On the recordJuly 10, 2024
Madam President, over the last 3\1/2\ years, President Biden's policies have unleashed a series of crises, one after another, and have thus made the lives of average Americans harder, not easier. There is a security crisis at the border that my colleague from North Dakota talked about a moment ago--rising crime rates across our communities, some of which come from gang members who transit our southern border and then go on to commit crimes of violence against innocent Americans all across the country; the drugs that took the lives of 108,000 Americans last year alone; and then America's weakening role on the global stage. I believe there is a reason why the threats that confront our country and world peace are at the greatest level they have been since World War II. It is because the tyrants, the autocrats, the dictators--the people like Vladimir Putin, President Xi in China, Kim Jong Un in North Korea, and the Supreme Leader in Iran--perceive weakness, and weakness for them is a provocation; it is an invitation for them to take action and threaten stability and peace. President Biden's policies have made Americans' lives harder, not easier. Nowhere is that more evident than in the high prices that are clobbering family budgets. I know the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is doing just fine. He is not feeling the impact of higher prices at the gas pump, at the grocery store, in rent, and all across our economy.…





