Poteau Daily News

The real state of our union

- Markwayne Mullin Mullin of Westville represents Oklahoma’s 2nd District in the United States Senate.

I always tell my kids, “You’ll never change anything you are willing to tolerate.”

Over the last two years, President Joe Biden has proven that he is willing tolerate crisis after crisis while hard-working Americans suffer the consequenc­es.

On Feb. 7, Biden stood in front of Congress, and all of America, to deliver his State of the Union Address. He could have used his speech as an opportunit­y change course after years of hardship for Americans. However, redictably, Biden doubled down on the destructiv­e policies that got us here in the first place.

From his radical Green New Deal agenda and unhinged spending to a reckless open border and softon-crime policies, Biden’s tenure can be summarized in one word: failure.

Under Biden, 64 percent of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck. The cost of gasoline, rent, groceries and everyday goods have skyrockete­d. Now, more than 60 percent of Americans believe we are on the wrong track, and it’s easy to understand why.

Illegal immigrants are flooding across our southern border at unpreceden­ted rates, allowing deadly fentanyl to pour into our communitie­s and handing Mexican drug cartels an edge. Also, 38 known or suspected terrorists have been caught trying to entire our country since October. That disturbing number does NOT include the more than one million illegal aliens who have evaded border patrol since Biden entered office.

Our reliance on adversarie­s like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela for fuel has our hands tied. The president’s inability to show peace through strength sends a terrible signal to countries like China that wish to do us harm.

Mr. President, just because you ignore the hardship does not make it go away.

Our country allows for a system of checks and balances that ensures our experiment in self-governance remains the greatest in the world. As elected officials, it’s Congress’ job to hold our president accountabl­e.

The American dream is still alive and well in Oklahoma despite the heavy hand of Washington bureaucrac­y. Over the past two years, I have witnessed the grit and resolve of our farmers, ranchers, small business owners and energy producers. They continue to succeed and innovate despite the challenges and burdensome regulation the Biden Administra­tion has thrown their way.

To address his crises effectivel­y, Biden must first take the blame. Hard-working Americans have had to make their dollar stretch farther than ever before, pulling from retirement accounts and compromisi­ng on what were once considered necessitie­s. Despite Biden’s words last Tuesday night, American families know the pain he has caused them. For this coming year, I urge the Biden Administra­tion to begin governing with Americans’ best interests in mind.

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