Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline – December 7, 2021

With little more than two weeks left in this 1st Session of the 117th Congress, there are numerous items that demand our attention. One such matter is funding the Federal Government for the next year. Unfortunately, Congressional Democrats have focused on spending trillions of dollars of your hard-earned money, and they have been AWOL on this issue. Instead of passing the Appropriations bills which fund the government, they have chosen, for the thirteenth time in my three years in Congress, to ram through a short-term Continuing Resolution. This is no way to run a lemonade stand much less conduct our Nation’s business.

Immigration, keeping you safe, and standing up for the unborn continue to be issues that dominated the week in Congress. My colleagues and I wrote to the Biden Administration expressing our outrage over the $450,000 payments received by those who broke our laws by entering our country illegally. In that same vein, I spoke on the House Floor regarding the dangers of replacing our tough bail system with lenient catch-and-release policies, which was highlighted by the tragedy in Waukesha, Wisconsin. On a more positive note, I was pleased that the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday in Dobbs v Jackson. This case has the potential to be a significant step forward in the Pro-Life movement.

This week I also had the pleasure to recognize the Stuarts Draft High School Cheerleading Squad for winning the Class 2 state championship. I look forward to recognizing the accomplishments of all of our Sixth District High School athletics state champions over the next several months. And finally, as always, I appreciated the opportunity to meet with constituents throughout our region. There is much work to be done on behalf of the American people as the legislative session wraps up, and I will ensure the voices of residents in our area are heard in Washington.

Shirking Responsibility:
Once again Congress failed to do its Constitutional duty to pass long-term appropriations bills to fund the government. Instead, Congressional Democrats negated their responsibility this week by simply passing a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government’s lights on through mid-February. Time and again the Democrat Majority circumvents the regular appropriations process, and this legislation’s passage marks the thirteenth time Congress has voted on this type of stop-gap funding bill since I was sworn in three years ago. This is nothing more than an extension of the negligence by Democrats in addressing the critical issues facing American families. Whether it’s the inflation crisis, the border crisis, the energy crisis, or the crisis in Afghanistan, the failures of Nancy Pelosi and the Biden Administration were on full display for the American people this week.

Perhaps Congress would not have been up against a government shutdown had the Democrats not spent months pushing a $1.75 trillion social spending bill. And while Republicans were willing to come to the table on this bill, the Left sidestepped the decades-old budget process and were not willing to negotiate in good faith. When our Nation is on the edge of a fiscal cliff and staring down a $29 trillion debt, we cannot simply continue to put a band-aid on a broken budget process and expect things to change.

Dobbs v. Jackson:
Nearly 50 years ago in 1973, when Roe v Wade was decided, babies were considered viable at 28 weeks. Since then, medical advancements have increasingly pushed the age of viability earlier and earlier. With today’s medical care, premature babies are increasingly able to survive at 22 weeks or even earlier with aggressive care. That means babies are able to live at least a month and a half earlier than they were when Roe was decided.

Fortunately, on Monday, the Supreme Court heard Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization, which has the potential to be a significant step forward for the Pro-Life movement. In 2018, Mississippi passed a law limiting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except to save the life and preserve the physical health of the mother, or in cases of severe fetal abnormality. The law was passed by overwhelming majorities in the state legislature and signed by then-Governor Phil Bryant. Because the law is in direct conflict with Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Supreme Court announced in May 2021 it would review the Mississippi law and will specifically consider the question, “Are all pre-viability bans on abortion unconstitutional?” States must have the right to protect their unborn citizens, and I am hopeful that by answering this question the Supreme Court will soon truly give them that power. Since the first day I was elected, I have worked to advance the Pro-Life movement, and I remain committed to ensuring that life always prevails.

Keeping Communities Safe:
It is becoming increasingly common in legislatures around the Nation and in Washington that the voices of victims are being drowned out by activist reformers seeking to eliminate the bail system – people who would rather see criminals walk free on our streets than see the Rule of Law upheld. Without appropriate incentives to appear before the court, we run the risk of defendants fleeing justice while victims and their families are left with nothing but fear and anguish. We cannot allow our system to fail them, as it did those in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Prior to plowing into the Christmas parade, convicted felon and career criminal, Darrell Brooks was released on an inappropriately low $1,000 bond after being arrested for punching a woman and running her over with his SUV. That is astonishing. Considering the charges and with his record, Mr. Brooks’ bail should have never been so low. I urged my colleagues on the other side of the aisle this week to think of the victims of this tragedy the next time they suggest eliminating or drastically reforming the bail system. Reasonable bail keeps criminals off the street and our communities safe.

Failed Border Policies:
Since taking office, President Biden has not only worked to open our southern border but he has incentivized illegal immigration. During the past year, a record-breaking 1.6 million illegal aliens have unlawfully entered our country. To make matters worse, the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security (DHS), and Health and Human Services (HHS) were considering payments of $450,000 per person, or close to $1 million per family, to those who illegally crossed the U.S. southern border and were separated from their families – as the law requires. Such policies only incentivize increased border crossings and more instances of dangerous criminals being released into our local communities – and it is American citizens who pay the consequences. My colleagues and I recently condemned the Administration’s plans and urged President Biden to instead compensate Americans harmed by these failed border policies. The full letter can be found here.

Honoring Champions:
As I do for every state champion team from a high school in the Sixth Congressional District, this week I took to the House Floor to recognize the Stuarts Draft High School Cheerleading squad for winning the Class 2 State title. After COVID-19 shrank the number of teams that could make it to the state tournament last spring, the Cougars fell just two points shy of qualifying for the 2020 competition. Coming off of this defeat and facing the loss of nine seniors, the team was determined to redeem themselves in the 2021 season. And after much hard work and determination, their efforts paid off, winning this year’s state championship.

The Cougars dominated the competition earning a score of 257.5 with their closest competition trailing by 35 points. With this victory in the books, Stuarts Draft Cheer has now claimed the state title in four of the past five years – highlighting just how talented this team is. Following the win, Co-captain Kay-Lee Freeman said, “To not even make it last year then come back to win, I just feel so redeemed. People said there was no way we were ever going to rebuild, but look at us now.” Congratulations again to the Stuarts Draft Cougars on this accomplishment, it’s well deserved.

Constituent Visits:
I always enjoy traveling throughout our region meeting with constituents, students, and businesses. This week I had the pleasure of touring Dynamic Aviation in Bridgewater and hearing from students at Fort Defiance High School during a “Take Your Legislator to School” event.

Dynamic Aviation (Bridgewater)

Fort Defiance High School (Fort Defiance)

COVID-19 Update:
This week in Virginia there was an average of 18.3 cases of COVID-19 per every 100,000 residents. This is up from an average of 18.1 cases from one week prior. This week’s positivity rate was 6.8%, up from 6.2% from last week. For more information, click here.

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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