Stauber Statement on Biden’s Joint Address

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) made the following statement after President Joe Biden addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time.

"Tonight, President Biden delivered his first Joint Address to Congress, although only a fraction of Members were invited to attend in person. I am disappointed by this break from tradition as Members have been cleared to vote together and the vast majority are inoculated.

"During his speech, the President attempted to paint a picture of a nation back on track. However, his depiction could not be further from the truth. The reality is that within his first 100 days in office, the President has set our nation back through countless job-killing Executive Orders, a historic border crisis, and trillions of dollars in reckless spending.

"On day one of his Presidency, the President cancelled the Keystone Pipeline, killing good-paying union jobs. He then halted new gas and oil permitting, and rejoined the unfair Paris Climate Agreement, which will do nothing to hold the world's top polluters accountable. By weakening American energy independence, the President has robbed countless Americans of the dignity of work and emboldened our adversaries like China and Russia.

"Within days of taking office, the President also reversed the Trump Administration's immigration policies, triggering an unprecedented humanitarian and national security crisis at our southern border. Rather than confronting this problem head on, the President refuses to even travel to the border to see his self-made crisis firsthand.

"Finally, the President has already spent a whopping $2 trillion of money we don't have on far-left giveaways and unveiled $4 trillion in additional spending to be paid for by the hardworking taxpayer. Make no mistake, the middle class always pays when taxes are raised. This is the last thing that is needed as families and businesses work to recover from a year of shutdowns and economic uncertainty.

"Just 100 days ago, the President promised unity and bipartisan solutions. It has been astonishing to see how quickly the President abandoned this promise in pursuit of far-left policies that cater to the most radical in his party. The President's first days in office leave much to be desired, so I urge him to abandon this partisan agenda and begin to work with Republicans on pragmatic and fiscally responsible solutions that actually move this nation forward."

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