An Interview with Representative Virginia Foxx by Judson Cox

An Interview with Representative Virginia Foxx

By Judson Cox

February 21, 2006

Congresswoman Foxx, thank you for granting this interview.

1) Tell us a bit about your background, personally and in politics.

I grew up in Avery County, North Carolina. My mother grew up there, met my father in New York City during World War II and my family moved back to Avery when I was six years old. I attended Lees McRae College, Appalachian State University and earned my bachelors and masters degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill. I earned my doctorate at UNC-Greensboro.

I began my career as a secretary and research assistant at UNC-Chapel Hill and went on to teach at Caldwell Community College. Later, I became a sociology professor at Appalachian State University and held many administrative positions at ASU, including Assistant Dean of the General College. I also served as the Deputy Secretary for Management in the North Carolina Department of Administration under Governor Jim Martin. I spent twelve years serving on the Watauga County Board of Education. Prior to my election to the N.C. Senate, I was the President of Mayland Community College.

I served ten years in the North Carolina Senate, where I successfully sponsored many statewide and local bills to combat wasteful spending and make our state government more efficient.

I just finished my first year as the Representative for North Carolina's Fifth District which includes Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes and Yadkin counties. I currently serve on the House Committees on Agriculture, Government Reform and Education & the Workforce. During my first year, I voted for a number of bills to improve our national security, protect our families and strengthen our economy. I was also the first freshman Member to have a substantive bill pass the House.

My husband, Tom, and I have owned and operated Grandfather Mountain Nursery for over 30 years. We enjoy spending time with our daughter, son-in-law and two terrific grandchildren. I also enjoy being active in my church, reading and gardening.

2) How has being a North Carolinian shaped your political views?

I grew up in Western North Carolina at a time when most people in the region came from lower-income working families. Growing up very poor taught me the values of education, personal responsibility and hard work. I learned that if you worked hard and set goals for yourself, you could accomplish just about anything you set your mind to do.

3) Your district witnessed one of the most expensive and contentious congressional primaries in US history in 2004. You stayed above the fray and won handily in the general election. What might the long term effects of such slash and burn politics in the Republican Party be for western NC?

What I hope it will show is that voters responded to my positive campaign based on my record and rejected the negative campaigning of several of my opponents. I hope the long term impact will be a more positive discourse on ideas and issues in the future.

4) How can we get the embrace of conservative Republicanism at the federal level to translate down to state, county and local politics?

Quite simply, we need to work to elect more strong conservatives to state, county and local offices. Conservative Republicanism won't translate down as long as we continue electing people who aren't strong conservatives.

5) North Carolina has the 6th highest population of illegal immigrants of any state in America; why is this, and what challenges does this present?

Illegal aliens are attracted to our state because it is a great place to live, with

a thriving economy. In addition, there is always a strong demand for the

inexpensive labor provided by illegal aliens.

Another reason why we have so many illegal aliens is that the Democratic leaders who control our state government have created an environment that is friendly to illegals. Also, we are not doing a good job enforcing our immigration laws and we are not cracking down hard enough on employers who hire illegal aliens.

Illegal immigration presents many challenges. It burdens our taxpayers because they are being forced to provide for education, health care and other government services for illegal aliens. We are foremost a nation of immigrants, but we are a nation of laws.

Only those who are in our state legally should receive government benefits.

6) What can our state do to reduce and/or manage our exploding illegal immigrant population?

We can keep illegal aliens from obtaining state issued driver's licenses and I.D. cards. I was pleased to co-sponsor the REAL I.D. Act earlier this year which requires rigorous proof of identity and strong security requirements for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. Up until this bill passed, anyone

in North Carolina and nine other states could receive

a driver's license or I.D. card without proving their legal status. In my opinion, we were just begging for

disaster.

The terrorists who hijacked the airplanes on September 11 were issued valid driver's licenses or identification cards. By allowing undocumented aliens to receive valid driver's licenses, we were compromising our national security. We must not give legitimacy to individuals who are breaking the law.

7) What should the federal government do to regulate and/or discourage illegal immigration?

Many officials within the federal government are working hard to address this problem. Last month, I was one of three original co-sponsors of H.R. 4437,

the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. I am pleased that this bill passed because it strengthens American borders, cracks down on those who hire illegal aliens, increases the punishment for those who smuggle people into our country illegally and expedites the swift deportation of illegal aliens.

H.R. 4437 includes a number of key provisions that:

* Institute employment eligibility verification systems that will check Social Security numbers and alien identification numbers against Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security databases to ensure

that potential employees are legal citizens.

* Increase civil and criminal penalties for knowingly hiring or employing

an illegal worker.

* Empower local sheriffs in the 29 counties along the southern border to enforce immigration laws and collaborate with Federal law enforcement.

* Stiffen penalties for illegal alien smuggling, including mandatory minimum sentences.

* Increase DHS authority for long term detention and for strengthened

removal process.

* Establish tougher penalties for illegal aliens who re-enter the United States after being deported.

I am also pleased to report that I introduced my own immigration reform bill, H.R. 4580, the STOP L.O.A.N. Act (STOP Loans Offered to illegal Aliens Now Act) to prohibit federal agencies from approving loans to illegal aliens. My bill would require that name, date of birth, and Social Security number be checked to ensure that loan applicants are lawfully present in the United States.

An important step to securing our borders is to deny government services to illegal aliens. If we are going to require private employers to verify the legal status of employees, it only makes sense that we hold the government to the same standard.

8) Does illegal immigration undermine our national security?

Absolutely. We cannot have a secure nation without secure borders. Every day that we fail to secure our borders is another day when a hardened criminal or even a terrorist might slip through the cracks. Illegal aliens must be caught and removed - not simply caught and released -- and those who knowingly employ illegal aliens must be held accountable and face stiff consequences. Our nation's security is at risk and nothing else is more important.

9) What is the status of the War on Terror -- are we winning?

Yes, we are winning. The fact that we have not had an attack in this country since September 11th is a great indicator that the War on Terror is going well. I am proud of the progress being made in our global War on Terror. While there is no quick path to victory, it is absolutely necessary to maintain our resolve. Terrorists have long waged war against the United States, beginning well before the September 11th attacks. I am proud of President Bush and our troops for standing up to the terrorists and showing them that we will not sit back and tolerate their behavior.

Conditions in the Middle East are improving. Despite the terrorists' plans to disrupt democracy in Iraq, millions of Iraqi people embraced democracy by turning out to vote for a new Constitution. In addition, the Iraqi Security Forces are taking a much more prominent role in defending their country.

I hope that Americans will continue to support our troops. They are doing the right thing because they are making the world a safer place.

10) There has been a great deal of controversy over the Patriot Act. Are we doing a good job of balancing civil liberties with security? How should our efforts be improved?

Securing our nation is my primary responsibility as a Member of Congress. If we fail at protecting America, nothing else will matter.

The Department of Justice's first priority is to prevent future terrorist attacks. Since its passage, the USA PATRIOT Act has played a key role in a number of successful operations to protect innocent Americans from the deadly plans of terrorists dedicated to destroying America and our way of life. While the results have been substantial, in passing the USA PATRIOT Act, Congress provided for only modest, incremental changes in the law. Congress simply took existing legal principles and retrofitted them to preserve the lives and

liberty of the American people from the challenges posed by global terrorism. Subpoena powers, wire-taps and other surveillance routinely used against drug dealers and organized crime under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Statutes should also be available to combat terrorism.

Important safeguards to our civil liberties are an important component of the USA PATRIOT Act. Law enforcement officials have to appear before a judge and show cause, just as they did prior to the Act, before exercising any of the tools available to them.

Reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act, with stronger provisions to protect civil liberties, is something that I supported. The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution prevents the government from conducting unreasonable searches and seizures, and I will continue to recognize that right.

11) What are the most important issues facing our state and our nation?

There are a number of important issues facing our state and nation, but I am particularly interested in border security/national security, the rising costs of health care and health insurance, the high costs of energy and the assault on family values and the unborn.

12) How have you championed these issues in DC?

I have been active in the fight for stronger immigration reform (see answers above), have voted for tort reform and medical liability reform, have pushed for Association Health Plans (AHPs) which will allow small business owners across the nation to band together through membership in trade associations and purchase health care for their dependents and employees. In addition, I voted for the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which will reduce the costs of energy, reduce our reliance on foreign oil sources, encourage the use of alternative power sources and improve our electricity transmission capability. Finally, I received the Family Research Council's "True Blue Award" for achieving a 100 percent voting record on pro-family issues. A few of my votes that the Family Research Council considered included:

· Voting to protect the rights of faith-based organizations to take religion into

account in their hiring practices

· Voting to prohibit the transportation of minors across state lines to obtain abortions without parental consent

· Voting to permanently repeal the death tax

· Voting against funding human embryonic stem cell research

· Voting to protect the public display of the 10 Commandments

· Voting to protect the American Flag from desecration

Again, Representative Foxx, thank you for your time. As a native of the North Carolina mountains, I realize the sacrifice you make in spending the majority of your time in DC. The monuments of our nation's capitol are impressive, but they cannot compare to watching the sun set on Grandfather Mountain.

Thank you for your service to our state and our nation.

Contact Judson