Sixth District Perspectives
with Congressman Ben Cline

     Taxpayers and the economy were the winners this week as House Republicans passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, keeping our promise to make real spending reforms as we consider raising the debt limit. Unfortunately, the President and Democrats are AWOL in this process. I also had the opportunity to press ATF Director Dettelbach on their backdoor pathway to a national gun registry. Additionally, I reintroduced the Federal Insurance Office Elimination Act, which is yet another appendage of the Biden Administration that has been taken over by the Green New Deal agenda. As always, it was a pleasure to meet with constituents and friendly faces around the Capitol. As we enter a District Work Period, I look forward to hearing from Virginians about the issues that matter most and how to make Washington work better for residents of Virginia's Sixth District.

Getting Government Spending Under Control

     President Biden’s inflationary spending has maxed out the Nation’s credit card --skyrocketing our deficit to over $6 trillion and putting our national debt at an unimaginable $31.7 trillion. American families are suffering under record-high inflation and rising interest rates. Unfortunately, instead of fixing their own failed policies, the Biden Administration wants to hike taxes, destroy America’s energy independence, and unleash 87,000 new IRS agents and staff on hardworking Americans.

     That’s why this week, House Republicans passed H.R. 2811, the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023. This legislation would limit Washington’s irresponsible spending, save taxpayer dollars, and grow the American economy. American families have to budget every day -- so should the federal government. The path we’re on is unsustainable, but House Republicans are committed to getting our country back on track for sustained economic growth.

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Defending the Second Amendment

     From day one, it’s been clear that the Biden Administration is targeting the Second Amendment. From the ATF pistol brace rule and the recent zero tolerance executive order targeting Federal Firearm Licenses (FFL), to background checks and illegal gun registries, it’s more apparent than ever that the rights of law-abiding Americans are under attack. 

     During a Judiciary Committee hearing this week, I pressed ATF Director Dettelbach on recent information from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the Gun Owners of America, which proves that the ATF is taking a backdoor approach to create an unconstitutional Federal Firearms Registry, despite congressional intent that forbids such a registry. Rest assured, while the Biden Administration continues to regulate away the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, I’m fighting to defend it. See the exchange below.

See the full exchange between ATF Director Dettelbach and I here.

Eliminating an Unnecessary Federal Agency

     As one example of weaponized DC bureaucracy, the Federal Insurance Office's (FIO) costly regulations and oppressive federal oversight of each state’s insurance markets are glaring examples of the federal government’s excessive overreach. Worse, the Biden Administration issued a 2021 Executive Order that instructs the FIO to implement its Green New Deal agenda in the regulation of state insurance markets.

     State laws protecting the availability of insurance for millions of Americans should be defended, not used as a political football. My Federal Insurance Office Elimination Act, which I was proud to reintroduce this week, will defund and repeal the ever-expanding agency. This legislation is a good first step towards draining the D.C. swamp and returning necessary oversight back to the states.

Constituent Meetings

I enjoyed meeting with George Mason University President Gregory Washington to discuss higher education in the Commonwealth, especially as our VA-06 district is home to more colleges and universities than almost any other congressional district in the Nation.

BWXT Technologies, which has been a nuclear innovator for over 60 years, has been a longtime employer for southwestern Virginians. I enjoyed catching up with their team and hearing their views on how Congress can continue to support the mission of nuclear innovation. 

The 340B Drug Program is a vital tool for federally qualified health centers to offer services to patients. It was great to hear the perspective of representatives of the Carilion Clinic from our district as to successes of the program and areas for improvement.

The Young Doctors Project, with a chapter in Roanoke, trains and educates high school students on the importance of health care, and helps establish a professional pipeline for students to go into the medical field after college. This program is vital to medically revitalizing communities with hometown talent, and it was a pleasure for my staff and I to meet them this week. 

     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. 

     For the latest updates from Washington and across the Sixth District, please follow my Facebook and Twitter pages.