Yesterday marked the first anniversary of Joe Biden’s presidency and one-party rule under the direction of a far-left Democrat agenda. The result? 365 days—and counting—of unprecedented crises. Across the nation, we are faced with an economic crisis, an inflation and supply chain crisis, an energy crisis, a border crisis, an education crisis, a crime crisis, a COVID-19 crisis, a national security crisis, and more because of failed leadership. It’s self-inflicted—and started from the policy decisions made by this administration from day one.  

I understand that any presidency will be met with challenges. But you can’t ignore that President Biden inherited a historic economic rebound from initial pandemic downturns that beat expectations, lifesaving vaccines, major regions reopening from lockdowns, and strong funding support from bipartisan COVID relief coursing through the economy—only to wipe out any gains and erode optimism. At his recent press conference, President Biden said he’s "outperformed expectations." Yes, no one could have anticipated how bungled his agenda would be.

A year in review under one-party Democrat rule

I will admit—at his inauguration—I appreciated his calls for unity. However, his immediate moves following his speech showed he had no intention of having his actions match his rhetoric. In his first moments in office, President Biden decimated U.S. energy and killed thousands of American jobs by stopping the Keystone XL pipeline. The destabilizing decisions that have hurt our economy, livelihoods, security, and credibility on the world stage have spiraled since then.

His reckless tax-and-spend policies—and completely out-of-control socialist spending—have unleashed inflation to a 40-year high. Americans are seeing rising costs, bare shelves, emptier wallets, and wiped-out wage gains. You don’t need to take my word for it—you are experiencing it. Anyone going to gas up their car, pick up food from the store—if they can even find what they are looking for—or heat their home, is feeling the impact.

Inflation has skyrocketed, reaching decades highs

At the same time he was denying and dismissing inflation and its impact on the livelihoods of hardworking Americans, his policies were enriching foreign regimes. The Biden Administration implemented executive orders to halt energy leasing and permits, which ceded energy production to Middle Eastern countries and adversaries like Russia, who emit carbon at dramatically higher rates than us.

Furthermore, he’s greenlighted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline—Putin’s pet project. Every person should be wondering why President Biden is willing to kill American pipelines and jobs but advance Russia’s interests. It’s a pro-Kremlin stance, and this feebleness invites further aggression. We are seeing this right now, as Moscow continues to build up its military presence threatening Ukraine. Putin is making calculations, and recent actions and words by the President have been the epitome of appeasement. We need real deterrence. Supporting Ukraine and our allies should not be viewed as a one-dimensional priority. President Biden’s actions are being watched and analyzed by our other adversaries across the globe. Between these actions, the fall of Afghanistan, his approval of "humanitarian" funds going straight to the Taliban, signaling a return to the flawed Iran Nuclear Deal, inability to hold China accountable, and more—we are projecting weakness on the world stage. 

According to a Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday, more voters gave Biden a failing mark for his first year as president than those who awarded an "A" or "B" combined

What about opening our southern border and creating a border crisis, with historic highs? The number of illegal crossings at the border has risen at a faster rate under Biden than at any time in recent history. Open border policies help fuel drug cartels. I heard statistics from Customs and Border Patrol agents firsthand at the border last year. It's only gotten worse. Fentanyl overdoses are now the top cause of death of U.S. adults between the ages of 18-45. Yet, President Biden refuses to reverse his actions that caused this chaos, including his halting of border wall construction, refusal to enforce immigration laws, reimplementing catch and release, canceling asylum agreements, and allowing migrants with COVID-19 to enter and be flown across the country.

President Biden also promised to “shut down the virus.” On his watch, we have seen more deaths, confusion around information from our health agencies, increased cases, and less access to testing. Recent announcements for at-home tests to Americans are good—but this should have been done a while ago. Unfortunately, he turned down the initial plan to order millions of at-home tests for Americans before the holidays. I understand that handling a health crisis isn’t always straightforward, but he has shown that he had no real strategy. He inherited three different approved vaccines. He focused on unconstitutional vaccine mandates instead of educating Americans on the pros. I’d argue this has made many people more apprehensive. He also promised to prioritize reopening schools across the country in his first 100 days. Instead, his administration secretly worked with teacher union bosses to keep schools closed and label concerned parents as “domestic terrorists.” I am proud Arkansas has navigated this complex issue by prioritizing the safe reopening of schools.

President Biden has broken his promise to “shut down the virus” and now says there "is no federal solution" 

That’s not the only issue confronting communities. Following a year of "defund the police" rhetoric from President Biden and Democrats, over a dozen major U.S. cities had record high homicide rates in 2021. 

It’s sad to say, but as we look back on the last 12 months, every aspect of the Democrat agenda has stood in stark contrast with reality. They are on the record saying they want unity, inflation is temporary, the border crisis is seasonal, there would be no federal vaccine mandate, Americans weren’t left behind in Afghanistan, and the so-called "Build Back Better" bill costs zero. Sadly, every point has been proven false. Worse yet, Washington Democrats continue to think the only solution to their crises is to push more spending, taxes, and debt.

What we really require is the exact opposite of their current agenda:

• Strong economy
• Pro-growth policies
• Working supply chain
• Lower consumer and gas prices
• Secure border
• Leadership against adversaries
• Students in classrooms
• Law and order
• U.S. energy independence
• Protecting the sanctity of life
• Reining in spending and debt 
• Upholding the Constitution

We need the Biden Administration to prioritize the American people, not the wants of radical progressives. I’ll continue fighting for policies that put us back on a path to prosperity.

We must defend the sanctity of life

Furthermore, as people gather again to stand for life, I join in their call of protecting the sanctity of life. Arkansans and Americans across our nation are marching to give voice to the unborn. We come together, knowing life is a precious gift worth protecting. America’s noblest ideas of dignity start with recognizing the value of every human being. As the administration and majority party in Congress continue to eliminate significant pro-life protections, I remain steadfast in my work to defend the voiceless. We have a moral obligation to stand up for the innocent. I’m committed to defending the unborn and have continually taken action in Congress to support important pro-life legislation and prohibit taxpayer dollars from funding abortion. Learn more about my work here.

Wishing you a great weekend! You can keep an eye on my website or check out my Twitter and Instagram pages to stay up-to-date with the latest news from my office. Furthermore, find Arkansas vaccine locations here. I received my booster shot and hope you will do the same if you are eligible. As always, I encourage everyone to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but it should be a personal choice, not a federal government mandate.