House Republicans vowed to hold President Joe Biden accountable while working to reverse policies they say have hurt everyday Americans.
“[Biden] can restore the [policies] that were working. He just refuses to,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) at a press conference on Feb. 7.
Scalise joined other Republicans in laying out their agenda for Congress in advance of Biden’s State of the Union address planned for later that day.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said Biden ignored the advice of his economic advisers, and “inflation surged to a 40-year high under his leadership.”
“Tonight, we will undoubtedly hear dizzying spin,” he predicted.
The GOP Congressional delegation listed the economy, illegal immigration at the Southern Border, and national security as the country’s biggest challenges after two years of the Biden administration.
They said Biden’s continuation of pandemic-related financial aid has resulted in record-high inflation, $30 trillion in debt, and small businesses struggling to find and keep willing workers. The Republicans predict that Biden will paint a rosy picture during his speech, but they say the image they have found is not so bright.
“The state of our Union is struggling,” Scalise said.
Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said members of the House Ways and Means Committee went to Petersburg, West Virginia, because Americans “don’t need to be lectured on our state of the Union. Instead, Republicans want to listen to them.”
He said they heard directly from West Virginians about the difficulties posed by inflation. They heard from business owners who couldn’t coax former employees back to work because those employees were getting by on government assistance. They heard from people who struggled to get the products they needed day-to-day because of supply chain issues.
Smith said they spoke with restaurant owner Ashley Bachman, a mother of three.
“Her restaurant has been bleeding money due to the increased costs as a direct result of Biden’s inflation crisis,” Smith said.
Smith said Jamie Ward, a coal worker for over 30 years, summed up the problem.
“He said, ‘It’s time for the federal government to do its part by lowering the cost rural Americans are forced to pay every day just to stay alive,’” Smith said. “These are the voices House Republicans are listening to.”
Freshman Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) spoke of empty chairs around the dinner tables in South Texas. She said too many of her constituents had lost children to fentanyl smuggled across the Southern Border.
According to De La Cruz, upward of 5 million illegal immigrants have crossed that border since Biden took office. In addition to fentanyl, they brought violent crime and other public safety problems. She told the gathering that the illegal immigrants are in danger in addition to bringing trouble to the region.
“There is nothing compassionate about weak borders,” she said.
She said Republicans will hold Biden accountable for the problems at the border and will work to provide the resources and tools the Border Patrol will need to deal with the issue.
‘He can restore things’
Scalise said that all these issues feed into the United States National Security problem. From what he called the “botched” withdrawal from Afghanistan to bungled domestic policies, to the weak response to what may have been a Chinese spy balloon transiting the country, he said the United States has lost standing in the world due to Democrats who had control of Congress.Scalise said that when Biden took office, the economy was on its way back. He said many states were ending lockdowns and putting people back to work. The pandemic was becoming a thing of the past, and the country was finally opening up for business.
In addition, plans were being offered to deal with the border crisis, and America was working toward energy independence with projects like the Keystone Pipeline. But upon taking office, Biden shut all those efforts down.
“He can restore the things that were working,“ said Scalise. ”He just refuses to.”
He pointed out that in the previous week, 100 Democrats refused to vote for a resolution condemning socialism. Scalise said this is a sign of a much larger problem in government.
According to Scalise, this is evidence of a lack of faith in the United States’ form of government. This has resulted in situations such as he described in the nation’s capital.
Scalise said the Washington city council recently approved two resolutions. One removed mandatory penalties for violent crime. The other opened the way for illegal immigrants and non-citizens to vote. Scalise said Congress would be presented with resolutions to reverse these decisions.
“All we need is two Democratic Senators to stand up for people who don’t want to be victims of crime,” Scalise said.
“I’m interested to see how the Democrats will vote.”
