Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline – February 7, 2022

It was a solemn week across the Sixth District following the devastating shooting at Bridgewater College, which resulted in the deaths of two beloved officers. Our community grieves the tragic passing of Campus Officers John Painter and J.J. Jefferson, who lost their lives while protecting the students for which they cared so deeply. The funeral for these heroes will take place on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, at the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg. Attendees are encouraged to wear “thin blue line” attire or black and blue in honor of the law enforcement officers. More information on the service can be found here.

Honoring Fallen Heroes:
I was shocked and saddened by the tragic events that occurred at Bridgewater College this past week. My prayers remain with the families of Officers John Painter and J.J. Jefferson who were killed while protecting students on campus. Our community is forever grateful for their heroism, and their memory will not soon be forgotten. In the coming weeks, I intend to honor these brave officers’ sacrifice on the House Floor to ensure their legacy shall forever remain in the Congressional Record. I’d also like to thank the various law enforcement agencies that responded – their swift response certainly prevented even greater loss of life.

Protecting Patients’ Rights:
From North Carolina, to Boston, to right here in Virginia, patients are being denied organ transplants solely based on their vaccination status. It’s unimaginable that a health care facility in the United States would deny American citizens life-saving medical treatment on the condition of being vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s why I introduced the Stop Arduous Vaccine Enforcement (SAVE) Act, which would prohibit this kind of discrimination by organ transplant centers. This legislation is not anti-vaccine, it’s about making sure individuals get the treatment they need. The SAVE Act is also being supported by health care organizations like the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. Read more about the bill here.

Securing our Homeland:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced that they had lost track of 47,705 illegal aliens who were conditionally released from custody with a Notice to Report but failed to check in with authorities between March and August of 2021. These reports prompted me to write a letter to ICE demanding accountability and information, and I was pleased to be joined by 80 of my colleagues in doing so. Catch and Release was a failure during the Obama Administration and is once again failing under President Biden. Those who unlawfully cross our border should be detained and deported, not released into the interior of our country on an unenforceable promise to reappear. It is nothing short of reckless for the Biden Administration to lose track of nearly 48,000 illegal aliens. Catch and Release make Americans less safe, and the program must be halted immediately. Read the full letter here.

Conceding to China:
Partisanship was once again the rule of the day as Speaker Pelosi jammed through a massive messaging bill that prioritizes Democrats’ radical socialist agenda and ignores the serious challenges our country is facing in regard to China. Despite being branded as legislation to compete with China, the bill failed to address the growing threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and was instead a grab bag of handouts and irresponsible expansions of government subsidies.

• Authorizes $8 billion for the Green Climate Fund, a U.N. slush fund that has already sent $100 million to the Chinese Communist Party.
• Creates “Climate Change Officers” within the Foreign Service, weakening our diplomats’ focus on core U.S. national interests.
• Fails to include numerous recommendations from the House China Task Force that would more directly counter China’s malign influence in the U.S. and abroad.
• Attempts to cover up for the Biden Administration’s giveaway of $40 billion in no-strings-attached IMF money to the CCP last spring, and their support for an additional $130 billion last summer.
• Includes a $45 billion slush fund prioritizing labor unions and other political allies of the Biden administration.
• Fails to hold China accountable for its role in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recognizing “Sarge” Mayne:
This week, I took to the House Floor to honor the legacy of Master Sergeant Robert Mayne, who impacted the lives of countless Lynchburg students throughout his nearly 40-year career at E.C. Glass High School. “Sarge,” as he was known to those close to him, joined the military in 1941 and served as a tail gunner in the Martin B-26 Bomber where he flew 70 combat missions, many of which were over France during the Normandy invasion. After more than 27 years of service, he retired from active duty in 1968. That same year, Sarge joined E.C. Glass to teach and lead the school’s newly-formed Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Following the spearheading of the J.R.O.T.C. Program for twenty years, he continued his work at the high school for another 19 as a special education teacher and as an assistant to school administrators. Even after retiring in 2007, Sarge continued to serve as a role model, sharing his experiences with students. Master Sergeant Robert Mayne passed away last week at the age of 98, and our community mourns his loss and thanks to him for his service.

Chatting with Students:
Since taking office, it has been a priority of mine to meet with students across the Sixth District. As they prepare for the next steps in their lives, I wish to instill in them the importance of service to others. This week, I visited Lylburn Downing Middle School in Lexington and enjoyed discussing the legislative process with civics classes. While there, I handed out pocket Constitutions and spoke of the importance this founding document plays in our everyday lives. I look forward to meeting with even more students in the weeks to come.

Mobile Office Hours:
Virginia’s Sixth District stretches more than 150 miles from Strasburg in the north to Roanoke in the south. While I have four District offices throughout our region in Harrisonburg, Staunton, Roanoke, and Lynchburg, my goal has always been to make myself and my staff as accessible as possible to folks in the Sixth District. For that reason, my staff regularly hold Mobile Office Hours throughout the District to assist residents who don’t live near district offices with any issues they may have with a Federal agency, as well as hear folks’ concerns regarding legislative matters. This coming week, my staff will hold Mobile Office Hours in Luray, Fincastle, Warm Springs, and Monterey. For more information, please visit my website here.

COVID-19 Update:
This week in Virginia there was an average of 95.7 cases of COVID-19 per every 100,000 residents. This is down from an average of 130 cases from one week prior. This week’s positivity rate was 25.2%, down from 27.7% 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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