Ben Cline

To clarify that the baseline is based on current laws and the assumption of continuation of current levels of discretionary appropriations, and for other purposes.

in committee

To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office to include the effects of using baseline assumptions when preparing estimates under such Act, and for other purposes.

in committee

Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment Act of 2026

in committee

“Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Larry Stanton Wiese. Larry graduated in 1990 [[Page E131]] with honors from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He graduated from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1995 with a Juris Doctor and is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia. He currently serves the Order as the Executive Director and General Counsel. He also serves as President of the Fraternity Housing Corporation and President of the Kappa Alpha Order Educational Foundation. Larry was initiated into Kappa Alpha Order while attending Midwestern State University by the Gamma Omega Chapter on January 23, 1987. While an undergraduate member, he served his chapter as both president and vice president. Following graduation, Larry served Kappa Alpha Order for one year as an Educational Leadership Consultant and as deputy province commander in Texas. He re-joined the staff of Kappa Alpha Order in July of 1995, as assistant executive director. He was named interim executive director in November of that year, and his official appointment was finalized on February 15, 1996, 30 years ago this year. In this now 30th year, more than 70,000 of the Order's approximate 188,000 initiates have joined during Larry's tenure. KA is reaching all-time membership highs, all-time GPA marks for all undergraduate chapters, and record-setting fundraising for scholarships, leadership education, and internships. Leadership education programs have been revolutionized and are best-in-class across the fraternity and sorority world. Health and safety education continues to be at the forefront of all educational initiatives. Larry is a past president and a former member of the board of directors for the Fraternity Executives Association. He is also a founder, past president, and board member of the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee and founder and past President of the Fraternity and Sorority Action Fund. Larry also serves as the Fraternity Executives Association Liaison and board member for the Southeastern Greek Leadership Association (SGLA). He is a former vice-chair for the Non-Profit Organizations Committee of the Torts and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association, and a former Vice President of the Rockbridge County, Virginia Bar Association. He is president and board member of the Lexington Downtown Development Association. He is president of the Historic Lexington Foundation and is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Larry is currently serving as Treasurer of the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council. Larry is married to Dr. Dawn Wiese, a member of Delta Delta Delta. Their marriage ceremony was held on the grounds and gardens of Mulberry Hill on June 25, 2011. Dawn is a past board member of the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council, Chair of the Virginia Lewis and Clark Legacy Trail, Board member of Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation, Board Member of the Fraternity and Sorority Action Fund, Chief Operating Officer of FRMT, Ltd, and part-time faculty in the Department of Economics and Business at Virginia Military Institute. Their daughter, Jillian, is a 2022 graduate of Kenyon College (with honors) in Economics and Russian and where she was initiated into Alpha Sigma Tau sorority. Jillian currently works in Washington, D.C. in government consulting. ____________________”

2026-02-11 · Government Reform

“Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the late General John D. Lavelle who was born on this day in 1916. Jack Lavelle was one of the early investors in Bryce Resort in Basye, Virginia. He worked hard to keep Bryce solvent in those days, and contributed to turning it into the member-owned resort it is today. Jack served in the Air Force all over the world, but thought the Shenandoah Valley was the most beautiful place he'd been to. On the eve of war in 1939 he enlisted as an aviation cadet in the Army Air Corps and received pilot training at Randolph and Kelly Fields, Texas. He received his pilot wings and a commission as a second lieutenant in June 1940. During World War II he saw combat in the European theater of operations, where he served with the 412th Fighter Squadron. Following the war, he was assigned to Wright Field, where he was one of the two Air Corps officers who negotiated with all seven Army Technical Services and wrote the agreements for the division of assets and the operating procedures to be affected during the buildup of the Air Force. As a career airman with a 32-year reputation as being a smart, hardworking leader, he was promoted to four star general and assigned Commander of the Seventh Air Force in Vietnam on August 1, 1971. In April 1972, General Lavelle was removed from command as a result of allegations that he ordered unauthorized bombing missions into North Vietnam, and that he authorized the falsification of reports to conceal the missions. General Lavelle was retired in the grade of major general, two grades lower than the last grade he served on Active Duty. General Lavelle always maintained his innocence until his death on July 10, 1979. On this day of that year, his widow Mary Josephine McEllin Lavelle dedicated a flagpole with base and flag, and a plaque in his honor at Bryce, which is still there today. In 2007, newly released and declassified information disclosed that General Lavelle was authorized by President Richard Nixon to conduct the bombing missions. In light of the new information, his widow made a request to the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records for the restoration of his grade to general, his last grade while on Active Duty. On August 4, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated General Lavelle posthumously for promotion back to the grade of general on the Air Force retired list based on the information that he had been authorized by President Richard Nixon to conduct the bombing missions. Further, the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records found no evidence that General Lavelle caused, either directly or indirectly, the alleged falsification of records, or that he was even aware of their existence. Unfortunately, the Senate Armed Services Committee returned the nomination, and still to this day will not allow the full restoration of his grade to general. Jack Lavelle served the country outstandingly over his entire career. He and his wife ``Jo'' were heartbroken when he was removed from command and forced out of the Air Force that they had grown up with and were so proud of. But they found some solace in retirement in the beauty and peace of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. General USAF (Ret.) Jack Lavelle is recognized by me today as an honorable and patriotic American and we remember him today as such on the anniversary of his birthday, September 9, 1916. [[Page E927]] ____________________”

2025-10-03 · Veterans

“Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 81st Convention of the Kappa Alpha Order, which will be held in Roanoke, the heart of Virginia's Sixth District. It is a distinct honor to welcome this historic brotherhood back to its roots. Kappa Alpha Order was founded on December 21, 1865, in a small room at Washington College, now Washington and Lee University, in Lexington, Virginia. What began as a bond of friendship has grown into a nationwide organization that continues to promote leadership, service, and [[Page E644]] moral integrity. The Order's motto, ``Dieu et les Dames,'' meaning God and the Ladies, reflects its core values. For over 150 years, its members have committed themselves to cultivating character and serving their communities with distinction. Today, KA's across the country continue to make a meaningful impact through ongoing charitable work, campus leadership, and a lifelong commitment to honor and duty. The Order's presence in our local community is a point of pride, and I applaud their continued contributions to the betterment of our society. ____________________”

2025-07-02 · Government Reform