ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Several representatives from our hometowns were in attendance at the Capitol to take in the inauguration of President Donald Trump. WDBJ7 spoke with three local representatives to get their thoughts on the historic day.
“We can dream big again, you know. Surviving ain’t living, he wants us to prosper as a people,” said Congressman John McGuire, a Republican representing Virginia’s 5th District. “He talked about drill baby drill, I know we’ve all talked about it and joked about it, but he’s serious.”
McGuire said President Trump will bring common sense back to the White House and said he is excited for the next four years.
“We went from energy independence, almost energy dominance, to giving it all away. We went from selling fuel to other countries and making money to buying fuel and energy from countries that hate us. So he’s not into that, it’s like there’s a war on common sense and he’s going to bring common sense back to America,” said McGuire.
Other representatives in Washington from our hometowns echoed McGuire’s sentiments.
“Donald Trump gave a great speech that hit all the issues that the American people are concerned about, the border, about bringing down prices, about the standing of the United States around the world,” said Congressman Ben Cline, a Republican who represents Virginia’s 6th District. “He recognizes that Americans are going to need to come together but that the American spirit is strong, and in spite of the challenges of the last four years, we are anxious to move forward as a Nation.”
Cline said across the 6th District, the biggest concerns he hears are about high prices.
“When I’m home in Botetourt County, what I hear about are prices affecting families, rent, energy, food. When I talk to farmers it’s input costs, again energy,” said Cline.
Cline noted bringing down costs will be difficult, but believes the Trump administration will get the job done.
“Trump is going to use his relationships internationally to try and leverage the clout of the United States to get better trade deals that will help to bring down prices. Energy exploration, he said ‘Drill Baby Drill’ in his speech, so we’re hopefully going to see a decline in energy costs,” said Cline. “When you see energy costs go down and your electric bill goes down and the price at the pump goes down and your food prices go down, that’s when the American people are going to feel it. That’s what they were looking for when they voted for Donald Trump in November.”
Cline is a member of the House’s budget and appropriations committees and said he is looking forward to helping move President Trump’s agenda forward.
“We’re working on a budget reconciliation bill right now that is going to kind of bundle everything that has to do with his spending goals together. That includes extending the tax cuts which really launched economic prosperity before COVID hit,” said Cline.
Cline noted he will also work to cut federal spending and move toward a balanced budget.
9th District Congressman Morgan Griffith said Trump’s second presidency will be good for Southwest Virginia, specifically his efforts to secure the Southern Border and combat the drug trade.
“Although you don’t see a lot of problems in Southwest Virginia because of the border, I think you do see problems. The increase in fentanyl usage and death over the last decade deal with that being brought about by the cartels,” said Griffith, a Republican.
Rep. McGuire also talked about the importance of securing the southern border.
“In my district, the 5th Congressional District, Campbell County, a few months ago a 33-year-old illegal alien released from jail four times raped a 14-year-old girl. So it’s just a return to common sense and we’re very hopeful,” said McGuire.
Rep. Griffith also commended President Trump for his inauguration speech.
“Both he and one of the closing benediction speakers talked about Martin Luther King’s dream. That was special too because Martin Luther King’s dream does not belong to one political party or one political ideology, it belongs to all America. It is significant, it was significant, and he is a hero to all Americans, so I thought it was good that he referenced Martin Luther King on Martin Luther King Day,” said Griffith.
While the inauguration had to be moved indoors due to frigid temperatures, the day’s festivities went off mostly without a hitch. However, there was an issue during Carrie Underwood’s performance of “America the Beautiful” when there was a technical issue with the background music.
“She did it acapella, it was kind of fun because she said if you know the words join with me. So now I can say I’ve been invited to sing with Carrie Underwood, not that I have that good a voice but it was fun,” said Griffith.
Griffith said inauguration day was a great and special day for the United States.
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