Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline – September 21, 2021

As the District Work Period comes to an end and the House prepares to return to Washington, there is much work to be done. While Democrats plan to push a massive tax and spend agenda, I will continue to advocate for the issues most concerning to the American people like securing our southern border, fighting inflation, rescuing stranded Americans in Afghanistan, and combating crime in our cities. Congress must also address potential misconduct by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. If the reports of him circumventing the civilian Chain of Command are true, action must be taken. While I enjoyed traveling the Sixth District this past week meeting with constituents, I am prepared to address these pressing issues in Washington.

Democrats’ Tax Plan:
This week, Democrats began floating almost $3 trillion in tax increases, the largest tax increase since 1968. This crippling tax hike comes at a time when American families are dealing with a stagnant economy, skyrocketing inflation, and higher prices triggered by Democrats’ out-of-control spending. This proposal, particularly the corporate tax increase, will be shouldered by the middle-class and small businesses, send jobs and businesses fleeing overseas, and gives America’s competitors an advantage.

Middle-class families will undoubtedly bear the burden of Democrats’ corporate income tax hike from 21 percent to 26.5 percent. The Joint Committee on Taxation found that over 66 percent of the tax increase will be borne by middle- and lower-income earners. This would come in the form of wages, employment, and higher utility bills. Further, the tax plan will be detrimental to more than 21 million mom-and-pop shops because of the elimination of the Small Business Deduction, which allows small business owners to deduct 20 percent of their income.

Additionally, Democrats are planning to expand the death tax. This supercharged second death tax will force family-owned businesses to sell off assets in order to pay a massive tax bill to the IRS. Eventually, these tax changes will cost one million jobs over the long term. The Biden Administration has claimed that the majority of small businesses will be exempt from his tax hikes – but the Tax Foundation has said that’s “misleading.” In fact, almost 900,000 small businesses could be hit with Democrats’ limitation of the passthrough deduction based on 2018 IRS data. To add insult to injury, the House Democrats’ proposal provides $80 billion over the next ten years for the Internal Revenue Service to hire 87,000 new agents, which will go after American families and businesses.

The plan would also increase our corporate taxes rates to higher levels than even Communist China with a combined state-federal rate of 30.9 percent. American companies would pay this higher global minimum tax for operating abroad while also paying Democrats’ higher corporate rate for operating at home—making America even less competitive and driving jobs, manufacturing, research, and investment overseas. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, the Biden Administration’s global minimum tax would destroy up to one million U.S. jobs.

And finally, this proposal would offer a slew of special tax breaks that only the wealthiest Americans can afford. This is a bad plan for working families and a bad plan for America.

• $12,500 tax credit – Tesla model 3 ($49,990 MSRP)
• $12,500 tax credit – Tesla Model Y ($60,990 MSRP)
• $1,350 tax credit – “home energy audit,” (designer doors and windows)
• $18,000 tax credit – hydrogen fuel cell system for home ($60,000 cost)
• $10,000 tax credit – geothermal heat system for a home ($30,000 cost)
• $52,550 tax savings – additional deduction by restoring the SALT tax shelter

Border Crisis:
President Biden inherited a southern border from President Trump that was secure. Unfortunately, since taking office, the Biden Administration has worked to open the border, not secure it. Our communities are less safe because the President has stopped building the wall, brought back Catch and Release, and got rid of the Remain in Mexico policy until the courts ordered it be reimplemented. It’s simple, border security is national security, and this Administration is dropping the ball. Recently, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced 208,887 border apprehensions at the southern border in August. That is a 317 percent increase from last August and the latest sign that President Biden and the Democrats’ open border policies have created one of the worst border crises in history.

• There were 208,887 border apprehensions in August – a 317 percent INCREASE from last year.
• Border apprehensions remain at a 21-year high in August.
• August was the second straight month with over 200,000 apprehensions.
• Over 1,200,000 illegal aliens have been apprehended at the border since February 1.
• In August, Joe Biden released 43,941 illegal immigrants into the U.S. In President Trump’s last full month in office, only 17 illegal immigrants were released into the U.S.

Rep. Cline during a previous trip to the US-Mexico border.

General Milley Concerns:
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley’s mismanagement of the Afghan withdrawal was nothing short of a disaster. This, coupled with new allegations that he went outside the civilian Chain of Command, further erode confidence in his leadership and could place him in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. According to a new book authored by journalist Bob Woodward, General Milley allegedly spoke with Chinese military leadership and undermined the authority of the President. Given that these anecdotes have not been independently corroborated, my colleagues and I wrote to Secretary of Defense Austin urging him to launch a formal investigation to determine their veracity. The full letter can be found here.

The Week Ahead:
These past few weeks I’ve had the chance to travel throughout the Sixth District and meet with individual constituents in my offices, tour countless small businesses and manufacturing facilities, and participate in dozens of community events. It was so great to hear from folks and connect, and as I prepare to head back to DC next week, rest assured that I’ll voice residents’ concerns in Washington.

Unfortunately, what awaits me in DC is record levels of spending, historic tax increases, a bill that doesn’t truly address traditional infrastructure needs, and a potential increase in the debt limit. First and foremost, the $1 trillion infrastructure package that the Speaker has promised to bring to the Floor by September 27th allocates only a ridiculously small portion of funds for roads and bridges. The rest of the bill is chock-full of pork-barrel provisions added by Senators, including $50 million to combat ‘invasive plants,’ $12.7 million for ‘recreational boating safety,’ and the creation of a commission to improve gender diversity in the trucking industry, among many others. Further, the Democrats are still attempting to tie this $1 trillion bill to the larger $3.5 trillion “human infrastructure” package that does nothing but create even more big government programs. I have long advocated for the need to repair and expand our roadways across the Sixth District, including Interstate 81, but Green New Deal initiatives, universal pre-K, extensions to the child tax credit, and free community college are not infrastructure.

And how do Democrats plan to “pay” for these measures? First, they want to raise the debt limit so that they can borrow more money, which is incredibly irresponsible considering that the national debt stands around $29 trillion. This is nothing more than delaying the need to rein in spending and get our fiscal house in order. Perhaps even worse, however, is the fact that the left is now floating a massive, new $3 trillion tax plan as mentioned earlier. As we emerge from the crippling effects of COVID, forcing a corporate tax rate on the American people that is higher than even that of Communist China would be devastating to businesses and families alike.

These are just a few of the issues that will be addressed in the House in the coming weeks. But there’s much more work to be done, and rest assured I will continue to sound the alarm about the issues most important to the Sixth District. We must address the worsening crisis at our border, take steps to drive down inflation, continue working to rescue stranded Americans in Afghanistan, and combat the crime wave in our Nation’s cities. My Republican colleagues and I will not allow Speaker Pelosi to let these issues fall by the wayside.

Constituent Meetings:
As this District Work Period comes to an end, I very much enjoyed the opportunity to travel throughout the Sixth District this week meeting with folks across our region.

Rockingham County Farm Bureau 70th Annual Membership Dinner (Harrisonburg)

Massanutten Indoor WaterPark (Massanutten)

Virginia Sheriffs’ Association Annual Conference (Roanoke)

Roanoke Catholic School

COVID-19 Update:
As of September 19, 2021, Virginia has had 836,140 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 12,312. Further, according to the VDH’s COVID-19 vaccine data dashboard, as of September 19th, 5,806,630 people have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 5,019,175 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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