Jeff A. Dove, Jr. (R) is one of many jockeying for a position in Congress, a race that will be decided in just a few days. Locally, there are at least three congressional races in Prince William, Stafford, and Manassas:
- 1st District: Republican Robert J. “Rob” Wittman vs. Democrat Vangie A. Williams
- 10th District: Republican Barbara J. Comstock vs. Democrat Jennifer T. Wexton
- 11th District: Republican Jeff A. Dove Jr. vs. Democrat Gerald Edward Connolly vs. Libertarian Stevan M. Porter
We sent survey questions to Dove and all local candidates running in the upcoming election. Below are Dove’s responses.
PL: What role can you play in helping to improve traffic conditions in Northern Virginia? What can Congress do when it comes to improving traffic or public transportation in the region?
Dove: One of the biggest things we can do in Congress is to get an infrastructure spending bill done. This is something that I believe would have bipartisan support. I think it would take some time though because of evaluations of the costs of dealing with our current infrastructure. I also believe that the federal government and the private sector need to put an emphasis on telework where they can to try and alleviate some of the congestion.
PL: How would you characterize President Trump’s first year and a half in office, in terms of his administration’s impact locally, nationally and internationally?
Dove: We see that domestically our economy is actually in a very strong upward trend. Internationally the administration has tried to do things that previous administrations talked about but did not get anywhere such as the denuclearization of North Korea and ISIS has been pretty much wiped out. The fact that when chemical weapons were used in Syria we made sure they understood the United States would not stand by for such atrocities.
PL: What’s your view on the recently enacted tax reform bill — and on the potential for a second round of tax cuts?
Dove: The tax reform legislation is a major part of the economic boom we are having. Virginia alone has seen a surplus of $550 million dollars thanks in large part to the tax reform bill and the most recently passed budget. We have seen many employers like Wal-Mart, Capital One, BB &T, Target and others raise their minimum wages that had been discussed for years thanks to the tax cuts. We currently have the lowest African American, Hispanic, Asian and women unemployment rates in history. Not to mention the fact that there are currently more jobs than people who can fill them. The initial argument was that the tax reform bill didn’t make the cuts permanent for the middle class. The second round of the legislation will cover that so I will support it.
PL: Where do you stand on immigration reform? What should happen with DACA and TPS recipients, particularly those in the Northern Virginia area? Do you support using taxpayer funding for a border wall?
Dove: I am personally tired of listening to career politicians use the buzz word term “Comprehensive immigration reform” without really providing solutions. I believe something needs to be done for those brought here illegally. I do not believe there should be blanket citizenship given because that would be unfair to those who legally immigrate here. But there should be a process setup that gives them the opportunity to work towards that. In 2006 the Secure Fence Act was passed in the Senate by a vote of 80-19 in a clearly bipartisan manner. This legislation provided funding for fencing, concrete barriers, more border patrol agents and other security methods along our southern border. I believe that the first responsibility of an elected official is to provide physical and the digital security of all Americans.
PL: What’s your view on salaries and retirement benefits for federal workers, particularly those in this area?
Dove: I don’t think that pay freezes and trying to affect the pensions of federal employees is the answer to try and reign in spending. We have to be able to address spending while trying to retain and get the best talent on board to help us innovate and modernize antiquated processes that may be in place. In this area the pool of talent is vast and if the salaries are not in line with the private sector the best and brightest may not want to work for the government.
PL: What’s your position on how to improve the nation’s health care system and the status of the Affordable Care Act?
Dove: The ACA did not have the success that was promised when it was first enacted. Costs have continued to balloon since its inception. Some families can’t even cover their deductibles which is basically like not having coverage at all. We have prescription drug costs that have gone up quite a bit and they continue to climb. I support insurance companies having to provide insurance to those with pre-existing conditions. That should not be a way for them to discriminate against a group of people. I think that this massive legislation has flaws and it needs to be replaced by more focused pieces of legislation. For example legislation that focuses on generic prescriptions and how we can get costs down in that space.
