What Not to Do
By Sen. John Thune
When Democrats control the federal government, they consistently have three main priorities: grow government, spend more money, and raise taxes. Look no further than the last 16 months of Democrat control in Washington. America is facing record-high inflation, energy prices are soaring, and the southern border has turned into a full-blown humanitarian and security crisis. Meanwhile, rather than focusing on these issues that continue to affect families and small businesses across the nation, the Democrats, who control the White House, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives, remain focused on their far-left agenda and continue to pursue policies that would dump trillions of more unnecessary dollars into the economy. Out of touch is an understatement.
The textbook definition of inflation is too many dollars chasing too few goods. When President Biden took office, inflation was at 1.4 percent. In March 2022, a little more than one year later, inflation hit 8.5 percent, a 40-year high. The president likes to tout job creation and economic growth, even as the economy shrank for the first time since the pandemic began, but his claims mean little to families who are wondering how they’ll be able to pay their soaring grocery bills or whether they can afford the gas they need for the rest of the month. From Sioux Falls to Rapid City, and everywhere in between, folks tell me about the tremendous toll these high costs have on their household budgets.
Farmers and ranchers are also feeling the pain at the pump as they plant their fields this spring, which is why I have been calling on the Biden administration – for more than a year – to leverage American biofuels as one way to offer consumers a lower-price option at the pump. The administration finally listened to my repeated requests and will extend E15 sales this summer, and I will continue to advocate for the permanent return of year-round E15.
We are also facing a massive, unprecedented crisis at our southern border. From the day the president took office, we’ve seen a huge surge in the number of individuals attempting to illegally make their way into our country. In the first quarter of 2022, more than half a million individuals were apprehended while trying to get across our southern border. The administration can no longer ignore this catastrophe. Just this week, the secretary of Homeland Security testified to Congress that nearly 400,000 migrants evaded border agents in fiscal year 2021.
Instead of addressing the humanitarian crisis unfolding at the border, President Biden is on track to make it much worse by lifting Title 42 restrictions that have provided for the immediate deportation of individuals who have crossed the border illegally. Without Title 42 border restrictions, we could be seeing more than half a million attempted crossings each month. The bottom line is that Title 42 should not be lifted until the president has a robust plan in place for stopping illegal immigration, securing our border and preventing human trafficking and drug trafficking, and quickly deporting those who seek to illegally enter our country.
Democrat control has created an inflation crisis that is driving up costs for American families, an energy crisis with sky-high gas prices fueling pain at the pump, and a security and humanitarian crisis at our border. With no signs of taking steps to address these crises, President Biden has a lot of explaining to do to hardworking families all across the country. As the American people pay the price for the Democrats’ radical policies, I will continue to do everything in my power to hold President Biden accountable and put a stop to his reckless and out-of-touch agenda.
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