The Shadow
Western Caucus
As an elected official representing many rural communities in Virginia, I make sure to focus on supporting rural America.
It means a lot to me to listen to rural perspectives in Virginia’s Ninth District and share their stories in the halls of Congress.
Whether I am speaking on the House floor or participating in a committee hearing, I do not shy away from discussing issues that impact Virginia’s Ninth District rural communities, including in Southwest, Southside and Central Virginia.
One other way I continue to advocate for our rural communities is by serving on the Congressional Western Caucus.
Why did I join the Western Caucus?
Although my District is in the eastern United States, many of the issues related to federal ownership of big chunks of land in the District and general rural concerns align with the issues of the Western Caucus.
The Western Caucus is a critical voice on Capitol Hill for rural communities.
Before its founding more than 30 years ago, Congress failed to adequately address various issues impacting rural communities with federal lands.
To better represent these rural constituencies, the Western Caucus formed.
The Caucus sets important legislative objectives to support these rural constituencies. Part of its agenda is to unlock American energy dominance, provide resources to loggers, foresters and farmers as well as protect our country’s natural resources.
Additionally, the Caucus dedicates profound time, attention and resources to help advance commonsense rural policy solutions.
One such rural policy focus is the revitalization of our national forests through proper forest management.
For far too long, overburdensome regulations continue to prevent the institution of responsible and safe forest management activities.
Without such commonsense practices, our national forests continue to face threats of wildfires.
Wildfire threats pose serious challenges for our rural communities with national forests, including those in Virginia’s Ninth District.
The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests (GWJNF) makes up hundreds of thousands of acres, and a majority of Ninth District Counties from Bedford to Dickenson have a share of the GWJNF.
In 2023, the GWJNF saw weekslong forest fires that burned more than 11,000 acres!
It is important that federal policies activate responsible forest management practices, streamline emergency response coordination and reduce wildfire risks.
As a result, the Western Caucus and its members were a vocal force in the pursuit of federal forest management reform.
In 2025, I proudly voted with the Western Caucus to support the Fix Our Forests Act.
The bill helps expedite environmental reviews, reduce costs and encourage greater forest management projects.
Another recent policy the Western Caucus fought to secure included reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Program.
The SRS Program supports rural communities whose localities possess tracts of federally owned land.
Such localities, including many in Virginia’s Ninth, miss out on valuable tax revenue from these federal properties because they are tax-exempt.
As a result, these rural communities lose additional tax revenue that can be used to support local schools, infrastructure and other local projects.
Accordingly, Congress created the SRS Program. For any kind of U.S. Forest Service activity that takes place on federal lands in a locality, the impacted locality receives access to federal funding opportunities!
I joined the Western Caucus in supporting the SRS Program by voting for the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025. President Trump promptly signed into law this bipartisan, commonsense piece of legislation!
The SRS Program is a supplement to Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), which serve many localities in the Ninth District.
I will continue to voice my support for federal programs such as SRS and PILT that provide funding opportunities for rural localities that incur tax revenue losses from federal lands.
Shining the light on important issues that impact rural communities is an essential role played by the Western Caucus.
The success of the Western Caucus relies on strong leadership from key figures, including its late Chairman, Congressman Doug LaMalfa of California.
Chairman LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer, took great strides to support Members of the Caucus, provide resources to staff and champion policy solutions for rural America.
Unfortunately, Chairman LaMalfa passed away in early January.
Congress will honor Chairman LaMalfa’s legacy, his exceptional public service and his significant dedication to the interests of rural America.
I plan to continue honoring Chairman LaMalfa, serving on the Western Caucus and supporting its goals to protect the interests of rural America.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at https://morgangriffith.house.gov/. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
