OPINION:
When President Biden took office, he promised to bring unity and healing to our nation. Less than two years later, Mr. Biden has sown division at every turn — except in one area: More than 80% of registered voters agree the United States is on the wrong track. Mr. Biden has managed to unite Americans against himself, and it’s easy to see why. He hasn’t just failed to fix the crises he foisted on American families. He’s actively making them worse.
At the grocery store, families are faced with higher prices for even the most basic products. The latest data shows inflation is up more than 8% since last year. Meat prices have surged 13%, eggs are up over 32%, and milk costs almost 16% more.
Meanwhile, consumers’ spending power has declined steadily, falling by 3%. That means hardworking Americans’ money isn’t stretching as far as it used to. But Mr. Biden refuses to take responsibility for his administration’s reckless spending that created this historic inflation.
Instead, on top of the wasteful $1.9 trillion “stimulus,” he’s already pumped into the economy, Mr. Biden keeps trying to revive his failed “Build Back Broke” spending bill, which would spend an additional $1.75 trillion and cause even higher inflation. As everyday items get more expensive, they’re also getting harder to find. Stores all over the country are running out of baby formula, a problem the Biden administration has seen coming since last year but refused to act upon. While parents panic at the thought that their infants might go hungry, the Biden White House brags about the “progress” it’s made — the same day stores hit a 70% out-of-stock rate for baby formula.
Americans are getting sticker shock at the gas pump, too. Gas prices have now exceeded $5 per gallon in much of the country, while drivers in some parts of California are paying more than $6. Basic tasks like driving to work and dropping children off at school have become exorbitant. For this, Americans have Mr. Biden’s anti-energy agenda to thank.
On his first day in office, Mr. Biden shut down the Keystone XL pipeline to appease the far left, killing 11,000 jobs. His administration also floated the idea of closing Michigan’s Line 5 pipeline, which millions of Midwesterners rely on to heat their homes. And Mr. Biden’s only doubling down. Last month, his administration canceled a key oil and gas lease opportunity that would have opened more than 1 million acres in Alaska to oil drilling.
Meanwhile, at our southern border, the migrant crisis keeps getting worse. In April, border officials apprehended 234,088 illegal immigrants — the most for a single month on record — and since Mr. Biden took office, more than 700,000 illegal immigrants have been released into the United States.
It’s not just migrants coming in, however. Lethal drugs — especially fentanyl and methamphetamine — are pouring over the border and making their way into America’s heartland. In fact, fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans 18-45. Illegal immigrants with alarming criminal histories, including murderers, child abusers and gang members, are attempting to cross into America. Last year alone, Border Patrol apprehended at least 23 people on the U.S. terror watchlist. But this is just the beginning. The Biden administration recently announced its intention to allow the last bastion of former President Donald Trump’s border policy, Title 42, to expire. It has no plans for getting the situation under control.
The solutions to the crises facing America are available and obvious, but Mr. Biden would rather laugh them off. He has more important priorities: spending trillions on a socialist wish list, appeasing far-left special interest groups and advancing an immigration system that breeds destruction and tragedy at every turn. But none of this should be surprising. Mr. Biden is simply carrying out his “America Last” agenda. And he doesn’t care about the families who pay the price. Voters will remember that at the polls this November.
• Ronna McDaniel is the chair of the Republican National Committee.
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