Biden’s Failed First Year in Review
When Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States, he inherited a country that was energy independent, with a largely secure southern border, a powerful and respected national defense, and a recovering economy. Instead of capitalizing on these strengths in his first year in office, Biden has actively reversed the successful policies of the previous president and has failed to address the crises his irrational decisions have caused across the country.
In the first day of Biden’s presidency, he ended our nation’s energy independence and stifled the oil and gas industry. By cancelling the Keystone Pipeline and pausing new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters, nearly one million jobs will be lost, and energy costs have skyrocketed.
Border security is national security, and Biden has contributed to the unprecedented crisis at our southern border. Since he took office, over 1.7 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the border, and the number of illegal crossings has risen at a faster rate than at any time in recent history. In addition, cartels are producing fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin, and smuggling it into the United States in record amounts. Fentanyl overdoses are the leading cause of death in Americans ages 18-45. We now face a humanitarian crisis and national security concerns because these harmful policies have incentivized illegal immigration.
Additionally, Biden’s disastrous and preventable withdrawal from Afghanistan was not only heartbreaking, with the loss of 13 of our servicemembers and abandonment of countless Americans and allies, but it has left the Taliban in control of Afghanistan with many U.S. weapons. We have spent billions of dollars and over 20 years to prevent this outcome, and now our nation and our allies are left susceptible to terrorist attacks.
Finally, Biden’s wasteful spending spree has fueled the worst inflation crisis in nearly 40 years. While Americans are paying more for just about everything due to rising prices, Americans are also making less because real wages have decreased under Biden 8 out of 10 months since February. The unconstitutional vaccine mandates, excessive taxation, and government handouts have accelerated the labor shortage, supply chain crisis, and harmed American businesses.
As seen through Biden’s significant drop in approval ratings throughout 2021, he and his fellow Democrats are simply out-of-touch with the real needs of the American people. Not only have these policy decisions reversed the successful track our country was on, but Democrats are still attempting to pass the far-left Build Back Better bill that not only ignores these critical issues but will actively make them worse.
My hope for this year is that Biden and Democrats will work with their colleagues across the aisle to support common-sense legislation that will benefit ALL Americans and solve these devastating crises.