Ben Cline

Today’s troll level: expert honors go to Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who hosted a roundtable in Botetourt County, just down the road from the home of our Sixth District congressman, Ben Cline, to hear from Virginia cattle farmers about how the Trump administration’s plan to flood the market with 660 million pounds of foreign-produced ground beef is cutting them off at the knees.

““We appreciate Gov. Spanberger’s efforts to ensure our producers have the tools and support necessary to continue producing the high-quality beef consumers deserve,” said Brandon Reeves, the executive director of the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, which can’t seem to get Cline, who lives 10 minutes from the VCA headquarters, to utter even a single word in public about their plight.

ICYMI

Ben Cline pretends to listen to farmers, as Valley beef industry struggles to keep up

All Cline can seem to do is spread disinformation about Spanberger and other Democrats wanting to overrun the country with “illegals.”

Augusta County and Rockingham County, in the heart of Cline’s congressional district, are the #1 and #2 beef-producing counties in the state.

And both voted for Spanberger’s opponent last year by 30 point-plus margins.

And yet: who got in the car and headed down to Botetourt to hear from the cattle farmers today?

Hint: it was the Democrat who none of the people she met with today would vote for in a million years.

All of this, as the Trump administration – we have to assume with Cline’s support – is suspending tariffs on foreign beef and selling it at 25 percent below the market rate, subsidized by, guess who, you and me.

ICYMI

Trump wants to flood the market with cheap foreign beef: Why is Ben Cline silent on this?

Spanberger heard from the farmers about this, and about how the Trump administration is making their lives harder through the disastrous tariffs that have pushed prices up on fertilizer and machinery.

“Virginia Farm Bureau thanks Gov. Spanberger for hosting this event to listen to and show support for Virginia’s beef producers,” Virginia Farm Bureau Federation President Scott Sink said. “Our Commonwealth’s beef industry has faced significant challenges this year, including high input costs, processing plant closures, drought and recent uncertainty surrounding increased foreign beef imports. Despite these challenges, Virginia’s cattle producers have continued to improve the quality and sustainability of the beef they produce. Their commitment to innovation and stewardship has helped drive record consumer demand for beef products.”

Last week, Spanberger fired off a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to tell the Trumpers that she “will continue to stand with our farmers and cattlemen in Virginia” through the effort of the administration to kneecap their bottom lines, and reinforced that “the success of Virginia agriculture depends on sound and durable trade policies that give producers the confidence to invest in the long-term health of the industry.”

ICYMI

Spanberger goes where Ben Cline won’t, shaming Trump on efforts to kill beef industry

Again, Ben Cline, our congressman, supposed to have our back, hasn’t uttered a word on behalf of his constituents.

All you get from him is that the Democrat from Richmond who did his job better than he could ever dream to do it is a “communist.”