Congressional candidates clash on climate change, racial justice, immigration and much more

Republican candidate Jeff Jordan (left) is running against Rep. Don Beyer (right).

For Rep. Don Beyer, the Democrat who represents the 8th congressional district, the biggest existential threat facing the United States is climate change, while his Republican opponent, Jeff Jordan, says the biggest threat is socialism. 

The two candidates offered widely divergent views on nearly every question brought up in a Sept. 23 forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area. The 8th District encompasses Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, and eastern Fairfax County, including parts of Bailey’s Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Annandale.

Climate change 

Climate change is already taking a toll on the planet, Beyer noted, citing the worst wildfires ever recorded in California, the severe hurricanes, and the two major ice sheets that are collapsing in Antarctica. He called for long-term efforts to address climate change, such as more support for wind energy. 

Jordan, an Army veteran and defense contractor, said, “climate change is not an issue.” 

According to Jordan, the “Democratic Party, otherwise known as Antifa and BLM, are burning down our forests.” [There is no evidence the fires were started by a left-wing conspiracy.] 

Racial justice  

In response to a question about how to address racial inequality, Beyer said “we need leaders who acknowledge it’s a problem.” He called Trump “the first president who tries to divide us rather than unite us.” Trump, he said, is pushing policies “to keep the suburbs white.” 

The modern Republican Party is based on the goal of retaining white supremacy, Beyer said. 

Jordan blamed racial inequality on the Democrats. He came down strongly against the BLM protests that have gripped the nation in response to police brutality. 

“The police deserve our support across the board,” he said. “There are people in this country that are terrorizing neighborhoods and cities,” and it will happen here. 

Jordan said mayors should be held accountable for the destruction of public property, and any public official in a “sanctuary city” should be considered “an accessory to any illegal act by an illegal immigrant.” 

That same standard should apply to the white supremacists in the White House, Beyer countered. The vast majority of protestors have been peaceful, and according to the FBI, white supremacists were responsible for two-thirds of the terrorist attacks in America, he said.

“I don’t know a single Democrat that wants to defund the police,” Beyer said. However, the police “don’t need grenade launchers or tanks,” but they do need funds for training and hiring the best people. 

“The vast majority of police are wonderful men and women who protect us every day,” Beyer said. 

COVID-19

To balance public health and the economy, Jordan proposed a COVID-19 commission to look at what works, what doesn’t work, and how to protect people’s civil liberty. “States have to be responsible,” he said. The nation’s failure to get a handle on the pandemic can’t all be blamed on Trump, he said. 

Beyer countered by reminding the audience that Trump called COVID “a hoax,” said it will just go away, and advised people to drink bleach. Meanwhile, 200,000 Americans have died. 

What we need now is a safe, effective vaccine, he said, and a new CARES Act to “help the people who are hurting right now,” including the millions of people out of work. 

“We need our communities to be healthy and vibrant. Getting schools open is the best way to do it,” Jordan said. He would give tax breaks to businesses forced to close during the pandemic.

Income inequality

When asked about raising the minimum wage, Jordan said, “let the market economy work.” Service-level jobs are not meant to be career-level jobs; people working at low-wage jobs need to gain skills, so they can get better-paying jobs and afford healthcare, he said. 

“The federal minimum wage desperately needs to be raised,” Beyer said. “It is completely immoral to have a person work full time and not even be at the poverty level.” He noted that 40 million Americans work full time and make less than $40,000 a year.

Guns

Beyer supports universal background checks for gun purchases and red flag laws, that remove guns from individuals at risk of harming themselves or others, although he stressed, “we don’t want to take guns away from law-abiding citizens.” 

Rather than restricting guns, Jordan’s solution is “improving our mental health capacity, at least through the high school level.” 

Immigration

Jordan’s plan for immigration reform is “to allow people in legally in a way that does not exploit anyone.” He defended the Trump administration policy of separating children from their families by saying, “most of the kids who were separated were separated for their safety” to protect them from human traffickers. 

Beyer said his priority is to provide a path to citizenship for the DACA kids (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) who were brought to the United States by their parents. Noting that the U.S. birthrate is the lowest it’s ever been, he said, the nation needs immigrants for economic growth.

If Trump is re-elected and the Republicans maintain a majority in the Senate, there won’t be an immigration bill, Beyer predicted. “The Republican Party is now based on hatred of people that don’t look like them.”

Taxes

Jordan supports tax cuts and says it’s immoral to tax Social Security benefits. His view is: “Get the government out of my pocket.” 

It’s not the government’s place to give money to the less fortunate, he said. Instead, he called for incentives for those in need to better themselves so they can afford healthcare. “Let’s stop giving handouts.” 

When the Republicans cut taxes two years ago, 85 percent of the tax cuts went to the top 1 percent, Beyer said. 

Voting 

In response to a question about how to increase voter participation and access, Beyer cited the need to renew the federal Voting Rights Act. “Our democracy is strongest when everybody participates.”

“We don’t have a problem with access,” Jordan said. He proposed a mandatory voter ID, the elimination of electronic voting machines, and a return to paper ballots. 

Beyer also favors paper ballots and said it’s important to “keep the postal service strong” to support voting by mail. 

Restoring trust in government

When asked if they can work with the opposite party to get things done in Congress, Beyer cited several examples where he worked with Republican co-sponsors on climate change, appropriations, wildlife, suicide prevention, and other legislation. 

Jordan blamed the failure in Congress to find common ground on “socialists and profiteers that won’t solve the problems.” 

“The idea that you have to succumb to the majority – that is mob rule,” Jordan said. 

“The rhetoric, hate, killing babies on the table; at what point do we realize the Constitution is here for everybody?” Jordan said. “Why should we trust the Democrats with anything if we can’t trust them with life?”

Beyer pointed out that there is nothing in the Constitution that says life begins at conception. “I respect people’s religious beliefs,” he noted.  

It’s disingenuous to say the Democrats don’t care about life, Beyer said, when the Republicans are blocking funding to spur economic recovery for people and businesses hard hit by COVID, including the extension of unemployment benefits.