(WASHINGTON, D.C.) –Congressman Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) released the below statement following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address. 

“President Biden’s speech last night was everything the American people did not want to hear. He is clinging tight to policy promises that are the very reason his approval poll numbers have plummeted.

We heard President Biden tout the end of the pandemic and defeat of COVID-19 with a lifted mask mandate for members attending the speech while kids across the country are sitting in classrooms masked and separated by social distancing. The American people needed to hear that there would be a rollback of all federal vaccine mandates and the restoration of jobs for those fired over this virtue signaling policy.

The president assured us in his speech last night that “we are going to be ok” when it comes to the dramatic rise in gas prices, with no plan to combat our lack of energy independence. Instead, he made promises of expensive Green New Deal policies. Our citizens wanted to hear that the administration will lift the ban on drilling oil on federal lands and reinstatement of the Keystone XL pipeline.

It was also disappointing to hear that Biden believes The American Rescue plan was a win for our Nation. We all know that these stimulus checks did nothing to help get people back to work and created even more government dependence. Inflation has hit a forty-year high due to influxes of mass government spending and a labor force incentivized to stay home. This administration would rather regulate $15 an hour minimum wages, that hurt small business owners, rather than let our free-market system work for itself.

President Biden said last night he wanted to end the opioid crisis yet failed to give any real plan to secure our southern border—which is seeing record high numbers of fentanyl and other illegal drug crossings. Last year 100,000 Americans died due to drug overdose and around 60% were due to fentanyl. Citizens across the country needed the president to promise support to Customs and Border Patrol agents, plans to finish construction of the wall and a commitment to enforcing our immigration laws already on the books.

The world is watching us. Our country has long led the way on foreign affairs, a thriving economy and leadership in times of global crisis. This speech was out of touch and a reminder that “who governs matters.” Our country can only be as successful as our commander-in-chief. I want the United States to succeed. I am hopeful that as the president sees feedback from the American people, he will reverse course on these dismal policy promises made last night.”

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