Foxx was born in the Bronx boroughofNew York City, to Dollie (née Garrison) and Nunzio John Palmieri. She was raised in a rural area of Avery County, North Carolina. Foxx grew up in a poor family and first lived in a home with running water and electricity at age 14.[4]
Virginia Foxx talking with constituents in Yadkinville, NC
Foxx was first elected to the U.S. House in 2004, defeating Jim Harrell, Jr. with 59% of the vote.[11]
Foxx was briefly targeted for defeat in the 2006 elections, but the Democrats' top choice, Winston-Salem mayor Allen Joines, decided not to run. Joines later said he lacked the stomach for the kind of race he felt it would take to defeat Foxx.[12] Her 2006 opponent was Roger Sharpe, whom she defeated.
Roy Carter of Ashe County was Foxx's opponent in the 2008 election; she won by a substantial margin.
In 2010, Foxx was reelected with about 65% of the vote.[13]
In 2014, Foxx was reelected with about 60% of the vote, defeating software developer Josh Brannon.[14]
In 2016, Foxx was reelected with about 59% of the vote, again over Brannon.[15]
In 2018, Foxx was reelected with 57% of the vote, defeating DD Adams, a council member for the North Ward of Winston-Salem.[16]
In the 2020 general election, Foxx won over 66% of the vote, defeating Democrat David Brown.[17]
In 2022, Foxx sought re-election in the redrawn 5th congressional district, which favored Republicans.[18] Foxx was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in 2021.[19] She defeated Democrat Kyle Parrish, 63.2–36.8%.[20]
In January 2013, Foxx co-sponsored legislation that would stop children born in the United States to undocumented parents from gaining citizenship.[22]
In May 2021, Foxx became the fifth Republican representative to be fined for evading metal detectors put in place outside the chamber after the January 2021 storming of the Capitol. Foxx ran through the magnetometer, setting it off, and ignored officers attempting to prevent her entering the House floor.[23][24][25]
Foxx has been known for frequently scolding reporters and staff for being on or near members-only elevators in Capitol buildings.[26] In October 2023 while amongst Republicans gathered for a press conference for then-House speaker nominee Mike Johnson, she was scrutinized for screaming at a reporter to "go away" and "shut up" when he was asked to speak about his efforts to overturn the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.[27][28][29]
Foxx opposes legal access to abortion. She voted for a bill to repeal a rule requiring state and local governments to distribute federal funds to qualified health centers, even if they perform abortions.[30] In 2014 Foxx was asked whether there were any conditions under which she considered abortion acceptable. She replied that, even in the case of rape, incest, or the health of the mother, no exception should be made to justify abortion.[31]
An opponent of the Affordable Care Act, she has said, "we have more to fear from the potential of the Affordable Health Care for America Act passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country."[34][35] When commenting on the House version of the reform bill that funds counseling for end-of-life issues, Foxx said, "Republicans have a better solution that won't put the government in charge of people's health care" and "[The plan] is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government."[36]
In April 2009, Foxx expressed opposition to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, claiming that Matthew Shepard's murder was not a hate crime. While debating the act in the House, she called the murder a "very unfortunate incident" but claimed "we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay." She ultimately called that allegation "a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing hate crimes bills."[37] Some media outlets, including The New York Times,[38]The Washington Post,[39] and The Huffington Post,[40] criticized her statements, as did Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz.[41] Democratic sources claimed that Matthew Shepard's mother was present during Foxx's statements.[41]
Foxx later retracted her comments, suggesting her use of the word "hoax" was in bad taste.[42] She suggested that Shepard's murder was a tragedy and that his killers had received appropriate justice.[42]
In December 2022, Foxx voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified same-sex and interracial marriage rights into federal law.[46][47][48]
She introduced the 'Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act' (H.R. 1313; 115th Congress) in 2017.[49] The bill would eliminate the genetic privacy protections of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–233); allow companies to require employees to undergo genetic testing or risk paying a penalty of thousands of dollars; and let employers see that genetic and other health information.[50][51]
On January 6, 2021, Foxx was one of 147 Republican lawmakers who objected to the certification of electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election.[53]
In December 2020, Foxx voted against the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE).[54] According to financial disclosure reports, she has made at least six investments in Altria, one of the world's largest tobacco companies and a leader in the burgeoning U.S. cannabis industry, since September 2020.[55] In all, records show she has purchased somewhere between $79,000 and $210,000 in Altria stock.[56]
^Sexton, Scott (January 12, 2006). "Nasty battle against Foxx didn't suit Joines' style". Winston-Salem Journal. ProQuest370121068. [Allen Joines] didn't have the stomach to run against U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-5th.
^"House Results Map". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 8, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
^Taniş, Tolga (January 6, 2011). "Ermeni tasarısı iki yıl yok". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
* Alternately named Economic and Educational Opportunities in 104th Congress and Education and the Workforce in 105th through 109th and 112th through 115th Congresses.
