Tom delivered big for rural health care, fighting the insurance lobbyists to pass the Affordable Care Act and deliver historic investments in rural health clinics across Central and Southside Virginia. He kept fighting for the Medicaid expansion Virginia finally passed—a lifeline for rural hospitals—and helped deliver another $20+ million to the health centers that keep care close to home.

In his first month in Congress, Tom voted against another bailout of Wall Street and voted for economic relief for families on Main Street. Tom delivered $137 million of investments in schools across Virginia, as well as funds for health centers, broadband internet, and volunteer fire companies.

Tom helped expand high-speed internet access across rural Virginia. He helped secure over $37 million in federal broadband funding that connected nearly 60,000 households and more than 90 schools. That network became part of the backbone Southern Virginia is building its comeback on today.

Tom secured funding for volunteer fire companies. Volunteer fire companies keep rural families safe. These generous volunteers deserve not just our thanks, but our support. When he was in Congress, Tom was proud to secure over $1 million to support 22 volunteer fire companies across the district, honoring the bravery and sacrifice of neighbors dedicated to helping neighbors in the best tradition of rural communities.

Tom partnered with farmers on methane-capture projects that empower farmers to profit from a “second crop,” power sold back to the grid. When utility monopolies stood in the way, Tom fought back to allow farmers and homeowners greater freedom to sell back to the grid.

In his nonprofit career, Tom supported efforts to fight the opioid epidemic, helping to raise millions of dollars in emergency responses to the crisis. He called for greater penalties on drug companies responsible for the crisis and for policies that end the “incentives” to profit from addiction over prevention. 

Prevent the Death Spiral of Rural Health Services. Tom has already begun fighting for the next Congress to take urgent action to prevent the deep cuts scheduled for January for 2027 that would devastate rural communities. We must reverse the rapid spread of maternal health deserts and primary care options across rural Virginia. 

Block the Valley Link transmission line. Tom is not waiting until he gets to Washington to help communities defeat Valley Link. (See more here on Tom’s commitment to defeating Valley Link.)

Invest in rural infrastructure. Finish the job on “last mile” broadband access, and fund the roads and water systems that farms and small towns depend on.

Make rural Virginia affordable again, by ending the tariff chaos and the war of choice with Iran. Tom has supported strategic tariffs, but he opposes stupid and chaotic trade wars that are taking $2500 per year out of the pockets of rural families. He opposes the war of choice in Iran that has cost rural families another $1200 out of their pockets, and threatens protracted costs to farmers from fertilizer and fuel shortages. These price spikes were caused by Washington, and Tom is going to Washington to bring those costs down for our region.  

Protect the right to repair. A farmer who pays six figures for a tractor should be able to fix it, or take it to the mechanic down the road, without the manufacturer locking the software and forcing him back to the dealership.

Support the next generation of farming. Restore investments in “second crop” farming related to clean energy. Expand access to credit, crop insurance, and disaster assistance so one bad season does not end a family operation. Open access to land and credit for young and first-generation farmers who are currently priced out of ever starting.

Save the post office. Stop the service cuts and closures that leave rural customers waiting on prescriptions, checks, and ballots.

Helping communities to fight data centers. Communities across our region are rising up to block these data centers, and Tom is helping communities to fight back. Communities should have the power to prevent data centers and to demand, where data centers are being built, that local communities are fully protected from price hikes, damage to the environment, and future expansion. According to Virginia's legislative watchdog, within the next four years, the average Dominion residential customer could see their bill increase as much as $276 per year due to data center energy costs alone. Tom will protect the power of state and local governments to limit or restrict data centers. Where data centers are being built, every penny of not just the center but the power and infrastructure to serve it must be covered by the companies profiting from this, not by the people of Virginia. And any new or expanded data center must run on clean energy or, as a condition of building, create equivalent clean energy capacity on the grid.