 1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) to address tax policy and federal funding

“Morgan knows that to create new jobs in Southwest Virginia, we have to get government out of the way.”

D Democratic Joy Powers

Opposes data center exploitation and excessive power demands

Powers opposes large data centers that drive up local electricity costs, consume massive water resources, and receive generous tax breaks. She criticizes historical patterns where outside interests profit from local resources while leaving environmental and economic costs behind.

• Oppose data center projects that increase consumer utility bills and drain water supplies
• Reject corporate tax breaks for energy-intensive tech facilities
• Protect local land and water from exploitation by outside corporations

“I am not against good jobs or new investment. I am against being exploited again.”

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Supports all-of-the-above energy and coal revitalization

Griffith advocates an all-of-the-above energy policy that prioritizes domestic energy independence and coal production. He works to secure funding to restore abandoned mine sites and boost coal production in Southwest Virginia.

• Support an all-of-the-above energy framework including coal and domestic oil and gas
• Reclaim and restore abandoned mine sites to create jobs
• Voted for the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1) to expand fossil fuel production and streamline permitting

“Morgan supports an “all of the above” energy approach and coal is a vital part of that plan.”

D Democratic Joy Powers

Supports independent family farms and right-to-repair laws

As a cattle farmer and equipment dealership owner, Powers advocates for a Farm Bill tailored to independent, family-scale producers rather than corporate conglomerates. She supports fair safety nets, right-to-repair equipment legislation, and anti-monopoly protections.

• Pass a Farm Bill that prioritizes family-scale and independent agricultural producers
• Enact federal right-to-repair legislation for farm equipment
• Challenge meatpacking monopolies that depress cattle prices

“When four companies control the meatpacking, the independent cattle farmer takes whatever price they are given.”

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Opposes regulatory overreach on farming and timber

Griffith defends agricultural and timber interests by challenging federal agency regulations that restrict land and livestock management. He actively opposes the Waters of the USA (WOTUS) rule and EPA restrictions.

• Oppose EPA regulations that restrict farming and land use
• Fight against the Waters of the USA (WOTUS) program
• Protect the timber and agricultural industries in Southwest Virginia

“He is standing up to an overreaching Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies that make it harder for people to work their land and raise their livestock.”

D Democratic Joy Powers

Supports targeted federal investments in rural public resources

Powers advocates using federal funding to invest directly in rural school facilities, healthcare systems, and infrastructure. She criticizes tax breaks for large corporations while working families struggle with basic costs.

• Direct federal funding toward rural school buildings, broadband, and healthcare
• Criticize generous tax breaks granted to large corporations and tech facilities
• Focus budget priorities on core rural infrastructure and services

“It means measuring every policy by one question: does this make life here easier or harder?”

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Supports balanced budget amendment and spending caps

Griffith advocates capping federal spending and mandating a balanced budget to curb national debt. He supports requiring a congressional supermajority to raise the federal debt ceiling.

• Support a constitutional amendment requiring the president to submit a balanced budget
• Require a supermajority vote in Congress to increase the national debt limit
• Voted for the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 to cap federal spending

“The national debt caused by the wasteful and excessive spending of Congress must come to an end.”

D Democratic Joy Powers

Opposes redistricting practices that divide rural communities

Powers argues that rural communities in Virginia are repeatedly carved up and overlooked during redistricting fights. She advocates fair representation that keeps rural districts intact and accountable.

• Protect rural communities from being carved up in congressional redistricting maps
• Promote rooted, accountable representation for Southwest Virginia

“Rural communities are small enough to get carved up, overlooked, and taken for granted by both parties when it is convenient.”

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Supports strict voter ID and proof of citizenship

Griffith prioritizes voter integrity measures to secure federal and state elections. He supports photo ID requirements, purging voter rolls of deceased voters, and proof of citizenship for registration.

• Voted for the SAVE Act (H.R. 22) requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register for federal elections
• Support voter photo ID requirements and clearing deceased individuals from voter rolls
• Voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results from Arizona and Pennsylvania

“Morgan supports commonsense solutions to secure our elections, such as requiring voter ID, clearing the deceased from voter rolls, and requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.”

D Democratic Joy Powers

Supports full public school funding and trade education

Powers advocates robust federal funding for Title I, Head Start, and special education (IDEA) to strengthen rural public schools. She prioritizes raising teacher pay, modernizing school buildings, and expanding career and technical education (CTE) and trade apprenticeships.

• Fully fund Title I, IDEA special education, Head Start, and school nutrition programs
• Increase federal investment in rural school infrastructure, teacher pay, and transportation
• Expand CTE, apprenticeships, dual enrollment, and trade programs tied to local industries

“Every child in Southwest Virginia deserves a strong public school close to home.”

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Supports restrictions on transgender participation in female sports

Griffith's documented position on education policy includes supporting restrictions on participation in women's athletic programs based on biological sex.

• Voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 (H.R. 28) prohibiting biological males from competing in female sports programs

D Democratic Joy Powers

Supports Second Amendment rights and law-abiding gun owners

Powers strongly supports the Second Amendment, noting that gun ownership for hunting, farming, and self-defense is central to rural Virginia culture. She explicitly differentiates her stance from the national Democratic platform.

• Support Second Amendment rights for law-abiding gun owners
• Oppose restrictive gun control measures advocated by national Democrats
• Focus community safety policies on approaches that respect gun owners

“I support the Second Amendment. I am a different kind of Democrat, and that is one of the places I part ways with the national party.”

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Opposes federal gun control restrictions

Griffith maintains an unapologetic defense of the Second Amendment and consistently votes against federal gun control measures.

• Voted against the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 (H.R. 1808)
• Defend gun ownership rights without compromise

“makes no apology for defending the 2nd Amendment or the right to life.”

D Democratic Joy Powers

Opposes unconditional military aid to Israel

Powers opposes unconditional U.S. military aid to the Netanyahu government in Israel, calling for aid to be tied to American values and accountability. She rejects influence from foreign lobbying groups like AIPAC.

• End unconditional U.S. military aid and weapons shipments to Israel's government
• Reject influence from AIPAC and foreign policy lobbying groups
• Advocate for ceasefire, release of hostages, and safety for Israelis and Palestinians

“And I do not think American families should keep paying for what Benjamin Netanyahu's government is doing.”

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Supports antisemitism monitoring and hostage relief measures

Griffith supported federal legislation expanding discrimination enforcement definitions regarding antisemitism and delaying tax deadlines for citizens detained abroad.

• Voted for the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090)
• Voted for the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (H.R. 9495)

D Democratic Joy Powers

Supports equal dignity and legal rights for LGBTQ Virginians

Powers advocates for equal rights and dignity under the law for LGBTQ individuals, asserting that rural values center on judging people by their work and how they treat neighbors.

• Support legal equality and dignity for LGBTQ Virginians
• Oppose using LGBTQ families as political talking points

“I believe every Virginian deserves to be treated with dignity and to be equal under the law.”

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Supports restrictions on transgender participation in sports

Griffith supported federal legislation to restrict participation in women's sports based on biological sex at birth.

• Voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 (H.R. 28)

R Republican H. Morgan Griffith

Supports strict border enforcement and legal immigration

Griffith opposes illegal immigration and advocates securing the southern border to prevent drug trafficking and human smuggling. He supports legal immigration paths while voting for strict border enforcement measures.

• Voted for the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2)
• Voted for the Laken Riley Act to detain unauthorized immigrants arrested for theft crimes
• Voted for legislation allowing deportation of unauthorized immigrants convicted of DUIs

“Morgan is working to secure our border and crack down on illegal immigration.”