Since being sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2011, Robert has made job creation, support of small business and reduced government spending his top priority. One such piece of legislation is the DUST Act. This bill stops the EPA from penalizing farmers from generating, you guessed it – Dust. As is often the case with unelected bureaucrats, Washington actually was moving to penalize farmers who generated dust. They wanted to regulate it and fine already struggling family farms. Robert’s bill stopped this federal over-reach of power. Robert also supported and voted for numerous bills to expand energy exploration and lower the cost of gasoline- including the Keystone pipeline, a proven job creator. Robert ran for Congress in 2010 on the promise of restoring fiscal responsibility to the federal government, removing burdensome regulations from small businesses and farmers, and putting our country on a path to energy independence. Since being elected to represent the people of Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, Robert has made good on those promises.

Robert also voted to control federal spending in Washington by supporting over $8 Trillion in cuts in government spending from our federal budget, and twice voting for a balanced budget amendment to our Constitution. He voted against writing a blank check in raising the debt ceiling without corresponding cuts.

Robert is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, which oversees all aspects of the nation’s financial and housing sectors. As a member of this committee, Robert is committed to working with his colleagues to find common-sense, free market solutions to move our economy forward and allow small businesses the access to capital that they so vitally need to grow and hire.

As a freshman Congressman, Robert Hurt is leading a new wave of conservative transformation in Washington. He is fighting to shrink the size of the federal government, protect individual liberties and the right to bear arms, and sustain our nation’s conservative values. While in the Virginia State Senate from 2008-2010, Robert Hurt represented Southside Virginia and worked to repair the economy and focus on job creation for his constituents. As a Representative in the House of Delegates from 2000-2006, Robert voted against more than a dozen tax increases and consistently fought attempts by Democrats to increase state spending and pass bloated budgets. Before entering the Virginia House of Delegates, Robert served on the town council in his hometown of Chatham and led a successful law practice.

Robert and his wife Kathy live in Chatham, with their three sons, Charles, Clement and John. Having grown up in Chatham, Robert has a profound appreciation for the rich history and shares the rural American values of the Fifth District.