The Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal sits near the intersection of Interstates 66 and 81 in the northern Shenandoah Valley, and it helps link truck traffic from the U.S. midwest with rail links to the Port of Hampton Roads at the coast.  The VIP is a smart infrastructure investment that operates 24/7 and now supports more than 7,000 jobs in Virginia, and that’s why Senator Warner hosted a regional business roundtable there on Monday.

“While I talk as often as I can about the need to address our nation’s deficits and debt, we also need to have an economic growth strategy that includes more exports and better infrastructure – and both of those ideas are well represented here at the Virginia Inland Port,” Senator Warner said. 

Later, Senator Warner met with about 225 employees of K2M in Leesburg, an innovative company that designs and builds next-generation medical devices to treat spinal injuries. Six years ago, K2M had about 50 employees: today it has nearly 300.

At an employee town hall meeting, Senator Warner discussed his Start Up Act legislation, which would remove many of the regulatory and tax obstacles facing entrepreneurial start-ups like K2M. When he opened the floor to questions, employees asked about his Gang of Six proposals to reform and strengthen entitlement programs – some suggested ways to interest more young women and young people of color in mathematics and science -- and a  K2M employee with a 200 mile daily commute asked about rising gas prices.

“I’m a big believer in the ‘all-of-the-above’ approach to energy,” Senator Warner said. “But let me be clear: any politician who promises you $2 a gallon gas is not being straight with you. These recent price hikes are directly tied to the uncertainty in the Middle East over Iran.”

Senator Warner said the United States actually is producing record amounts of domestic energy, but our country’s long over-dependence on oil and gas will continue to impact family budgets until we develop alternative renewable fuel sources such as electric, nuclear, solar and wind.