With one week as a congressman under his belt, U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor is already making legislative plans.
The former delegate for the 85th District of Virginia, Taylor has already started penning legislation he plans to put forward this year, one piece of which would put a 10-year sunset clause on trade deals.
“If there’s a trade deal that’s completed they just go on forever,” Taylor said. “I think we should force leaders to come back and look at that, and how it’s affecting the nation.”
Another piece of legislation would establish a convention between the world’s leaders to discuss the rules of cyber warfare, Taylor said.
“Right now it’s the wild, wild west for nation states in cyber warfare and cyber crime,” Taylor said. “I think nation states that still reign supreme have to set the ground rules and lead, because when you look at individuals today, you have the computer power of what a nation state had 20 years ago.”
Taylor was also recently appointed to the Appropriations Committee, a congressional group that oversees about $1 trillion in government spending. It’s a position Taylor vied for over the last month because he believes it will give him the ability to impact military spending — an important issue in Hampton Roads.
Taylor said he plans to use his new position to get a handle on cuts to sequestration, which he believes cause instability in the military.
“We’ve got to get a handle on that to have predictability and sustainability in maintenance, shipbuilding and deployment schedules,” Taylor said.
He also has his sights set on joining the defense appropriations subcommittee in two years so he can focus on the military.
Mayfield can be reached at [email protected].
