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U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at a press conference held by Senate Republicans marking President Biden and Vice President Harris’ disastrous first year in office.
Thune’s remarks below:
“Well, and you don't have to believe us, look at what the American people are saying: The polls have made it abundantly clear that they too, the people, think this president has failed.
“And many of you are saying that, reporting that, because if you look at the false expectations that they set and how they've measured up, you can't say that this is anything but a colossal failure in this first year of this administration.
“It has been a very tough year for the president. And honestly, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he's listening to people around him on his far left.
“As Senator Barrasso said, he came in here, he was going to be a uniter, and his policies, his rhetoric have been incredibly divisive. And what we're seeing as a result of that is further division in the country and further tumult, if you will, when it comes to the economy.
“The inflation is at a 40-year high. A lot of that has to do with supply chain issues that could have been solved if the president would be willing to take on some of his entrenched special interests. A lot of it has to do with, as Senator Barrasso pointed out, the energy crisis in this country.
“I mean, think about it. I was coming back from my hometown on Saturday, and my brother was driving, and we saw a sign for gasoline that was $2.99 a gallon. We're like, we got to stop and fuel this baby up – he drives a suburban – because we hadn't seen gas that low in a while.
“But, generally speaking, if you look at where gasoline prices are this year relative last year, you've seen a massive run up in fuel prices, which affects every American’s pocketbook. And when inflation is at 7%, think about that, that is a de facto pay cut. This is a Biden pay cut for every American family, because that's the impact that inflation has.
“And that inflation was created and fueled by this incredible spending spree that the Democrats have been on. The $2 trillion they spent earlier this year, the $5 trillion more that they want to spend are all things that would do great harm to the economy. Coupled with the tax increases that they want to add to that, and the $3 trillion in deficit spending, they would add $3 trillion in the debt if they get their way with this $5 trillion spending spree.
“The border is a wreck. We all know that.
“The Afghanistan withdrawal was truly a disaster which did severely harm, I think, the confidence that our allies around the world have in us and certainly didn't do anything but tempt our adversaries. And you can see the evidence of that with what's happening in Ukraine right now.
“So pretty much on every level, you can go right down the list, this administration has been a failure.
“And I believe the only way they can fix and cure that is to quit listening to the far left, to get away from the radical agenda that is driving their decision making process, and come to the middle and decide to work in a bipartisan way, constructive way, with Republicans on issues that really are of great importance to the American people, like jobs, like the economy, like inflation, like safe communities, like strong borders, and like a strong national security posture that keeps Americans safe, not only here at home, but our interests around the world.
“And so those are the things that I think that this president should be focused on.
“But obviously, if you look at the list and the evidence, it's pretty clear: It has been a very, very tough year for this administration. And one they're going to have to pivot to very quickly if they want to see any improvement not only in his poll numbers, but in the progress and work that we ought to be getting done for the American people.”