Last week, Trump Accounts officially launched. These are tax-advantaged investment accounts for qualified American children under the age of 18. These accounts allow families to start their children off with a $1,000 seed contribution, and the ability to continue funding it through their lives. Supporting American families has been a priority of mine since first being elected to Congress, and Trump Accounts are a great way for families to invest in their children’s futures and set them up for financial security.
Families across Virginia’s Sixth District work hard to give their children the best start possible. Too often, that work runs up against a tax code that punishes saving and rewards spending. Trump Account contributions grow over time, and the compounding that follows turns modest deposits into real assets by the time a child reaches adulthood. A family that sets aside a small amount each month can build a foundation for their child’s first home, a college degree, a trade certification, or the capital to start a business. This is a tool that respects the choices families make for themselves.
Trump Accounts reflects a simple principle. Parents know what their children need, and Trump Accounts put decisions and dollars back where they belong: with American families. If you are a parent or guardian in the Sixth District and want to learn more about eligibility, contribution limits, or how to open an account, my office is happy to assist you in taking advantage of this program.
Cosponsored Legislation to End Harmful EPA Practices
The End EPA Abuse Act stops the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using the Clean Air Act to restrict vehicle choice, force fuel switching at power plants, or impose regulations that jeopardize the electric grid or require technologies that do not exist. In recent years, the EPA has stretched a statute written to address air pollutants into a tool for engineering the American economy. It has pushed de facto electric vehicle mandates, discouraged internal combustion engines, and pressured the power sector into rapid transitions that threaten grid reliability. Several recent standards depend on technologies that are not commercially available, not technically feasible at scale, and not viable without substantial federal subsidies. Congress never authorized this. Unelected regulators wrote these rules on their own authority, and families in the Sixth District pay for them at the pump, at the dealership, and on their monthly utility bill.
This legislation draws a clear line. The federal government should not decide what type of truck a farmer in the Sixth District can buy, or force a utility to retire reliable power generation before a replacement exists. Grid operators have warned repeatedly that the pace of forced retirements outstrips new capacity, and the result is higher prices and greater risk of blackouts during the coldest and hottest days of the year. The End EPA Abuse Act codifies durable protections so that a future administration cannot revive these policies through regulatory fiat. This bill defends the working families and rural communities who bear the cost when the federal government demands they buy a certain car or forces the power sector to adopt new technology at great expense to the consumer.
Discussed the Future of Independent Colleges
Virginia’s Sixth District is home to some of the Nation’s top universities, and it is my honor to represent them as a co-chair of the Congressional Independent Colleges Caucus (CICC). The CICC is a bipartisan group of members who, like me, are passionate about furthering higher education in America and seeing how Congress can help independent colleges advance an education-focused agenda. Independent colleges are resilient, creative, and missiondriven. They provide a pathway for students of all backgrounds to pursue their goals and prepare themselves to contribute to the Nation’s economic, cultural, scientific, and social life. In the Sixth District, educational institutions anchor their communities. They employ our neighbors, educate our students, and shape the character of the Shenandoah Valley region.
These schools are also economic engines. Nationwide, independent colleges and universities directly employ more than one million people, support and sustain 3.4 million jobs, and generate $99 billion in local, State, and federal tax revenue. Their collective national economic impact reaches $652 billion. That impact comes with real pressures. Federal reporting requirements consume resources that should go toward instruction. Regulations written with large public systems in mind fall hardest on smaller institutions with limited administrative staff. Students who choose an independent college deserve the same access to federal aid as students anywhere else, and the accreditation process should reward results rather than compliance paperwork. Through the Caucus, I work to reduce burdens that do not serve students, protect the independence that makes these institutions unique and valuable, and ensure that families in the Sixth District have a genuine choice in where their children study.
Supported the USDA’s New Program for Beef Processors
Residents of the Sixth District know and appreciate the vital work our ranchers and beef processors do to feed our community and our Nation. That’s why I strongly support the USDA’s new Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers Program, or “SPUR”. Under the program, USDA will provide up to $500 million in payments to eligible beef processing establishments to support stronger and more stable market opportunities for American ranchers. These payments are intended to help processors who have faced increased costs of acquiring cattle because of the abnormally low number of cattle being raised in the United States and other conditions affecting the cattle market. Eligible entities must be beef processing establishments under federal inspection, including those inspected under the Talmadge-Aiken Cooperative Inspection Program and the Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program. They must be United States-owned, and they cannot be nationally dominant in beef processing or owned by an entity that is. This program matters to the Sixth District because our cattle producers depend on regional processors to reach the market. For decades, the beef processing industry in the United States has been heavily concentrated, and today just four companies control nearly 85 percent of the beef processing market, including two foreign-owned companies. The United States cattle herd sits at a 75-year low. When a small or midsize plant closes, the producers who relied on it lose leverage, lose options, and often lose the value-added and branded programs that made their operations viable. Preserving independent processing capacity keeps competition in the supply chain and keeps decisions closer to the people who raise the animals.
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.
