Dear Editor,
Congressman Ben Cline in an ‘Opinion’ published in your August 21st issue was positively ebullient about the Trump administration’s handling of the economy and all other matters affecting southwestern Virginia. He comes across as joyful as if AIPAC just filled his campaign coffers again (he got $22,501 in 23-24, his largest donation). I wonder if this legal bribery has anything to do with his steadfast support for the Zionist Israeli regime responsible for the bombing or starvation deaths of over 18,500 Palestinian children and the injuring of 33,500? And 21,000 children in Gaza are missing, likely dead under the rubble. Children are not Hamas or terrorists. Regardless of Israel’s many crimes against humanity, Mr. Cline seems unbothered and continues to stand with Israel. He claims to be a faithful Christian, worshiping God at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Lexington. Yet he disregards the behest of his denomination’s leader, Pope Leo XIV, who at his first Sunday blessing as pope at St. Peter’s Basilica, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and emphasized the delivery of humanitarian aid. The Pope spoke of the harrowing reality of Gaza by describing “parents… clutch[ing] the lifeless bodies oof their children,” and urged global leaders to “cease fire, release all hostages, [and] fully respect humanitarian law.” Where is Mr. Cline’s conscience?
Congressman Cline devoted most of his ‘Opinion’ last week claiming how good things are for us citizens under Republican rule. He wrote,” I was encouraged to see that wages are growing for Americans while prices for every day goods are falling, helping hard-working families, keep more of what they earn.” I guess his wife does the shopping because if you been in our supermarkets lately, as I have, you have not seen prices dropping, but just the opposite. Further, I doubt parents found that school necessities had become cheaper when they did heir
back-to-school shopping. As for his claim about wage growth, those figures come from the Trump administration so they’ll need some serious fact-checking.
In the months ahead, many of Congressman Cline’s constituents will begin their holiday shopping. They’ll be paying Trump’s tariffs. Already, DHL said it would “no longer be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers” destined for the United States. Asian postal services, including SingPost and India’s Department of Posts, also announced plans to halt shipments to the U.S. In May, the Trump administration revoked the exception for China and Hong Kong, affecting popular cheap retailers such as Temu and Shein. Last month that change was extended to shipments coming into the U.S. from all countries. Businesses could face an $80 per item charge for packages sent from countries with a tariff rate less than 16 percent. Parcels sent from countries with a tariff rate between 16% and 25% could see costs as high as $160. Countries with tariff rates above 25% would see a $200 per item fee incurred, according to Trump’s executive order.
Also in Mr. Cline’s Aug. 24th ‘Opinion’, he claims to be, “Celebrating the 90th anniversary of Social Security” and goes on to write that “it is a vital program, which has and continues to provide millions of Americans with the income security they’ve earned…” And then lauds President Trump for kicking 275,000 “illegal aliens” off of Social Security. Doesn’t he know that a lot of undocumented immigrants contribute to Social Security via payroll taxes? Yet they are not eligible for benefits. But even if all 275,000 removed were actually receiving benefits, this number is only a tiny fraction of Social Security’s 70 million beneficiaries. If Congressman Cline is so appreciative of Social Security, he should be submitting legislation to fix the program’s long-term financial insolvency. Deporting undocumented workers could reduce future contributions—potentially costing Social Security more than it saves.
Before closing, I want to remind your readers that Congressman Cline voted for the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that made massive cuts to our national safety net for the poor. The bi-partisan Congressional Budget Office projects that approximately 11.8 million Americans will lose their Medicaid health insurance coverage under the new law. The law includes over $1.2 trillion in federal spending reductions primarily targeting Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps). In this law, for the first time, Medicaid recipients from age 19 to 64—must fulfill 80 work hours per month; with limited exemptions applying.
Voters in the 6th Congressional District should keep these thing in mind next November when they cast their votes.
Sincerely,
Michael Bentley
Salem
