39 Facts About Morgan Griffith

Howard Morgan Griffith was born on March 15,1958 and is an American lawyer and politician who has been the US representative for Virginia's 9th congressional district since 2011.

Morgan Griffith is a member of the Republican Party and the Freedom Caucus.

Morgan Griffith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in his infancy his family relocated to Salem, Virginia.

Morgan Griffith graduated from Andrew Lewis High School in 1976 and from Emory and Henry College in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts.

Morgan Griffith completed his education with a JD from the Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1983.

Morgan Griffith chaired the party from 1986 to 1988 and from 1991 to 1994.

Morgan Griffith ran for the open seat representing the 8th district and won.

Morgan Griffith was elected to several terms, facing opposition only in 2001,2003, and 2009.

Morgan Griffith served as vice chair of the Rules Committee and on the Courts of Justice Committee, and chaired its Criminal Law Subcommittee.

Morgan Griffith served on the Commerce and Labor Committee, and the Committee on Militia, Police, and Public Safety.

Morgan Griffith was elected House Majority Leader in 2000, the first Republican to hold that position in Virginia's history.

Rather than run for a tenth term in the House of Delegates, Morgan Griffith opted to challenge Congressman Rick Boucher, a 13-term incumbent Democrat who had served since 1983.

Morgan Griffith chose to run for Congress after Boucher voted for the cap and trade bill.

Boucher capitalized on the fact that Morgan Griffith did not live in the district, and in return Morgan Griffith branded Boucher as a rubber stamp for Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi.

Morgan Griffith defeated two Democratic opponents, Flaccavento and Justin Santopietro, and a Whig opponent, Scott Blankenship.

In June 2021, Morgan Griffith was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the Authorization of Military Force against Iraq.

Morgan Griffith has voted to allow Virginia to enforce federal immigration laws to criminalize knowingly employing illegal immigrants or undocumented workers, and voted to criminalize possession of firearms by illegal aliens.

Morgan Griffith voted against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which authorizes DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.

In 2017, Morgan Griffith voted to nullify the Stream Protection Rule, which included improvements in the protection of water supplies, water quality, streams, fish and other wildlife that can be negatively affected by surface coal mining.

Morgan Griffith is a proponent of "an 'all of the above' energy strategy" that utilizes both fossil fuel and renewable energy sources.

Morgan Griffith voted in favor of several bills to reduce restrictions on gun ownership, including a bill to allow concealed weapons in vehicles without a permit and to allow concealed weapons permit holders to carry their firearms in restaurants and bars.

Morgan Griffith voted to prohibit consumption of alcohol while in possession of a concealed weapon.

In 2004 Morgan Griffith voted to prohibit carrying firearms or ammunition in non-secure areas of airport terminals, including baggage claim areas.

Early in 2010, Morgan Griffith voted in favor of a bill to prohibit any individual mandate to purchase health insurance.

On July 17,2013, Morgan Griffith was the lone GOP member of the House to vote against delaying the implementation of the individual mandate.

Just before the United States federal government shutdown of 2013, Morgan Griffith issued a press release in which he endorsed the final House version of Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014, which would have continued funding for federal government operations while delaying implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Morgan Griffith voted against the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, the Senate-proposed compromise that ended the shutdown without defunding the ACA.

Morgan Griffith has consistently voted for expansions of the death penalty to include eligibility for accomplices to a murder, as well as for those who murder a judge or a witness.

When surveyed in 1999 on his political positions by Project Vote Smart, Morgan Griffith indicated that he supports legalized abortion in the first trimester and to save the life of the mother, while favoring the restriction of abortion through parental notification laws and prohibition of partial-birth abortion.

In 2006 Morgan Griffith voted to restrict state funding for fetal stem cell research.

Project Vote Smart indicated that Morgan Griffith declined to retake their survey in 2010.

Morgan Griffith supports raising the retirement age and reducing the number of American troops serving overseas as means of reducing the federal budget deficit.

In 2014, Morgan Griffith introduced legislation to move marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II narcotic, which would effectively make the drug legal for medical purposes under federal law.

In December 2020, Griffith was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump.

On January 6,2021, Morgan Griffith was one of the 147 Republican members of Congress who objected to certifying the 2020 presidential election.

In September 2021, Morgan Griffith was among 75 House Republicans to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, which contains a provision that would require women to be drafted.

Morgan Griffith was among 19 House Republicans to vote against the final passage of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

In 2022, Morgan Griffith was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.

In 2014 Morgan Griffith founded the Congressional Friends of Wales Caucus in honor of his Welsh heritage.