Griffith likes budget bill, wants 3-judge panel to oversee injunctions

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2 days ago

bluefield – U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., admits there is no such thing as a perfect bill. But he believes there is much to like in the so-called 'Big, Beautiful Bill' recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Griffith, who represents Virginia's Ninth Congressional District in the House, spoke on a wide range of issues during a visit to the Daily Telegraph, including the budget bill and the growing debate over whether district court judges have the power to block much of President Donald Trump's agenda.
In recent months, district court judges have issued injunctions blocking many of Trump's executive orders. Those injunctions will eventually make their way to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Griffith. But until then Griffith said legislation already passed by the Republican-controlled House — and awaiting action in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate — would address the issue of judicial overreach.
That bill would establish a three-judge panel that would consider any nationwide injunction.
'We passed it out of the House a month and a half ago,' Griffith said of the proposed legislation. 'It's sitting in the body of the Senate. It's hard to predict what the Senate will do. They may or may not move it forward.'
Using Southwest Virginia as an example, Griffith said a district court judge in the Western District of Virginia shouldn't be able to issue a nationwide injunction blocking the actions of the President of the United States.
Griffith said the district court should be making local decisions that impact Bluefield, Va., Richlands and Roanoke Va. — three cities that are located in the Western District — but should not be empowered to issue a nationwide injunction blocking a presidential order.
Under the proposed legislation, Griffith said a component of the U.S. Supreme Court would select three judges at random that would consider any cases involving a nationwide injunction of a presidential order.
'I think it gets you a better decision,' Griffith said of a three-judge panel. 'You should have more than one judge making that decision.'
As it stands now, Griffith said those who are seeking nationwide injunctions also are seeking out district court judges that they think may be more favorable to their viewpoint. By having a component of the Supreme Court to select three judges at random, it helps to ensure there will be no inherent biases in any decisions that are rendered, according to Griffith.
Griffith also talked about the federal budget bill recently passed by the U.S. House, and its chances of remaining intact in the U.S. Senate.
'The bill is not perfect,' Griffith said. 'There is things in the bill I don't like, particularly the SALT tax increase.'
The debate over the SALT tax surrounds the cap on federal deductions for state and local taxes. The House passed a bill increasing the cap to $40,000. But some conservatives argue the move is essentially a federal subsidy for blue states at the expense of red states. Griffith said the citizens of Southwest Virginia don't support providing a tax break to California or New York.
'In the Senate, there are not senators who represent SALT states,' Griffith said. 'So will the Senate pull SALT out? I think they will pass something similar to what we passed, or nothing at all.'
Parts of the budget bill that Griffith said he likes includes taking the tax off tips and taking the tax off hourly wage overtime. The bill also includes a provision to help with the development of coal, natural gas and nuclear facilities. Griffith described it as a 'revolving loan fund' that would provide protection to those developers if a future Democrat-led administration is elected and orders those coal, natural gas and nuclear facilities to be closed.
Griffith said Democrats also continue to misrepresent the work requirement for abled-bodied adults in Medicaid and those cuts that are proposed for Medicaid over a 10-year period in the budget bill.
According to Griffith, the traditional Medicaid population consists of individuals with disabilities, pregnant mothers, children and seniors. He said the work requirements in the reconciliation budget bill do not apply to this traditional Medicaid population.
The work requirement in Medicaid expansion would only apply to able-bodied people aged 19-64 who do not have a young child, a disabled person or an elderly relative in need of care living in the home, according to Griffith.
Griffith said the bill requires these able-bodied adults on Medicaid expansion to be engaged in their community for 80 hours a month. With 4.33 weeks in a month, that means an average of 18.47 hours a week. Griffith said those requirements promote community engagement, adding that community engagement can be community service, pursuing educational programs, participating in a rehabilitation program or a job.
By working to improve their communities and their own lives, Griffith said some of these individuals will be lifted out of poverty, depression and isolation.
'But if you are able-bodied and sitting at home, you should be trying to get out there and educate yourself, help your community with community service or find a job for a small part of the week,' he said.
At the end of the day, Griffith said Republicans had to compromise in order to get the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' passed. It's passage in the Republican-controlled House was by a slim margin of 215-214.
Griffith also was asked about the auto-pen investigation by the House, and whether or not former President Joe Biden was fully aware of a number of pardons and executive orders that were signed by the so-called auto-pen.
A number of individual who are not charged with any type of crime were pardoned by Biden anyhow in the waning days of his presidency. House Republicans are investigating a number of pardons and executive orders that were signed using the autopen.
Griffith said the courts will have to take a 'serious look' at the issue, adding that the question will center around the former president's mental state when those pardons and executive orders were issued.
If Biden was unable to act upon those executive orders and pardons on his on, Griffith said the responsibility of those decisions should have then fallen upon former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Griffith also was asked about this November's gubernatorial election in Virginia, and a handful of polls that show Democrat Abigail Spanberger with a large lead over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in the closely-watched governor's race.
Incumbent Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin can't seek re-election. In Virginia, a candidate can only serve as governor for a single term.
Griffith said the polls will tighten as it gets closer to Election Day. He said voter turnout in Southwest Virginia will be key to Republicans winning the governor's race — just as it was four years ago when voters across Southwest Virginia came out in large numbers to support Youngkin. That large voter turnout across Southwest Virginia tipped the scales in favor of Republicans, Griffith said.
'There is no question that Southwest Virginia put Youngkin over the top,' Griffith said. 'There is no question about it. It was a big turnout. We've got to have the same thing now. If the turnout happens in Southwest Virginia, Winsome Sears who I have known for 20 years can win.'
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