John Cornyn: “this evening, President Biden will deliver his second State of the Union Address. Presidents, of course, typically use…”

“this evening, President Biden will deliver his second State of the Union Address. Presidents, of course, typically use the speech as an opportunity to claim credit for all the ways Americans' lives have improved under their leadership. Former Presidents have touted everything from economic growth to progress battling the opioid epidemic. In this case, President Biden hasn't given his speech writers much material to work with. Families in Texas and across the country are still being battered by inflation. I know there are hopes for inflation to abate, but yet the Federal Reserve has shown no indication that they will fail to increase the discount rate--in other words, interest rate--meaning that, more and more, they are concerned still about the impact of inflation. Inflation, as we have seen, means that people's standard of living is decreased because their earned income does not go as far as it used to, and we know high prices have wiped out wage gains, giving most workers a pay cut. We also know that public safety remains a matter of serious public concern, and starting from the impact of the ``defund the police'' movement to now the difficulty law enforcement has actually recruiting and retaining an adequate number of officers, we know crime continues to be a matter of widespread public concern. Then there are the failed policies at the border, which have led to a humanitarian and public health crisis.…”