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| | Special Report: Biden's First 100 Days
with Congressman Ben Cline
Regardless of party, the American people expect Congress to act on their behalf, and I have made it a practice to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address many of the critical issues facing our Nation. Bipartisanship must be the goal in moving the country forward, and I was hopeful that following President Biden's calls for unity in his inauguration speech he would govern in a productive and positive manner. But sadly, the President has abandoned his pledges of unity and bipartisanship and has completely ceded to the left-wing base of his party. In his first 100 days, he has created a dangerous crisis at the southern border that threatens our national and health security, refused to lead the way in reopening our schools and our businesses, gutted thousands of jobs, bailed out failed liberal states and cities with taxpayer dollars, made moves to raise taxes on American families, and proposed or spent nearly $6 trillion in an effort to fundamentally alter our economy and push our Nation further into the abyss financially. This Administration and the Democrat Party no longer think in terms of millions or billions of dollars, but rather trillions, and American workers and families will soon pay the price for the runaway deficit spending we've seen over the past few months.
Border Crisis:
Through promises of amnesty and open borders, the Biden Administration has created an out-of-control surge of illegal immigrants and drugs along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Customs and Border Protection, there has been more than a 400 percent increase in the number of migrants apprehended in March 2021 compared to March 2020, and there has been a 233 percent increase in fentanyl seizures at the border. President Biden refuses to take responsibility for his actions, and Vice President Harris, who has been tasked with handling this crisis, has yet to visit the southern border. This crisis is only getting worse, and with nearly 520,000 migrants having already crossed the border since January, we are on track to hit more than 2 million illegal crossings by the end of this fiscal year. As holding facilities continue to exceed capacity, the Biden Administration has even gone so far as to sign a six-month, $86 million contract to put illegal aliens up in hotels, which is ridiculous considering our homeless veterans don't even get this kind of treatment. Further, 40 percent of Border Patrol agents are being pulled away from their national security duties to help manage the humanitarian issues in holding facilities - meaning there is less manpower at the border. This crisis is the result of failed border policies this Administration has implemented since President Biden took office.
- Halted construction of the border wall
- Reduced immigration enforcement
- Reimplemented “Catch and Release”
- Ended "Remain in Mexico" policy
- Promised citizenship for millions causing caravans to race to the border
- Canceled asylum agreements with our Central and South American partners
Election Payback in Disguise:
We all agree that we must improve our crumbling roads and bridges, and fixing our Nation's infrastructure should be a bipartisan issue. However, sadly, the Biden Administration has found a way to ensure that it is not. The recently proposed $2.25 trillion package offered by the President and Speaker Pelosi fails to prioritize traditional infrastructure needs. Instead, it includes $174 billion to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, $213 billion for sustainable housing, $35 billion for climate science research, $45 billion for the EPA, $10 billion for a Civilian Climate Corps, and $27 billion for a National Green Bank. To make matters worse, the Biden Administration plans to pass the largest tax increase in more than 30 years to help pay for it. I stand ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help revitalize our Nation's infrastructure such as I-81. But any plan must be fiscally responsible, a true transportation bill and not climate legislation, and address the needs of rural communities like ours.
Court Packing:
The Democrat Majority has shown their willingness to fundamentally alter our National institutions simply to consolidate their power, including taking action to pack the Supreme Court. President Biden has launched a commission to study expanding the Supreme Court, and House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler has introduced legislation to increase the number of Justices from 9 to 13. Packing the Supreme Court simply because one party doesn't like the current makeup or is seeking revenge for past appointments is reckless and the epitome of partisanship. The idea of packing the court has been viewed as nonsensical even by prominent members of the Democrat Party and the High Court's most liberal Justices. Hopefully, the House Majority and this Administration will listen to the words of those that came before them.
- When President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose portrait is prominently displayed above the fireplace in President Biden’s Oval Office, attempted to pack the Supreme Court to push his political agenda, Democrats in 1937 argued this plan should be so “emphatically rejected that its parallel will never again be presented”.
- Then-Senator Joe Biden warned in 1983 that court packing could “put in question, if for an entire decade, the independence of the most significant body...in this country, the Supreme Court of the United States of America.”
- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said: “There are some people on the Democratic side who would like to increase the number of judges. I think that was a bad idea…if anything would make the court appear partisan.”
- Justice Steven Breyer said recently: “Structural alteration [to the Court] motivated by the perception of political influence can only feed that perception, further eroding that trust.”
DC Statehood:
Not caring that a majority of Americans do not support DC statehood, House Democrats recently jammed through H.R. 51, which would make the District of Columbia a state and effectively add two new Democrats to the Senate. While the Founders never intended for the Capital to be a state, I recognize that every American deserves to have an equal voice in Congress. That is why I support the DC-Maryland Reunion Act, which would transfer the residential portions of DC back to Maryland, which is what had previously been done with Arlington and Virginia. This bill would give current DC residents full voting rights as new Maryland residents, avoiding any need for a 51st state.
Green New Deal:
Rather than continue Trump-era policies that had our Nation on track toward energy independence and allowed the U.S. to export more crude and petroleum products than we imported for the first time since 1991, the Biden Administration launched an all-out assault on this country’s energy industry through executive orders. Among his first major acts, President Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline, rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, and suspended new oil and gas leasing on federal land. These moves made it clear that he plans to prioritize a Green New Deal Agenda rather than working to secure America’s energy independence and ensure our national security. These actions are a threat to millions of American jobs, which makes Biden's approach toward energy policy all the more concerning.
Further, this Administration and Congressional Democrats have fully embraced the Green New Deal, which was recently reintroduced. If somehow the policy initiatives called for in the resolution were to be implemented, it could cost $93 trillion over the next ten years, which is more money than the Federal Government has spent combined since 1979. In the name of “climate justice,” this outrageous proposal would crush jobs, cost an average American household nearly $700,000 through 2029, provide paychecks for people unwilling to work, abolish airplanes, fossil fuels, and would require the rebuilding or retrofitting of “all existing buildings” in America. Moreover, it calls for a ban on affordable energy that heats our homes and the elimination of 99% of cars that aren’t “zero-emission vehicle.” The resolution is a plan that even Speaker Pelosi has called, "the green dream or whatever they call it."
While most recognize this plan will never actually come to fruition, it highlights the belief that rather than seeking energy independence through non-government innovation and the free-market, it plans to continue looking to the government as opposed to the private sector to address our Nation's energy needs. I am a supporter of an “all of the above” energy strategy to meet the current global energy need. Wind, solar, nuclear, hydro, natural gas, renewable nanotechnologies, and fossil fuel usage should all be encouraged, and I am optimistic that consumers will have clean, safe, and reliable choices well into the future. The Green New Deal is a distraction to the discussion of envisioning a 21st Century America that is energy independent, leading in clean energy through private sector innovation, with a prosperous free-market economy offering opportunity for all.
Second Amendment:
President Biden has made clear his disdain for the Second Amendment and the House Majority has, in turn, sought to restrict the constitutional rights of Americans. Two bills that the Administration has supported and the House passed this year are H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446. These bills continue the systematic and coordinated attempt by the Democrat Party to undermine our Second Amendment rights. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle claim that these bills will save lives. However, nothing in them would have stopped any of the recent mass casualty shootings that have occurred in our country. Rather than go after criminals who break the law, Democrats want to create a false narrative that will criminalize private gun ownership. Democrats will tell you that these bills close loopholes. However, the loophole that they believe exists is that law-abiding Americans are able to own guns. The sole objective of this gun control package and other anti-firearm initiatives pushed by this Administration is to remove constitutional safeguards and put in place criminal penalties that would unjustly go after responsible gun owners. The Second Amendment is crystal clear that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed. Our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution to protect us from the government and gave individuals the Second Amendment to protect themselves and their families. I voted no on these two bills and will continue to defend the Second Amendment as the Administration and Speaker Pelosi continue their efforts to undermine our constitutional rights.
Stifling Workers' Rights:
Since taking office, President Biden has prioritized big labor unions rather than actual workers. Recently, the Democrat-controlled House, with the Administration's support, passed the PRO Act. This bill would more appropriately be titled the PRO Union Bosses Act, because it is nothing more than a political gift to labor unions at the expense of workers, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and consumers. H.R. 842 would wipe out right-to-work laws in 27 states, including here in Virginia. This bill undermines worker rights, traps employers in unrelated labor disputes, wreaks havoc on the economy, and forces Americans to join a union. No one should ever be forced to join a union simply to hold a job or be required to pay dues toward an organization that doesn’t share their values. This country was founded on the principle that every American deserves the right to create their own success from their own hard work, but at its core, this bill strips citizens of their liberty. As our Founding Father and fellow Virginian Thomas Jefferson said, “To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical.” I will continue to stand with American workers, which is why I introduced the National Right-to-Work Act with my GOP colleagues. This legislation ensures that no American is forced to join a union to keep a job by erasing automatic-dues clauses in federal statute.
Weakening Election Security:
The Constitution vests primary responsibility in state legislatures to set the “times, places, and manner” of congressional elections, allowing states and localities to determine how best to conduct elections that suit the needs of voters in their communities. However, the Biden Administration supported H.R. 1, which passed in the House in early March. This bill reverses the longstanding history of state control over the electoral process and makes unconstitutional changes to our election laws through a top-down federal power grab. Further, rather than strengthening the election process by working with Republicans to find bipartisan solutions, this bill was written without any input from Republican Members. A few of the most ridiculous provisions embraced by President Biden included in this bill are listed below:
- Allows politicians to line their campaign coffers with taxpayer funds
- Nullifies state voter ID laws
- Mandates that states allow ballot harvesting
- Mandates same-day registration in all 50 states
- Abolishes the signature/notarization requirements for mail-in ballots
- Mandates that absentee ballots be accepted up to 10 days after Election Day
Executive Orders:
On the campaign trail President Biden said, “You can’t [legislate] by executive order unless you’re a dictator… We need consensus.” 100 days later President Biden -- loving his dictatorial pen and forgetting the need for consensus -- has smashed modern records for executive actions in his first 100 days, signing nearly double that of Presidents Trump and Obama in the same time frame. Biden’s orders include halting construction of the border wall thus opening the gates for the current border crisis, lifting the travel ban on terrorist-ravaged countries, stopping the U.S. from withdrawing from the WHO, and ruining women’s sports by allowing biological men to compete against them. Worse yet, his orders took thousands of jobs away from hardworking Americans by canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline, rejoining the Paris Climate Accord and subjugating the U.S. to energy standards China and India won’t follow, and suspending new oil and gas leasing on federal land. This is a far cry from the “consensus” in governance Joe Biden has preached about. Having been in Washington for 50 years, President Biden should know what regular order is – we must get back to Congress doing the legislating and the Executive enforcing it.
During his inauguration speech, President Biden talked about unity and bipartisanship. His first 100 days have had little of both. Instead, his term has been hijacked by Speaker Pelosi and the Squad, leading to a far-left tax and spend government knows best policy approach that will push our country further into debt. His policy proposals will fundamentally change the role government plays in citizen’s lives from cradle to grave. The United States is headed down a slippery slope, and I will stop this degression by fighting for less government, more self-reliance, energy independence, and protecting the most innocent among – the unborn. The President has a choice – reverse course before it’s too late or preside over a Nation that is no longer the “Shining City Upon a Hill” highlighted by President Reagan.
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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