Three weeks after the President approved a National Park Service role at Virginia's historic Fort Monroe in Hampton, Senator Warner traveled to the Peninsula to meet with newly appointed Fort Monroe National Monument Superintendent Kirsten Talken-Spaulding and Hampton Mayor Molly Ward.

Mayor Ward presented Senator Warner with an official proclamation of thanks from the City of Hampton for his bipartisan leadership in the effort to gain the Park Service designation, and the Senator surprised Mayor Ward by presenting her with the remarkably unattractive (and borrowed) green necktie he wore when supporting Fort Monroe during a recent hearing of a Senate subcommittee considering Fort Monroe for inclusion in the historic sites managed by the National Park Service. "I will always wear terrible green ties for Hampton," the Senator joked.

From left, Superintendent Kirsten Talken-Spaulding, Senator Warner, Hampton Mayor Molly Ward, and Glenn Oder, Executive Director of the Fort Monroe Authority.

While touring Fort Monroe today, Senator Warner was briefed on a new effort to establish a residential high school at the facility to train Virginia's most promising high school students in the high-demand career fields of science, technology, engineering and applied mathematics. The idea is in its earliest stages, but Senator Warner was supportive of the regional effort to establish a so-called "STEAM Academy" at the site.  

Next, the Senator spoke at the Virginia Beach Central Business District Women’s Review Luncheon. He discussed next Wednesday’s looming deadline for the congressional “supercommittee” to reach agreement on a deficit and debt plan, and warned of potentially dire consequences for Virginia and the Hampton Roads region if the supercommittee fails and automatic, across-the-board budget cuts take effect.

At mid-afternoon, Senator Warner spoke at an employee town hall hosted by GEICO at its Virginia Beach facility. The Senator said Congress needs to settle the deficit and debt debate so we can start work on creating more U.S> jobs and greater investment through an aggressive innovation and competitiveness strategy. "This is not defeating communism or putting a man on the moon," Senator Warner said. "We're talking about saving $4 trillion over 10 years. We need to do this."