While the current outlook of our nation and the world may appear bleak to many, I was proud to see Republicans and Democrats alike stand in unity to support Ukraine and its people at the start of his address.

RUSSIA – UKRAINE: This was President Biden’s first major point in his State of the Union address. He spoke of increased sanctions on Russia and Russian oligarchs and closing off American airspace to all Russian flights, further cutting off Putin and the Russians off from the rest of the world and the global economy. We must continue to support Ukraine by escalating our economic response with unrelenting sanctions. The U.S. should set its sights on bringing back the energy independence we gained during the last administration. Putin should reap the consequences for what he’s done.

BORDER SECURITY: “We need to secure the Border and fix the immigration system,” President Biden said. He mentioned new technology that better detects drug smuggling, as well as new joint patrols with Mexico and Guatemala to stop human traffickers. This was surprising to hear from the President. For the last year, the administration’s actions have basically been the opposite of the President’s State of the Union remarks. President Biden has the tools at his disposal to secure the border—like the REMAIN in Mexico Act, the Finish the Wall Act, and the Transparency of Migration Act – he just needs to take action.

CRIME: President Biden urged that instead of defunding the police, the answer is to “fund the police.” This is a major turnaround. I agree with this, which is why I proudly cosponsored the Invest to Protect Act, a bill that makes critical investments in local police departments for training, body cameras, mental health resources, recruitment, and retention that are needed resources for our local communities.

INFLATION: While there was no talk of inflation being a result of overspending, President Biden did call out the ocean carriers that are driving up prices due to port backlogs and unfair shipping practices. I know this impacts more than just ocean carriers and port employees, but its effects reach all the way to consumers, manufacturers, family farms, and small businesses in South Dakota. That is why I led the Ocean Shipping Reform Act that passed the House in December and is on track to pass in the Senate soon. The quicker this gets signed into law by the President, the sooner American companies, producers, and consumers will start to feel some relief of high prices.

There is a lot that Congress—as well as the President—can be working on to get us through the crises we are facing as a nation. President Biden signaled he would support legislation that both parties can agree on – time will tell if that proves to be true.