congress Jennifer Kiggans Contact information

Congresswoman Jen Kiggans is proudly serving Virginia’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Virginia Beach, the Eastern Shore, part of Chesapeake and Southampton, Isle of Wight, Suffolk, and Franklin City.

Jen is a proud Navy Wife to her husband Steve, a retired F-18 pilot, and mom to their four amazing children who motivate her every day to fight for a stronger future for Virginia and our nation as a whole.

Prior to serving Virginians in public office, Jen served as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy and worked in our nation’s healthcare system as a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, serving America’s aging population.

Jen was winged as a Naval Aviator in 1995. She served our nation for a total of 10 years as a helicopter pilot flying H-46 and H-3 helicopters, completing two deployments to the Persian Gulf. As a former Navy helicopter pilot, Navy spouse, and now Navy Mom, Jen is a tireless advocate for the military community and is ready to be a strong voice for them in Congress.

After serving in the U.S. Navy, Jen used her GI Bill benefits to go back to school and become a board-certified Adult-Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. A graduate of Old Dominion University’s Nursing School and Vanderbilt University’s Nurse Practitioner program, Jen has worked in several long-term care and nursing facilities in Virginia Beach and Norfolk in addition to serving as a primary care provider for a small private practice in Virginia Beach.

After years of growing frustration listening to politicians on the evening news and watching as division and negative rhetoric derailed legislative progress on issues important to her family and her community, Jen ran for office for the first time in 2019, taking her experience of working with a team to accomplish the mission at hand to Richmond. She served three sessions in the Virginia State Senate, where she successfully championed legislation to promote election security, establish a Military Spouse Liaison, and advocated for patients, families, and caregivers in long-term care facilities.

Jen comes to Congress determined to bring civility and competence to politics - something she believes is severely lacking in all levels of government - and provide Virginians with the strong, independent leadership in Washington they deserve.

Jen, Steve, and their four kids live in Virginia Beach with their dog and newly adopted kitten.

MEET JEN

Jen Kiggans is a State Senator, geriatric nurse practitioner, U.S. Navy veteran, mother, Navy wife, and Republican candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 2nd District.

Before beginning her service in the U.S. Navy in 1995, Jen earned a degree in International Relations from Boston University and taught English in public high schools in Matsuyama, Japan. Jen then served for ten years in the U.S. Navy, completing two deployments to the Persian Gulf as an H-46 and H-3 helicopter pilot.

Using her GI bill, Jen returned to school after the Navy to become a board-certified Adult-Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. She is a graduate of Old Dominion University’s Nursing School and Vanderbilt University’s Nurse Practitioner program. Jen currently serves as a primary care provider for a small private practice in Virginia Beach and has worked in several long-term care and nursing facilities in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.

In addition to geriatrics, Jen is a passionate advocate for accessibility and affordability of mental health care and mental health screening. She is a voice for our aging population and their families and has the expertise to make an impactful difference in standards of care.

In 2019, Jen was elected to the Virginia State Senate representing District 7, which includes parts of both Virginia Beach and Norfolk. In Richmond, Jen has stood up to the liberal one-party rule and has been a champion for veterans, active duty military, the unborn, seniors, patients, and working families. She has fought for local job creation, lower healthcare costs, less wasteful spending, and more secure elections.

Jen is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Virginia Geriatrics Society, American Nurses Association, and the American Legion Post 110. She is a recipient of the Boston University Scarlet Key Award for exceptional leadership and is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. She lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her four amazing kids and husband, Steve, who is a retired U.S. Navy F-18 pilot.

CUTTING INFLATION & THE COST OF LIVING

Joe Biden’s big-government agenda, trillion dollar spending policies, and ongoing refusal to prioritize our economic recovery has caused inflation and the cost of living to skyrocket. In January 2022, inflation soared past 7%…the highest since 1982!

For Virginians, this means paying more for gas, groceries, meals, cars, houses, building materials, and everything in between. Inflation is also wiping out wage increases for Americans (including our active duty military) who are still struggling to make ends meet from the COVID pandemic. Business owners are unable to pay higher wages, American workers are unable to save for their future, all while our economy spirals into collapse.

In Congress, Jen will do what Joe Biden and House Democrats have failed to do – prioritize cutting inflation and lowering the cost of living for the American people. That means reducing federal spending – not adding trillions of dollars in spending on socialist spending bills – cutting taxes, reducing regulations on small businesses, and stopping the Democrats’ radical spending priorities at all costs.

GROWING JOBS & THE ECONOMY

As our nation and our economy continues to recover from COVID-19, Jen will focus on pro-growth policies that empower small businesses to do what they do best — create jobs, expand, and bolster our economy. She will stand up to Democrats who want to continue disincentivizing Americans to return to work and help industries critical to Virginia’s economic success hire new workers. She will fight to keep the regulatory burden low and the government out of the day-to-day operations of our businesses.

Jen also knows how important it is to keep taxes low for businesses and working families, which is why she will fight to make permanent critical tax provisions in the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Provisions such as keeping the corporate tax rate low to encourage investments in the U.S., increasing the Child Tax Credit, and lowering individual income tax rates.

Jen believes in fiscal responsibility. She was taught by her parents to pay her bills on time and to not spend more than she had in the bank. She knows that her children and her grandchildren will be responsible for the reckless spending of the current administration. She is opposed to the seemingly endless spending of trillions of dollars by the Democrats without consideration of the national debt or the taxpayers who foot the bill.

STOPPING THE CRISIS AT OUR BORDER

Joe Biden and his Administration’s reckless open-border rhetoric and policies have led to a dire public health, security, and humanitarian crisis at the U.S. - Mexico border. Given the Biden Administration and the Democrats’ failure to address the situation, Jen will prioritize border security and ensure that federal immigration officials have the funding, training, and resources they need to stop the influx of drugs, crime, and violence into our country.

To effectively combat illegal immigration, Jen will support policies that uphold federal immigration law, defund sanctuary cities, and hold politicians accountable if they refuse to comply with federal immigration officials.

LAW ENFORCEMENT & PUBLIC SAFETY

Jen knows our courageous first responders are heroes and deserve our respect. They put their lives on the line each and every day to keep our families and our communities safe. In the State Senate, Jen has fought tirelessly for our police, firefighters, EMS, and correctional officers to ensure they are fully funded, well-trained, and equipped with the best possible technology and resources necessary to stop crime, provide care, and keep Virginia Beach safe.

Jen has seen first-hand the agenda that is being pushed on the other side of the aisle and it will result in an already demoralized workforce being depleted further. Jen has spoken out against ending qualified immunity, taking tactical resources away from police, and limiting their ability to productively do their job. Additionally, Jen will fight for victims’ rights and will continue to advocate for victims and their families.

In Congress, Jen’s support for law enforcement and our first responders will remain strong. She will always fight back against Democrats’ efforts to defund or abolish our police departments and will never support any legislation that weakens law enforcement in Virginia or makes it harder for our police officers to do their job. Jen will maintain an open line of communication with our first responders across Coastal Virginia as well as our community leaders to facilitate conversations on how best to work together to protect our citizens and promote safety among our communities.

PRIORITIZING NATIONAL SECURITY

Jen served for ten years in the U.S. Navy, completing two deployments to the Persian Gulf as an H-46 and H-3 helicopter pilot. Her father served as a Green Beret in the Army during the Vietnam War, and she has a son at the US Naval Academy. She knows the importance of a well-funded military and strong national defense and will work tirelessly in Congress to ensure our active duty military men and women have the full support of the federal government.

That means securing critical funding for military bases and installations, never voting for defense cuts, and always advocating for military families. Additionally, Jen will focus on policies that ensure American military forces are equipped with the technology and training needed to combat the growing and complex national security challenges around the world. She will hold the Biden Administration and Democrats in Washington accountable for their failures to confront terrorist threats from ISIS, the Taliban, and Al Qaeda and from nuclear threats like North Korea, Iran, China, and Russia that consistently threaten our homeland, our allies, and the American people.

DELIVERING FOR VETERANS

As a 10-year Navy veteran and wife to a retired F-18 Navy pilot, Jen knows how important it is for our veterans to get the care and benefits they earned. She also knows the unique challenges veterans face as it relates to employment and education, which is why she has fought for critical investments into resources that will better the lives of all our heroes. As a State Senator, Jen has been a staunch advocate for military spouses and is the proud patron of a bill signed into law which creates a “Military Spouse Liaison” position within the Virginia Department of Veteran Services. She has been a strong voice for finding innovative ways to encourage veterans to stay in Virginia after their time in service has ended, including reducing taxes on military retirement pay, offering workforce opportunities that translate from military service, and easing the certification process for veterans and their spouses to allow them to enter the local workforce easier.

In Congress, Jen will continue fighting our veterans. She will support policies that allow for more job and career training opportunities for veterans and implement long-overdue reforms to our broken VA so our veterans and their families can get the care they need, when they need it.

IMPROVING EDUCATION & OUR SCHOOLS

Every child, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, deserves a high-quality education. In Congress, Jen will prioritize putting students at the focus of our education system and equip our teachers with the tools and resources they need in the classroom to improve outcomes for our children and the next generation. In addition, she will aim to keep big government out of the way of education and empower local teachers and parents to determine the best and most effective way to teach our children. Jen stands against policies that divide our children and will stand up to Democrats who want to keep our students out of the classroom or force our children to learn Critical Race Theory that segregates students into groups based on race and skin color, making unity impossible. She has been a staunch advocate for school choice and prioritizes teaching our children “how to think” and not “what to think” in addition to focusing on basic education components of reading, writing, math, and life skills.

REFORMING HEALTHCARE

As a Primary Care Adult-Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, healthcare affordability and accessibility is one of the top priorities for Jen. She believes all people should have the opportunity to receive quality primary care to maintain overall good physical and mental health. Patients who are engaged in their primary healthcare live well, suffer less chronic conditions, and save healthcare costs overall. Jen believes people with pre-existing conditions and those most vulnerable among us should be afforded quality healthcare and their caregivers supported. She believes that competition between insurance companies and cost transparency are two of the best ways to keep overall healthcare costs down.

With her experience in long term care, home healthcare, nursing home care, and hospice care, Jen understands the need for comprehensive care for our older adult population. After watching the devastation that occurred in our nation’s nursing homes, Jen has been advocating for improved staffing at our facilities in addition to preventing the isolation that patients and caregivers experienced during COVID. She patroned multiple bills that ensured patients would not be isolated from loved ones nor spiritual advisors during future pandemics. A top priority in her healthcare advocacy work is mental health and accessibility. In her first legislative session, Jen introduced bills to screen for depression in emergency rooms as well as provide a continuum of care for individuals who have had an inpatient psychiatric stay. While there is still work to be done, Jen will continue to lead the fight for mental health care. Jen has been an advocate for school nurses and continues to work to have a school nurse in every school in Virginia. She knows school nurses are an invaluable way to provide health education and health screenings to children who might not otherwise have access to care. Perhaps most important is Jen’s legislative work for healthcare providers. She is a staunch advocate for workforce shortages in nursing and other allied health professions. As a healthcare provider, she consistently uses her background to provide insight and awareness of the needs of healthcare providers as an essential part of providing comprehensive and quality care for people of all ages.

PROTECTING MEDICARE & SOCIAL SECURITY

As a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, Jen has been a champion for the greatest generation and worked tirelessly to deliver the best quality of care possible for our seniors. Jen will remain a fierce advocate for seniors in Congress by fighting to protect and preserve Medicare and Social Security from being dismantled by Democrats.

Jen will also bolster Medicare advantage, expand access to telehealth services, help provide more affordable drug plan options for seniors, and aim to lower the costs of Part B premiums. Coastal Virginians Medicare recipients can rest assured, Jen will be their biggest champion in Washington.

SECURING OUR ELECTIONS

One of the first nursing rules is when the patient tells you they are in pain, you have to believe them. Clearly, our nation is hurting — Americans on both sides of the aisle have openly challenged the security and integrity of our elections, and they have completely lost faith in their elected officials to fix it.

In the State Senate, Jen has prioritized election reforms to ensure every legal vote counts and every voter has complete faith in the outcomes of our elections. She has patroned bills to ensure the accuracy of our voter rolls by comparing the Office of Vital Records lists with the Department of Elections lists with more frequency. Visiting her local Voter Registrar and keeping in close contact with their office through the election cycle is a priority for Jen. She will continue to lead the fight for election reforms in Congress by fighting to stop voting irregularities, maintain a photo ID requirement, prevent ballot harvesting, and ensure all state election officials — not just in battleground states — can keep our process secure and transparent.

HOLDING CHINA ACCOUNTABLE

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Xi Jinping are committing mass genocide, silencing freedom, stealing American jobs and intellectual property, and lying about the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak that has led to the death of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Jen knows we cannot trust China or any politician that puts the interests of the CCP ahead of the American people.

In Congress, Jen will fight for policies that hold the CCP accountable for the COVID-19 outbreak, including implementing new economic sanctions against the CCP, the WHO, or any international organization that has aided in the COVID-19 coverup. Additionally, Jen will prioritize protecting American jobs and intellectual property from being stolen by the CCP to ensure China never dictates America’s future and we remain a leader on the world stage. She believes America must be much less dependent on China for manufacturing of our goods, medications, and technology.

PROTECTING THE SANCTITY OF LIFE

Jen will focus on supporting and improving foster care, adoption, and family support services. For women, Jen has supported expanding access to birth control and contraception. Furthermore Jen will ensure that mothers have access to the highest quality of care and the resources they need to choose life. Jen has been a champion for the unborn and a lifelong defender of our pro-life values as a mother, nurse practitioner, and State Senator. In the Legislature, Jen has stood up against Democrats’ attempts to expand abortion access which force taxpayers to foot the bill for late term elective abortions in the Commonwealth.

DEFENDING THE SECOND AMENDMENT

Jen is a staunch defender of the Second Amendment who will never compromise our right to bear arms. Despite Democrat attempts in the State Senate to curtail our Second Amendment rights, Jen never backed down and voted 100% of the time to protect Virgian’s right to bear arms.

In Congress, Jen will continue to stand up for our Second Amendment rights and support policies that make it easier - not harder - for law-abiding Virginians to protect themselves and their families.