Walberg: Hit the brakes on Biden’s spending spree

President Joe Biden hasn’t wasted any time rushing full speed ahead on his liberal agenda: Tax, spend, and spend some more. The result? Fewer jobs, higher gas prices, and a more expensive cost of living.

In a matter of months, the president has proposed a staggering $6 trillion in new spending, equaling more than $46,000 per American household. For comparison, the total amount far exceeds the federal government’s entire annual budget.

In March, President Biden signed a $1.9 trillion spending bill that claimed to be about COVID relief, but in reality spent less than 10% on public health measures to defeat the virus. Instead, states like California received $27 billion in federal dollars, despite having a budget surplus.

The administration is pushing for another $2.3 trillion in new spending under the guise of infrastructure, even though less than 6% goes towards rebuilding our roads, bridges, and highways. Much of the rest is liberal wish list items that don’t belong in a targeted infrastructure bill that could garner bipartisan support.

That’s not all. The president’s latest budget-busting package comes with a $1.8 trillion price tag and will expand the size and scope of government mandates in a way that will harm, not help, American families.

To pay for this avalanche of spending, President Biden wants to raise taxes to cover a portion of it, and for the remainder, stick our children and grandchildren with the bill.

Hardworking families are already feeling the pain in their pocketbooks from President Biden’s tax-and-spend policies.

It is no coincidence that gas prices are on the rise, reaching their highest level since 2014. After all, the Biden Administration has sought to undermine American energy production from day one, canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline and banning new leases on federal land.

The April jobs report is another concerning indicator. Economists were forecasting an increase of 1 million jobs last month, but instead the number fell far short at 266,000. Experts called it the “worst miss in 23 years.” It is clear that the misguided practice of disincentivizing work with expanded federal unemployment is hindering our economic recovery and small businesses’ efforts to increase hiring.

Meanwhile, the cost of consumers' prices spiked by 4.2% in April — the fastest pace of growth in over a decade — raising concerns about the risk of high inflation. Families simply cannot afford these extra costs each month and it’s something we’ve all experienced firsthand when we visit our local grocery store in recent months.

While the president’s promise of unity has gone unheeded, the radical wing of his party is applauding his go-it-alone approach. Look no further than Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s comments that President Biden has “definitely exceeded expectations that progressives had.” The rest of the country is still waiting for him to focus on finding common ground. There is no doubt that America faces many challenges, but it will take a renewed spirit of bipartisanship to get the job done for the people we represent.

President Biden inherited an economy primed for a strong post-pandemic recovery, yet his first few months of highly partisan policies are squandering that opportunity. It’s time to hit the brakes on this unsustainable spending spree before more damage is done to Michigan’s workers and economy.

U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, represents Michigan’s 7th District, which includes Monroe and Lenawee counties, and is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Education and Labor Committee.