Religion in Public Life

Since 2005, Forbes began gathering a group of representatives to meet in prayer at the U.S. Capitol and would later found the Congressional Prayer Caucus "to formally acknowledge the important role that prayer plays in American life and history and to monitor and work to guard the right of individuals in America to pray."

In an April 2009 visit to Turkey, President Barack Obama said Americans "do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values." In response, Forbes introduced the Spiritual Heritage Resolution the following month "to help reaffirm that great history of faith that we have in this nation and to say to those individual's who have yielded to the temptation of concluding that we are no longer a Judeo-Christian nation, to come back."

Armed Services

Much of Forbes' focus on the House Armed Services Committee has been on ensuring that the military presence isn't diminished in his district.

After Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced in August 2010 the Hampton Roads, Va.-based Joint Forces Command would be the only command eliminated in the military's effort to overhaul its spending, Forbes said opponents would offer several challanges to the plan. "I think that you're going to see a storm swell coming up," Forbes said.

Worrying that theU.S. Navy isn't keeping pace with the size of China's Navy, Forbes has pressured the Pentagon to develop a 30-year shipbuilding plan.

Energy

A proponent of making the country energy independent, Forbes has sought to promote a range of energy sources, including wind, solar and nuclear plants.

In 2008, Forbes proposed legislation creating the "New Manhattan Project," a proposal that would fund billions in prizes and grants to push technology to wean the United States off of foreign enegy sources. The proposal was rejected as an amendment to the climate-change bill that passed the House in June 2009 and included measures for limiting carbon-dioxide emissions.

Forbes supports drilling for oil off of Virginia's waters, though agreed with President Obama's decision in May 2010 to suspend offshore drilling operations following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Law Enforcement

In 2005, Forbes introduced a bill aimed at funding anti-gang initiatives and establishing harsher penalties for gang-related crimes. The bill passed the House but didn't reach a Senate vote.

Forbes co-sponsored a 2009 gang-prevention bill penned by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) in hopes of enacting some of his tougher provisions such as mandatory minimums. Forbes later criticized the bill for focusing on prevention programs while not including tougher penalties.

Health-Care Reform

Forbes joined all other House Republicans in voting against the health-care reform bill enacted in March 2010, saying he would oppose any "proposal that would take away choices, threaten private health insurance, and create federal bureaucracies to force millions of Americans into a government-run exchange program."

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