Skip to main content

Numbers Don't Lie - It's a Crisis

August 16, 2021
eNewsletters

Friends,

The Biden administration has an excuse for everything.

They told us the border crisis was seasonal, inflation was temporary, gas prices are static, and trillions in spending is necessary. However, 200 days into the Biden Presidency - the facts tell a different story.

Not too long ago, President Biden and his Administration said there was not a crisis but a seasonal rise in border crossings that occurs every spring. Vice President Kamala Harris even said they were making progress on the border. Since then, border crossings have continued to increase every single month since Biden took office. In July, 213,000 migrants illegally crossed our border – the highest number on record. So much for seasonal.

So far this year, 1.1 million migrants have illegally crossed the border – up 362% from last year. That means more than double the population of Cabarrus County and Cumberland County combined crossed our southern border illegally this year. Even more devastating is the amount of fentanyl our border patrol has seized. In June alone, agents seized 1,000 lbs. of the deadly opioid, more than the last 3 Junes combined. That's enough fentanyl to kill every single American.

If you are also wondering why COVID cases are on the rise – it may have something to do with the border seeing a 900% surge of COVID cases. I have asked the Secretary of Homeland Security where these migrants are being transported after they test positive, but have received no response. This border crisis is a public health, national security, and humanitarian crisis – with no signs of slowing down.

President Biden has also been telling us inflation is temporary. However, last week we saw two key inflation measures show this crisis is getting worse. Producer prices rose nearly 8% to a new record, while consumers prices remained at a 13-year high. Families are paying more for food, clothing, transportation, utilities, and housing. Back-to-school shopping will cost you more this year and gas is up 41%.

Just 7 months ago, America was energy independent. President Biden reversed course by first canceling the Keystone Pipeline and suspending oil and gas leases in our country. He in turn approved the Russian NordStream 2 pipeline. These hypocritical actions have threatened our energy independence and driven up prices. The President knows more oil production is the solution. So last week he called on Russia and the Middle East to increase their production. Instead of encouraging foreign countries to boost their energy output, we should be doing everything we can to unleash America's energy economy that creates jobs right here at home and makes us less reliant on foreign nations.

Inflation is a tax on every American. In addition to disastrous energy policies, the record inflation we are seeing is directly attributed to the reckless spending of Washington Democrats. Unfortunately, they don't seem to care.

In 2020, we responded to the health and economic challenges COVID had on our country and passed $4 trillion in relief, which was necessary to address this crisis head-on. Since then, President Biden has proposed over $6 trillion in new spending for a left-wing wish list, not relief. A record 10 million jobs remain unfilled while inflation is taxing every American and wiping out pay raises. The last thing we need is another $3.5 trillion recklessly injected into our economy. The $3.5 trillion spending bill that Democrats advanced last week without any bipartisan support is larger than the economy of the UK and 4 times Obama's stimulus. It will raise the national debt to $45 trillion by 2031.

I met with constituents across our region last week who all voiced concerns about this spending crisis, as well as the inflation and border crises. We are facing challenging times, but Republicans have solutions to secure our border, cut spending and halt the inflation tax on Americans, and fill the 10 million jobs that are open today. I will continue to fight for these solutions on behalf of you and your family.


Until next week,

Image
Congressman Richard Hudson signature


Richard Hudson

Member of Congress