10th Congressional District Candidates Debate Policy

By Katie Northcott

On Friday, Sept. 20, Congressional candidates Mike Clancy and Suhas Subramanyam answered questions concerning the economy, transportation, and immigration.

Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce hosted a debate between Clancy and Subramanyam for its 2024 PolicyMaker series. The questions focused on business and quality of life issues.

“Our intention is to provide our audience, both here at the National Conference Center and those viewing via the online livestream, a better appreciation for where these candidates stand on the issues that are most important to your business and to the economy,” said Loudoun Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors member Tracy Baynard. Baynard also serves as Sr. VP of Infrastructure and Economic Development & Gov. Relations Services at McGuireWoods Consulting, LLC.

Chamber President, Tony Howard, moderated the debate. Chamber Chair Angela Mitchell, 1st Vice Chair Scott Loftis, and Executive Committee member Dorri O’Brien asked questions.

Republican candidate, Mike Clancy, is a senior executive and lawyer at a global technology company and serves on the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Policy Committee. He is a Loudoun County resident, husband, and father of four sons. 

In his opening statement, Clancy stressed the damage that the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies had caused Loudoun County. If elected, Clancy promised to be “that change agent” he believes voters across the 10th District wish to see when it comes to Biden-Harris policies.

State Senator Suhas Subramanyam (D-32) represented the Democratic Party at the debate though he advocated for bipartisanship throughout the debate. Subramanyam was elected to the General Assembly in 2019. Also a Loudoun County resident, Subramanyam is a husband and a father to two daughters.

In his opening statement, Subramanyam introduced himself as the son of Indian immigrants. His mother typically votes Democrat while his father typically votes Republican, which he offered as proof that good things happen when democrats and republicans come together.

“I want to take on the toughest fights for Loudoun County and produce real results like I did in the State Senate,” Subramanyam said. “We have to stand up for our district in Washington. We have to stand up for our economy.”

Economy

Multiple questions throughout the debate addressed economic problems. Clancy focused on the Biden-Harris administration’s policies, accusing Subramanyam of being a “rubber stamp” for liberal policies.

“This problem of inflation, which is devastating our community, is the product of the Biden-Harris administration, their trillion dollar spending spree,” Clancy said. “The first step is getting the budget under control, reining in spending sprees.”

Addressing affordable housing, Clancy said that builders have been heavily impacted by inflation due to the high cost of building materials and rising interest rates. In addition, he said the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors charges $100,000 in proffers for every house.

“To make houses affordable, we have to address the economy,” Clancy said. “We need to lower taxes. We need to streamline the permitting process. And your local government needs to back off these exorbitant proffers that drive up the price.”

In addition to these policies, Clancy promised that he would be in favor of extending the Tax and Jobs Cuts Act, which is expiring in 2025.

Subramanyam countered that inflation came as a result of COVID-19, which resulted in increased spending under both the Trump-Pence administration and Biden-Harris administration. In addition, he said some “bad actors” took the opportunity to price gouge during the pandemic. He also listed supply chain disruption as a cause of inflation.

He said the idea was laughable that he would be a “rubber stamp” for the Biden-Harris administration’s policies.

“I think there are some legislators at home that are watching this and laughing at the idea that I was ever a rubber stamp for anyone in the General Assembly,” Subramanyam said. “One of the first things I did in the assembly is I started a caucus called the ‘Commonwealth Caucus,’ where we had democrats and republicans come together.”

As an example of his strategy to address the economy, Subramanyam pointed to SB 611, which he introduced in the state senate. It opposed raising tolls on the Dulles Greenway.

“A couple weeks ago, the State Corporation Commission ruled that they could not increase tolls by 40%, and they cited my bill as the reason why they did that,” Subramanyam said.

Subramanyam said he would look through the expiring Tax and Job Cuts Act line by line to determine which parts of it have been helpful before extending it.

Transportation

The candidates were asked to address their policies concerning the metro, buses, highways, and Dulles airport.

Clancy said that he would address low metro finances by putting “business experts” in charge of the metro system. Under their leadership, he wants to increase ridership by lowering tolls on the Dulles Greenway to make it more convenient to get to metro stations. Clancy wishes to address turnstile jumping, which he said could result in a 30% increase in revenue.

“We need to end lawlessness,” Clancy said.

Clancy advocated for protecting Dulles airport, a major contributor to Loudoun County’s economy. In addition to protecting the airport, Clancy advocated for a toll-free bridge from Loudoun into Maryland to relieve congestion on the highways. He hoped this would help commuters paying $60 each day commuting to and from work. He advocated for a 50% rebate for these commuters.

Subramanyam agreed that in Congress, he would strive to increase ridership on the metro. He used Taiwan as an example of a metro system Loudoun should strive to emulate.

“We need to make sure we support metro with funding at the federal level and state level while it’s going through its growing pains, right now,” Subramanyam said, “but long term, I think metro can be a huge economic benefit for our community.”

Subramanyam would also protect Dulles airport. He would like to lower the costs of toll roads long-term to make the airport more accessible.

“During the last FAA reauthorization, there was a big push to get more flights out of Reagan because the legislators in Congress were selfishly wanting to not have to drive out here to get home,” Subramanyam said.

Immigration

“Addressing immigration is the key to restoring America,” Clancy said.

If elected, he plans to support secure borders by ending welfare for illegal immigrants, ending catch and release, and ending sanctuary cities. He supports collaboration with local law enforcement to address immigrant crime and to enforce deportation orders.

“That’s why I’m endorsed by Sheriff Mike Chapman and the Attorney General, because they trust me to go to Congress and push and drive for the legislation we need to secure our border and to address illegal immigrant crime and to ensure that we have collaboration between local and federal law enforcement,” Clancy said.

Subramanyam’s parents were able to get their green cards within two or three years when they immigrated to America in the 1970s.

“Now, it’s taking 10 or 15 years for some people to get an appointment for applying for a green card,” Subramanyam said.

Subramanyam said the immigration system must be addressed in a comprehensive way. He said he would “stuff in” the Border Act of 2024, a bipartisan bill that has twice been voted down by republicans in Congress. 

“We need to actually support border security instead of just talking about supporting border security,” Subramanyam said. “And we need to actually support legal immigration instead of just talking about legal immigration in Congress.”