One year ago, our nation was deeply divided by politics and impacted by the surging COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, as we begin 2022, many of the same dynamics remain.
Throughout the last year, I have stayed focused on delivering results and on the issues that matter most to you. While President Joe Biden promised to unite the country and do the same, I have been disappointed by the radical partisanship from many Washington Democrats, as well as failures to address challenges before us.
President Biden spent the past two years promising he would “shut down the virus.” However today, we have more cases of COVID-19 than ever before. Tragically, more people died from COVID-19 in 2021 than in 2020. Biden promised he would provide enough testing for all Americans. Long lines at testing sites in recent weeks are evidence the Biden administration was ill prepared for this variant surge. In fact, it was just revealed the administration rejected an October proposal for hundreds of millions of free rapid tests. Now that the administration has ordered additional tests, I am working to make sure this issue is solved for our community and country.
Yet other issues remain. President Biden previously criticized President Trump’s travel ban on China, calling it “xenophobic.” Yet last month, he banned travel from several countries in Africa. He criticized Trump for deferring to governors who know best how to treat their states, but now says, “there is no federal solution.” Biden criticized the Trump administration for trying to keep schools open, but now we see the damaging effects school closures have had on our children.
While home over the holidays, I heard from many of you about the lasting impact overreaching COVID policies have had on your kids, families and businesses. Thankfully, we have advanced therapeutics and vaccines to minimize deaths, and I encourage you to consult your doctor for advice. We must put the health and well-being of our children first, so we can put this pandemic behind us.
As the Republican leader in the House on pandemic preparedness issues, I have sponsored numerous bipartisan bills to improve our supply chains, hold China accountable and support our health care workers. Unfortunately, Washington Democrats spent much of last year pushing sweeping vaccine mandates, yet ignoring any other ways to end the pandemic. Instead, Democrats in Congress recklessly passed trillions in new government spending that spurred inflation to a 40-year high. This resulted in high gas prices, groceries and utility bills. Crime has hit record levels in many of our cities due to liberal pushes to disrespect and defund the police. Our border has been overrun, leading to record illegal crossings and drugs like fentanyl.
I have been fighting to stop these bad policies and to deliver real results for you. While the start of this year may feel a lot like the last, I am still optimistic for the future of our nation. As Leader Kevin McCarthy said, this year will define what our country will be for the next decade. Will we be a country defined by freedom, opportunity, and prosperity? Or will we continue to let America fall victim to division, malaise and pessimism?
By working together this year, I believe we can secure a brighter future for our community, state and country defined by freedom, opportunity and prosperity for every American. Let’s focus on what matters and rise to the challenges before us. That’s my New Year’s resolution to you.
