INTERVIEW: Reps. Lisa McClain and Jen Kiggans on why Schumer would own a shutdown, how to maintain the Navy's strength, and more
Republicans are doing their job, Reps. McClain and Kiggans told the Reporter. Now it's time for Schumer to do his, they said.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. —
As the federal government careens towards another funding deadline at the end of the month, Reps. Lisa McClain (R., Mich.) and Jen Kiggans (R., Va.) told the Washington Reporter that, should it happen, it is completely Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D., N.Y.) fault.
“From the Republicans’ perspective, we are ready,” McClain explained. “We have done our work. We will continue to do our work. Tom Cole, the Appropriations Chair, has done an absolutely amazing job. And what people have to understand is that we are going to have to give and take, because we have to have 60 votes in the Senate. If the Democrats and Schumer want the Schumer shutdown again, that's going to be on them.”
Republicans “are ready, and we are at the table, willing to negotiate, to put a conservative package,” she continued. “But listen, we can't spend like we've spent in the past. We have to be better stewards of the American people’s money, and Republicans are committed to keeping the government open. I'm not sure if the Democrats are, but if this shutdown happens, it will 100 percent be a Schumer shutdown, and it'll be on the Democrats.”
For years, Kiggans has voted to avoid government shutdowns — and regularly introduces legislation to ensure that, in the event of a government shutdown, American troops still get paid. She told the Reporter that she agreed with McClain, and added that “we should fully fund the government through our budget process, but we're being very careful, because we have a $37 trillion debt right now that's not sustainable for the future of the country.”
“We need to make sure that we're spending smartly and responsibly,” Kiggans added. “I think you will see a lot of interest in maybe a short term [continuing resolution], so that gives us a little bit more time to get the actual budget passed. We know that when we just pass a longer CR, it's really hurtful for people like the defense industry, because they rely on that predictable budget, so that's what we want to give them, but it's going to take some time to get that in.”
The two GOP lawmakers spoke with the Reporter from Q.E.D. Systems — a nation-wide engineering and technical services firm — in Kiggans’s district, where they also focused on maintaining American naval supremacy. But both lawmakers cautioned that work needs to be done in that realm.
“It's really important to keep pace with our adversary,” McClain said, referring to China. “Our trajectory is staying static, whereas China's trajectory is growing quickly. We have got to be able to modernize our military and get our military what they need when they need it with American manufacturing, and that's what we did with the NDAA: take care of our vets and our military servicemen and women with pay increases….We gotta get the government out of the way, and we gotta get the red tape out of the way, and that's what we're trying to do.”
Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, warned that “we struggle to keep pace with China right now; China's racing towards 400, and we hover just below 331 amphibious ships.”
Both lawmakers tied specific provisions in the GOP’s One Big, Beautiful Bill to American defense industry in particular.
“That's what the goal of this tour is: to take the tax credits, the R and D tax credits in particular, and bring that to life, the Pell grant money that takes it and opens up a whole nother faction of skilled trades; that is huge,” McClain — one of the House GOP’s most relentless messengers — said. “No tax on overtime, really keeping more money in Americans’ pockets and in American businesses’ pockets; we believe that those are the people who are better stewards of their money, as opposed to the federal government, and we are really bringing those policies to life.”
“You really see the importance,” she added, “of the skilled trades, but also of the government funding and of the work that we're doing, and the importance of getting these companies — especially military manufacturers and military suppliers — what they need when they need it; that is extremely important.”
“To that's an important part of another thing we did in the Working Families tax cut, especially the Pell Grants,” Kiggans added. “We got a $150 billion defense plus-up in the Working Families Tax Plan. Those dollars will come back to Hampton Roads for businesses like this one.”
Below is a transcript of our interview with Rep. Lisa McClain, Rep. Jen Kiggans, and Mark Jones, the President for Q.E.D. Systems, Inc, lightly edited for clarity.
Washington Reporter:
Congresswomen, for those of us who weren't on the tour, what did you just learn from Mark Jones about the work that Q.E.D. Systems is doing and how your agenda with the One Big, Beautiful Bill is helping businesses like this in Virginia Beach and across your districts in America?
Rep. Jen Kiggans:
One of the biggest things I heard today we sat down was, in addition to talking to Mark, about the permitting burdens and the red tape that they have to go through in order to complete the important work that they're doing to keep our old ships at sea. That's one thing that we worked on in the Working Families tax plan, which was to eliminate a lot of that permitting burden so that we could get the work done quicker, so that they know how much money they have. And we're going to work on the budget. We're continuing to work on that so that they have a consistent funding source so they understand what that looks like and continue to do the job of keeping our nation strong.
Rep. Lisa McClain:
This visit really brings our policies to life. That's what the goal of this tour is: to take the tax credits, the R and D tax credits in particular, and bring that to life, the Pell grant money that takes it and opens up a whole nother faction of skilled trades; that is huge. No tax on overtime, really keeping more money in Americans’ pockets and in American businesses’ pockets; we believe that those are the people who are better stewards of their money, as opposed to the federal government, and we are really bringing those policies to life. And you really see the importance, like you talked about, of the skilled trades, but also of the government funding and of the work that we're doing, and the importance of getting these companies — especially military manufacturers and military suppliers — what they need when they need it; that is extremely important.
Washington Reporter:
Can both you, and also Mark, also touch on how all of that ties to what you were just saying, Congresswoman, about America's national security and military readiness? That is obviously a huge issue in Virginia Beach in particular.
Rep. Jen Kiggans:
The work they're doing is very obvious with the repair work that we need to keep our old ships at sea. We struggle to keep pace with China right now; China's racing towards 400, and we hover just below 331 amphibious ships. These are older ships, so we want to keep as many ships as we have in deployable status. We could not do it without a lot of our local businesses that work in that ship repair space. So that's important. We also can't do those things without the skilled tradespeople behind it who can actually work with their hands and have that knowledge. So that's an important part of another thing we did in the Working Families tax cut, especially the Pell Grants; we got a $150 billion defense plus-up in the Working Families Tax Plan. Those dollars will come back to Hampton Roads for businesses like this one.
Rep. Lisa McClain:
It's really important to keep pace with our adversary. Our trajectory is staying static, whereas China's trajectory is growing quickly. We have got to be able to modernize our military and get our military what they need when they need it with American manufacturing, and that's what we did with the NDAA: take care of our vets and our military servicemen and women with pay increases. But it all comes down to manufacturing. It comes down to getting folks what they need when they need it. We gotta get the government out of the way, and we gotta get the red tape out of the way, and that's what we're trying to do.
Washington Reporter:
Mark, can you talk about how this bill has helped you and your company here in Virginia Beach?
Mark Jones:
It's definitely going to help us, especially because there are going to be tax incentives for manufacturers, which is going to benefit us. It'll allow us to be more cost effective and pursue additional business. Whatever we can do to support the warfighter is what we're all about.
Washington Reporter:
It looks like Senate Democrats are gearing towards a shutdown. Is that avoidable? Is that inevitable? What's going to happen?
Rep. Lisa McClain:
From our perspective, from the Republicans’ perspective, we are ready. We have done our work. We will continue to do our work. I think Tom Cole, the Appropriations Chair, has done an absolutely amazing job. And what people have to understand is that we are going to have to give and take, because we have to have 60 votes in the Senate. If the Democrats and Schumer want the Schumer shutdown again, that's going to be on them. We are ready, and we are at the table, willing to negotiate, to put a conservative package. But listen, we can't spend like we've spent in the past. We have to be better stewards of the American people’s money, and Republicans are committed to keeping the government open. I'm not sure if the Democrats are, but if this shutdown happens, it will 100 percent be a Schumer shutdown, and it'll be on the Democrats.
Rep. Jen Kiggans:
I echo that sentiment; I have always wanted to keep the government open. We should fully fund the government through our budget process, but we're being very careful, because we have a $37 trillion debt right now that's not sustainable for the future of the country; we need to make sure that we're spending smartly and responsibly. So that's why it's taking some time, and I think you will see a lot of interest in maybe a short term CR, so that gives us a little bit more time to get the actual budget passed. We know that when we just pass a longer CR, it's really hurtful for people like the defense industry, because they rely on that predictable budget, so that's what we want to give them, but it's going to take some time to get that in.
Washington Reporter:
Congresswomen and Mark, thanks so much for chatting.