Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline

While the Christmas and holiday season is a time to celebrate and reflect on God's blessings in our lives, the New Year is a time to look back on the first half of the 119th Congress. One thing has remained constant: I am deeply grateful to the people of Virginia's Sixth District for trusting me to serve as your Congressman and your voice in Congress. It is the honor of a lifetime. As we look ahead to 2026 and continue to address the critical issues facing our Nation, I want to take a moment to update you on my office's work on your behalf over the past twelve months.

Legislative Accomplishments

In 2025, I was proud to support a series of major legislative efforts that cut red tape, strengthen our communities, and advance the America First agenda. Over the past year, I introduced 20 bills and I have cosponsored 198 bills. I am especially proud that half of the bills I sponsored were bipartisan, reflecting a commitment to working across the aisle for the benefit of the people of the Sixth District. Several of these measures advanced through committee, including my Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, which passed out of the Judiciary Committee. This bill would require federal regulators to assess the full economic effects of proposed regulations on small businesses and consider alternative measures to prevent additional burdensome regulations from going into effect and harming Main Street. In addition, my Protecting Our Courts from Foreign Manipulation Act ensures that decisions in our courtrooms are guided by justice, not by hidden foreign interests. The bill, which also passed the House Judiciary Committee, would protect American courts from threats posed by foreign entities seeking to manipulate legal and regulatory processes in the United States. I was also proud to vote for H.R. 1, the cornerstone of the America First agenda. This legislation delivers historic tax relief, reins in Washington's out-of-control spending, roots out waste and fraud, unleashes economic growth, and takes real steps to restore our nation's fiscal health. It puts us firmly on the path to making America safe, strong, and prosperous again. Finally, I was honored to stand with President Trump as he signed the Rescission Relief Act, which provides $9 billion in rescissions. This law returns taxpayer dollars from projects the Administration identified as wasteful and redirects them toward efforts that serve the American people. As we head into 2026, rest assured that I will continue fighting for the commonsense values we share and the issues that matter most to the families of Virginia's Sixth District.

Working for You

While my D.C. office handles legislative issues I work on in Congress and my responses to your legislative inquiries, I also have District offices located in Harrisonburg, Winchester, Staunton, and Roanoke where my staff assists constituents in communicating with federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, my offices and I also handle congressional nominations to the United States Service Academies and an array of other services including offering Capitol flag requests, Washington tours, and more listed on my website.

My team and I have worked hard to serve Virginia's Sixth District by meeting with constituents, answering questions, and providing assistance. The results in 2025 speak for themselves:

$29,766,030 total amount our office has recovered for constituents this year

54,926 completed responses to constituent calls, emails and letters

1,492 constituents helped through casework this year

Delivering on the America First Agenda

After nearly a year of the Republican trifecta in place in Washington, we have taken the opportunity to deliver meaningful relief for the American people. With H.R. 1 signed into law, many of the core principles of the America First agenda, including historic tax relief for working families are in effect. Under the previous administration, families faced rising costs, burdensome regulations, and a federal government more focused on growing itself than serving its citizens. Inflation chipped away at every paycheck and small businesses struggled to stay open. H.R. 1 reined in waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government while preventing the largest tax hike in our nation's history. It puts more money directly into the pockets of working Americans by cutting taxes on tips and overtime pay. It provides bold tax relief for families and small businesses, giving communities across Virginia the chance to grow and succeed. This legislation is a strong step forward for the America First agenda and serves as the principal vehicle to restore fiscal sanity by reining in Washington's out-of-control spending, rooting out waste, and beginning the work of rebuilding our economic strength.

This legislation delivered real results for Virginians who will see their take-home pay increase by as much as $14,800. Americans earning between $15,000 and $80,000 will receive a 15% tax cut. Tipped workers will save an average of $1,500 each year and a majority of seniors will no longer pay taxes on their Social Security benefits. These provisions provide meaningful relief to hardworking Americans who deserve to keep more of what they earn. Republicans also worked throughout the year to cut wasteful spending and confront the layers of waste, fraud, and abuse that have piled up at federal agencies. We have disapproved more than 20 rules from the Biden administration and took steps to roll back the regulations that drove prices higher for consumers and small businesses. Our work is not finished, but this year's progress marks an important step toward our core mission in restoring fiscal responsibility and strengthening economic opportunity for families across the country.

Interstate-81 Money Secured

This year I worked to secure an additional $17 million in the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill. This funding, passed by the House Appropriations Committee, is dedicated directly to improving I-81. Each year, more than 12 million commercial trucks travel this corridor, and as traffic continues to surge, modernizing the highway is essential to support on-time deliveries, ease congestion, and prevent costly disruptions that hurt local businesses and national commerce.

I-81 was built more than 50 years ago and has not kept pace with current freight and travel demands as an economic backbone of our region. The highway alone moves more than $300 billion in goods each year and connects our communities to jobs, opportunity, and growth. Since coming to Congress, I have worked to ensure that federal support for the I-81 corridor remains a priority. Federal interstates receive funding through the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gas tax. The current I-81 Program totals $3.9 billion, which is funded through the Interstate Operations and Enhancement Program (IOEP), fuels tax revenues, and other federal funding by Congress. From January 2025 to June 2025, fuel-tax revenues for I-81 specifically totaled $465.7 million. As part of the Appropriations process, I have secured millions of dollars in funding across several years in the House Transportation bill to supplement the federal funds.
I'm proud that these investments, at both the state and federal levels, will go straight to the Corridor Improvement Program (CIP). These investments also lay the groundwork for widening I-81, ensuring the highway meets our community's needs for decades to come. By Strengthening this corridor will make travel safer and more dependable for everyone, from truck drivers moving goods to families traveling across Virginia.

Watch my full interview on WHSV where I discussed I-81 funding here.

Second Amendment Victories

I will always defend the second amendment rights of sportsmen and law-abiding gun owners across our Commonwealth. This year, I delivered a major win for gun owners across the country through a provision which was included in H.R. 1 that eliminated the outdated $200 NFA tax. This provides meaningful relief to thousands of Americans which was a part of My Hearing Protection Act, which modernized the tax stamp for suppressors and removed unnecessary burdens on responsible gun ownership.

During the recent government shutdown, I continued to fight for gun owners, ensuring that bureaucratic dysfunction did not prevent lawful firearm purchases or penalize small businesses that comply with the law. To further these efforts, I introduced the Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act with Senator Jim Risch, making it clear that government inefficiency should never stand in the way of constitutional rights. I also led a bipartisan letter with 29 colleagues urging the ATF to uphold Second Amendment rights and resume processing NFA applications. This action resulted in the prompt resumption of NFA processing, allowing law-abiding citizens and small businesses to continue exercising their rights without unnecessary delay.

I am proud to stand alongside Virginians and Americans across the country who cherish their Second Amendment rights. In Congress, I will continue working tirelessly to defend these freedoms, uphold our Constitution, and ensure that the rights of sportsmen, hunters, and law-abiding gun owners are never infringed upon.

Fighting for Rural Healthcare

Our Rural hospitals are the backbone of our local communities, working tirelessly to serve patients across the region. In Virginia's Sixth District, we are fortunate to be served by five rural hospitals: LewisGale Hospital-Alleghany, Bath Community Hospital, Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital, Shenandoah Memorial Hospital (Valley Health), and Page Memorial Hospital. Throughout the year, I visited both Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital and Bath Community Hospital, where I heard firsthand how their dedicated staff continue delivering high-quality care to local families.

In Congress, I was proud to vote for legislation which will deliver meaningful support for rural hospitals like ours, and I sent a letter alongside the Virginia Republican delegation to CMS to express our strong support for Virginia's Rural Health Transformation application. Republicans reinvested in resources for our most vulnerable communities by creating the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program and expanding Home and Community-Based Services. This program provides catalytic investments that help states strengthen rural health infrastructure and build durable, long-lasting systems of care. At its core, the Rural Health Transformation Program focuses on improving health in rural America, expanding sustainable access through workforce development, encouraging innovative care models that improve outcomes and lower costs, and supporting technological advancements that bring high-tech services to rural areas.

Additionally, I have continued to advocate for lower health care costs through my bipartisan Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act, which I sponsored to protect generic drug makers from abusive lawsuits and preserve patient access to affordable medications. The bill does not alter existing patent protections. Instead, it restores the balance Congress originally intended by rewarding medical innovation while ensuring families have access to affordable prescription drugs. I will continue working to strengthen rural health care, improve outcomes, and lower prescription drug prices for hardworking families across the Commonwealth.

District Travels

You typically see me in Washington advocating for common sense values in committee hearings, media appearances, and on the House floor voting on important legislation. But my home is in Virginia's Sixth District, and this year I had the privilege of meeting with many local leaders across our community. At my annual Agricultural Conference, I heard directly from farmers and other local agricultural leaders about how I can continue serving their unique needs and be a voice for them in Congress. I also hosted my annual higher education roundtable, where more than nine university presidents, along with representatives from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, came together to share how we are supporting students across the Sixth District by providing a high quality education.

I kicked off my Annual Agricultural Conference at MC Livestock in Greenville, where I got to see firsthand their cattle operation and discuss how Congress can work to better support Sixth District family farms like their own.

On my second stop, I had the privilege of sitting down with Delegate Ellen Campbell and local agricultural leaders to discuss ways to cut bureaucratic red tape, how the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can better serve hardworking farmers, and how to improve access to FSA loans for new family farms. We also discussed initiatives which expand educational programs for public schools that help ensure the Sixth District remains a leader in agriculture.

On the third and final stop of my Agriculture Conference, I visited the Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center at McCormick Farm in Raphine. We discussed their ongoing work, which included livestock production, forages and forage systems, and small-scale forestry management. It was a great visit and a fantastic conclusion to this year's Agriculture Conference.

In addition to attending my Agriculture Conference, I had the pleasure of touring Cub Run Dairy Barn in McGaheysville. I saw firsthand the innovative work happening on the ground and learned how federal agriculture and conservation investments are supporting their operations.

This year, we welcomed road-trip favorite Buc-ee's to Virginia! I was thrilled to attend the grand opening and hear from locals about the excitement it's bringing and the outstanding impact it's having on our local economy, drawing thousands of visitors.

I hosted my annual Higher Education Roundtable at Shenandoah University in Winchester with higher education leaders from across Virginia's Sixth District. This presented an invaluable opportunity to hear directly from education leaders about the challenges facing students and how I can best support them in Congress. I was joined by nine college and university presidents representing institutions throughout the Commonwealth. Educators play one of the most essential roles in our nation by shaping the next generation of leaders. Roundtables like this allow me to connect with these leaders and identify opportunities to move our communities forward. These conversations also help ensure that federal policies create real pathways for both students and faculty to succeed.

We concluded the day with an insightful tour of Shenandoah University, led by President Fitzsimmons, which offered a closer look at the campus's ongoing innovation in the Hazel-Pruitt Armory, home to the Hub for Innovators, Veterans & Entrepreneurs (HIVE).

Connecting with the next generation of leaders across the Sixth District has always been a meaningful opportunity for me. Whether I am reading to students, speaking with those learning about government and Congress, or honoring students' for their successes, it is always a privilege to meet our future leaders. It brings me great pride to see their dedication and enthusiasm, and I look forward to visiting and speaking with even more students in 2026.

I spoke to government classes at several high schools across the Sixth District including John Handley High School in Winchester. These bright groups of students asked thoughtful questions and had great insights into current issues facing our nation.

I had the honor of presenting a plaque of the Congressional Record to Signal Knob Middle School's Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter in recognition of their winning the National Middle School Model of Excellence Award at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo.


While in Harrisonburg, I met with members of James Madison University's Student Government Association to discuss their work which enhances campus life for all Dukes. We discussed ways they are fostering bipartisan conversations and support student success on campus.

As your Congressman, it is my great privilege to recognize the outstanding individuals of Virginia's Sixth District on the House Floor for their tireless service to our local communities. This year, I had the opportunity to honor residents who exemplify excellence through their dedication to volunteer service and their service to our great nation in uniform. Their hard work and commitment represent the very best of our district. It was an honor to celebrate their accomplishments alongside them by presenting each honoree with a copy of my House Floor speech in recognition of their service.

Pastor Audre King and his team are rebuilding lives by restoring houses and giving homeless families a place to live. I visited the Restoration Community Development Corporation in Luray to recognize their outstanding work serving children in need.

Since 1968, the Concern Hotline in Winchester has provided 24/7 mental health support to those in crisis.

I had the privilege of honoring a true American hero, George Walton Weller, who has selflessly dedicated his life to serving our great Nation, from his time in the U.S. Air Force to decades as a dedicated firefighter in our community.

Access Independence has been an important resource for our local community, empowering individuals with disabilities. I celebrated their 40th anniversary with Charles Harbaugh, Executive Director of Access Independence and Mayor of Middletown.

Meetings with Constituents in D.C

While in Washington, I had the privilege of meeting with Virginians to hear about their advocacy efforts. I value every opportunity to listen to their perspectives on the issues that matter most and to learn how I can better represent their interests in Congress. Their invaluable insight guides my work and shapes legislation that supports their efforts, which moves our Nation forward.

I also met with credit union leaders from across Virginia to discuss the important role credit unions play in our local economies, the challenges they're facing, and how their innovative efforts continue to strengthen communities across the Shenandoah Valley and beyond.

I had a productive meeting with the School Nutrition Association, where we discussed their tireless efforts to ensure children have access to healthy meals through initiatives that support both our hardworking farmers and students in need.

I had the privilege of meeting with Future Farmers of America officers, who shared how FFA has shaped their education and inspired their career goals. With more than 14,000 members in Virginia, FFA is preparing the next generation to lead in agriculture. As a member of the FFA Caucus, I will continue to support their mission.

I met with members of the Virginia Association of Broadcasters, an organization that has supported Virginia's local stations for 80 years. Broadcasters from across the Commonwealth shared valuable insight on the future of AM radio and local television.

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.