Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) released the following statement on President Biden’s State of the Union address.
“Tonight, we saw Joe Biden take a victory lap for his administration’s ‘historic accomplishments,’ but Americans know the truth: This president is responsible for the highest inflation in four decades, unaffordable and unreliable energy, weakened national security, surging violent crime, and the worst border crisis our country has ever seen.
“Instead of leading the nation through a string of self-inflicted crises, President Biden has once again put a radical agenda above the safety, security, and prosperity of Utahns in the Fourth District and Americans across the nation.
“House Republicans will continue fighting to deliver an economy that is strong, a nation that is safe, a government that is accountable, and a future that is built on freedom.”
Background:
Economic Crisis
- Inflation has risen over 13% since Joe Biden took office.
- December was the 21st straight month that real wages have been negative.
Energy Crisis
- Households are expected to pay the highest energy costs in 15 years this winter.
- Over a third of American households say they have forgone basic expenses to afford an energy bill in the last 12 months.
Border Crisis
- There have been over 4.5 million illegal crossings at our southern border under President Biden’s watch, not including the more than 1.2 million gotaways that have evaded CBP agents.
- In the first three months of this fiscal year alone, CBP has seized over 9,000 pounds of fentanyl coming across the U.S. Southern Border—enough to kill over 2.1 billion people.
Crime Crisis
- According to the Major Cities Chiefs Association’s 2022 crime report for urban areas across the country:
- Homicides are up 13% since 2020
- Aggravated Assaults are up 33.89% since 2020
- Biden’s Department of Justice released a report in December showing that even as crime skyrocketed in 2021, federal arrests decreased by 35% from 2020.
National Security Crisis
- The Biden administration allowed a Chinese surveillance balloon to traverse the entire continental U.S. over the course of 7 days, gathering intelligence and flying over sensitive military sites, before taking action.
- Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in over 1,000 Americans abandoned behind enemy lines and $7 billion in U.S. military equipment left behind.
