Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline – June 13, 2021

With the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget testifying before the House Budget Committee last Wednesday, the President’s Budget proposal was the focus of the week. Unfortunately, the proposal is full of deficit spending, prioritizing issues like the Green New Deal rather than securing our southern border. As inflation continues to rise, we simply cannot afford to spend the way this Administration has since taking office a mere six months ago. This week, I also joined my colleagues in writing a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture encouraging the Department to expedite relief to our Nation’s poultry growers. Additionally, I continued meeting with constituents both in-person and virtually to connect with those I am privileged to represent. As the House prepares to return to Washington next week, know that I will continue fighting for the residents of the Sixth District and ensure your voices are heard in DC.

Budget Boondoggle:
This week, the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget testified before the House Budget Committee in an attempt to defend President Biden’s bloated budget proposal. This nightmare will explode the deficit and lead to skyrocketing inflation rates while harming our families and our small businesses in the process. The President’s proposal spends more than $6 trillion a year for the next decade and adds $1.3 trillion to the deficit each year – $14.5 trillion over ten years. Further, the proposal includes $55 trillion in taxes through 2032 and breaks President Biden’s promise of not raising taxes on those making less than $400,000 by allowing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to expire. This will hurt small businesses and jobs and take money out of the pockets of hard-working Americans. On top of this, the President’s Budget threatens our National Security by funding our military at the lowest level, as a percentage of the economy, since WWII and gives $124 million to the World Health Organization despite its failure to hold China accountable for the COVID-19 pandemic. The President’s proposal also spends $528 billion to push a Green New Deal agenda. All of this deficit spending will have consequences, and the budget projects only a 1.9% yearly economic growth rate for the majority of the next 10 years – well below the 75-year average of 3%. The President’s Budget is wrong for the American people. I spoke with WSVA about the proposal here.

Inflation:
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May accelerated at its fastest pace in nearly 13 years as inflation pressures continue to build due to President Biden’s unprecedented government spending. As a result of the trillions of dollars this Administration has already spent, the cost of everyday items is increasing at record levels. Gasoline is 56.2% more expensive today than 12 months ago, transportation services are up 11.2% since this time last year, and, together, food and energy prices have increased 3.8%, which is the fastest rate since 1992. Congress must rein in spending to protect the wallets of the American people and ensure the long-term viability of our economy.

Border Crisis:
It has been more than 80 days since Vice-President Harris was named the Biden Administration’s Border Czar. And while she made time to visit Guatemala and Mexico this week, the Vice President has ignored the raging immigration crisis here at home and neglected to visit our southern border to see the crisis she is “managing” firsthand. When confronted by NBC Reporter, Lester Holt, about why she has not been to the border, she laughed and retorted that she had not been to Europe either. The fact that she thought it’s appropriate to joke about the dire immigration situation highlights how incapable of overseeing this crisis she really is. With a 21-year high of 180,034 encounters at the border last month, something needs to change. May marked the third straight month of 170,000+ apprehensions of migrants illegally crossing the border, which hasn’t occurred since 2000. President Biden’s statement that border crossings are “way down, we’ve now gotten control” is becoming less and less true as each day passes. Worse yet, President Biden’s budget proposal includes only a 0.1% increase in funding for the Department of Homeland Security. This is unacceptable, and this week, I pressed the Acting OMB Director about the Administration’s failure to prioritize border security in the FY22 Budget. The President is not taking this crisis seriously, and in order to ensure the safety and security of our Nation, his administration must finish the wall, stop catch and release, reinstate the Remain in Mexico asylum policy, so we can restore order at the border, and provide the resources necessary to Border Patrol to allow them to do their jobs effectively.

Poultry Growers:
Poultry growers are a vital part of our District’s economy. Broiler chickens are the number one farm commodity in Virginia, contributing more than $900 million to the Commonwealth’s economy. The industry directly employs 18,743 people throughout Virginia and indirectly supports an additional 34,835 jobs. However, like most industries, the COVID-19 pandemic severely harmed the poultry industry as demand for products dropped, which threatened the livelihood of chicken farmers. That is why I recently joined my colleagues in writing the below bipartisan, bicameral letter in support of expediting the process of administering payments to agricultural workers negatively impacted by COVID-19. Many deserving chicken growers were initially excluded from the funding promised to them in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, and we must protect our agricultural workers and the industry by administering timely payments to these important contributors to Virginia’s economy. Click here or the image below to read the full letter.

Modine:
Modine Manufacturing Company is an industry leader in thermal management, pioneering ways to better design and manufacture heat transfer products in an impressive variety of markets. The products Modine works with range from commercial and off-highway vehicles to industrial centers to refrigeration and much more. Recently, the company invested $7 million to convert its Rockbridge County warehouse into a full-scale manufacturing plant that will produce data center cooling solutions and is expected to create 60 jobs. This week, I enjoyed meeting employees and touring their existing facility in Buena Vista. I’m excited about the company’s expansion in our area.

Virtual Meetings:

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

American Nurses Association

Plastic Industry Association

American Israel Public Affairs Committee

COVID Update:
As of June 13, 2021, Virginia has had 677,671 total cases of COVID-19, including confirmed lab tests and clinical diagnoses, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The current death toll in the Commonwealth stands at 11,293. Further, according to the VDH’s COVID-19 vaccine data dashboard, as of June 13th, 4,846,193 people have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 4,033,614 people are fully vaccinated.

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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