Letter to the Editor: After his first 100 days, it’s clear bipartisanship isn’t a priority for Biden

In this file photo, Joe Biden speaks at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., May 24, 2017 | Associated Press photo by Steven Senne, St. George News

OPINION — After President Biden’s first 100 days in office, I’ve learned a valuable lesson: Watch what this White House does, not what they say, to get the real story. There’s no denying the adage that “actions speak louder than words.” Unfortunately for America, despite President Biden’s soothing tones of a return to normal, his legislative actions have been the most radically progressive we’ve seen in decades.

Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart visits St. George, Utah, Oct. 21, 2020. Stewart is the author of a letter to the editor submitted to St. George News. | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

During his first press conference as president, Biden was asked about the surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. He stated, “We’re sending back the vast majority of the families that are coming.” The reality at our southern border is very different.

The very week Biden made this claim, his administration had expelled just 13% of the nearly 13,000 migrants attempting to cross the border. That month, Border Patrol apprehended the largest surge of migrants in 20 years – 172,000 individuals in a single month. By September, we are on track to encounter two million illegal immigrants – more than twice the population of President Biden’s home state.

Still, despite the unprecedented numbers, inhumane conditions and national security implications, the Biden Administration refuses to even acknowledge the crisis at our border for what it is. Rather than label it a “crisis,” as President Biden recently did in a rare moment of unscripted exposure to the press, they prefer to call it a “challenge.” A gentle tone and feigned ignorance won’t make a crisis go away.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the so-called “border czar,” should start by going to see the border for herself. Maybe then she’ll understand the absolute necessity of reversing Biden’s executive orders that cancelled effective, common sense immigration policies.

For the most part, though, the Biden Administration has not made a habit of inaction. President Barack Obama added over $8 trillion to our national debt during his time in office – more than any other president. The man currently in office seems determined to break that notorious record, though. In his first 100 days, President Biden has proposed a total of $6 trillion in new spending. This isn’t just radical – it’s economically suicidal.

First, Democrats passed a $1.9 trillion sneak attack on conservative states under the guise of “COVID relief.” For example, one entirely unrelated provision bans certain states, including Utah, from implementing tax cuts if they wanted to receive any of the actual COVID-19 relief.

Shortly afterward, President Biden unveiled his $2.3 trillion climate agenda, dressed as “infrastructure,” that would fundamentally remake our economy. Less than 6 percent of this proposal would go to what you and I consider to be infrastructure, such as roads and bridges. The rest would fund a progressive, partisan agenda that would never otherwise make it out of Congress.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Washington, D.C., April 8, 2021 | Photo courtesy of the White House/YouTube, St. George News

Last week, during his joint address to Congress, President Biden announced an additional $1.8 trillion in new child and education spending. The “American Families Plan” calls for universal pre-k for children aged 3 and 4, as well as two years of free community college – ensuring the government plays a role in your life from the cradle. It also brings President Biden’s total proposed spending to an even, and astonishing, $6 trillion.

Not surprisingly, my Republican colleagues and I have been critical of this complete disregard for our ballooning debt. In fact, right now, America has its highest deficit since World War II. Still, despite no support from the opposite side of the aisle, the Biden Administration maintains that their spending spree is a bipartisan initiative. When it came to the $1.9 trillion “COVID-19 relief” package, President Biden went so far as to rewrite history to maintain his “bipartisan” image.

Before the bill went through, Biden invited 10 Republican Senators to the White House for negotiations. They proposed a $600 billion counteroffer, had tea (I imagine) and were shown the door. The next day, without even responding to their counteroffer, let alone engaging in genuine negotiations, Democrats in Congress began to push through their original $1.9 trillion. Following this debacle, President Biden claimed “I would’ve been prepared to compromise, but they didn’t. They didn’t move an inch. Not an inch.” If you didn’t do your homework, you might even believe him.

You don’t have to take my word for this administration’s historically progressive behavior, either. Look no farther than Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, a self-proclaimed socialist and champion of the Green New Deal, saying that President Biden has “definitely exceeded expectations that progressives had.”

President Biden may be appeasing the Democrat Party’s progressive wing, and some Americans may even still believe his “moderate Joe” routine. Regardless, the bill for his out-of-control spending is coming due. Unfortunately, if Republicans aren’t given a seat at the table on this side of President Biden’s 100 days, it’s going to cost all Americans for years to come.

Submitted by REP. CHRIS STEWART, Utah Congressional District 2.

Letters to the Editor are not the product of St. George News, its editors, staff or news contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are the responsibility of the person submitting them. They do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News and are given only light edit for technical style and formatting.

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