Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline – April 3, 2023

This week Congress was busy wrapping up its legislative agenda before the Easter district work period. The House passed a historic energy bill that would put an end to the anti-energy policies of the Biden Administration and lower costs for American families. In my Judiciary subcommittee, I questioned an FTC official on the censorship of free speech and pressed for documents, and in Appropriations, I confronted Attorney General Garland on the DOJ and FBI’s targeting of parents. As always, it was a privilege to see and welcome friendly faces and constituents across the Capitol.

Unleashing American Energy and Lowering Costs for Families

American families continue to struggle under rising costs due to the Biden Administration’s war on American energy independence. Instead of producing cleaner energy in the United States, President Biden shut down pipelines in America while turning to authoritarian countries for oil, putting our national security at risk. Every day Americans are paying more at the pump, at the grocery store, and in their electricity bills, as they suffer under the mounting inflation caused by Democrats’ runaway spending. Americans are fed up with President Biden’s radical energy policies and woke climate agenda, which is why I am glad the House passed H.R. 1 this week.

Provisions of the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1) are:

• Increasing domestic energy production
• Reforming the permitting process for all industries
• Reversing anti-energy policies advanced by the Biden Administration
• Streamlining energy infrastructure and exports
• Boosting the production and processing of critical minerals

Click the image to see my House Floor speech urging my colleagues to support our landmark energy bill.

Ramping Up Oversight

For weeks, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been stonewalling the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee’s requests for information on its targeting of Twitter and attempts to silence Elon Musk, who has been outspoken in his support for free speech. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Responsiveness and Accountability to Oversight, I pressed the FTC official for answers on why they have not produced adequate documents pertaining to our investigation, and I won’t stop demanding answers in the fight for Americans’ constitutional right to free speech.

Click the image to watch my hearing as Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Responsiveness and Accountability to Oversight, questioning FTC official Jeanne Bumpus.

Bringing “Justice” Back to the Department of Justice

Attorney General Garland testified before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) on budget requests for the Department of Justice (DOJ), but I made sure that he would head across the hall soon and testify before the House Judiciary Committee. I pressed him for answers on the DOJ and FBI’s targeting of parents protesting their local school boards — where primary jurisdiction lies with state and local law enforcement and not the heavy hand of the weaponized Biden DOJ. Read more about my questioning of the Attorney General in a Fox News article here.

Click the image to watch my questioning of AG Garland.

Calling Out Biden’s Lies and Securing the Border

Joe Biden is gaslighting Americans with his ridiculous claims that House Republicans’ budget proposals would cut funding for border security. Despite the president’s falsehoods and distractions, the fact is it is the president’s budget, not House Republicans, that will slash $600 million for DHS. I joined “Wake Up America” on Newsmax to discuss.

Click the image to were to watch my clip on Biden’s shameful border crisis.

Constituent Meetings

Enjoyed meeting with dedicated representatives of the National Association of Postal Supervisors, who discussed successes and challenges related to postal workers.

As the 2023 Farm Bill approaches, I was pleased to meet with members of the American Sheep Industry to hear their perspectives on the legislation and related matters for the industry.

For over 50 years, the Winchester Rescue Mission has cared for the homeless. I appreciated meeting with the CEO, Brandan Thomas, to hear more about their work and how we can be of support.

It was a pleasure to meet with dedicated Property Management students of Virginia Tech and hear of their studies, as well as share the business of Congress relevant to their concentration.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Congressman. If my office can ever be of assistance, please contact my Washington office at (202) 225-5431.

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