By Hal Rogers, Member of Congress
406 Words

“While President Biden delivered his State of the Union Address, Russia continued its barbaric invasion of Ukraine - a war partially funded by anti-American energy policies that keep the United States and our allied nations beholden to Vladimir Putin’s oil empire. We not only need to provide Ukraine military support and humanitarian aid, we need to stop funding Putin’s evil war chest and energy dominance. The fact is the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union spend $700 million every day on Russian oil, when we could secure energy independence for America and her allies by building the Keystone XL pipeline.

“Putin’s aggression is proof of an absence of fear and accountability, and we cannot afford a weakened global view of the United States. The Biden Administration has built a portfolio of national crises, including the disastrous deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan, a loss of control of our southern border where criminals and illicit drugs are flooding into our country at a record pace, lawlessness in some of our major cities, and a mismanaged economic recovery that has led to the highest inflation we’ve seen in 40 years.

“We not only need new roads and bridges, but Americans also need to be able to afford the cars, gasoline and insurance to drive on them. We need to be tough on crime, not only funding police, but rebuilding trust in police departments. We not only need a strong national defense, we need modernized military forces that can stand firm against Russian and Chinese aggression and cybersecurity threats. We not only need new jobs and opportunity, we need a skilled workforce that is eager to build a better future for the next generation with confidence in our economy.

“When President Biden was elected last year, he pledged to “be a president who seeks not to divide, but to unify. Who doesn’t see red and blue states, but a United States.” But since taking office, he has failed to uphold his promises—and has weakly bowed to the far left and their radical socialist policies. Despite the failures of the Biden Administration, I know that the American people are resilient, hard-working, and determined to get this nation back on track. I encourage President Biden to finally sit down with Republicans to discuss how we can promote “peace through strength" and address our nation’s challenges. May God bless the United States of America and our allies around the world.”

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For more information about Congressman Rogers' work in Washington and Kentucky, visit halrogers.house.gov.