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BY SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN
For the better part of a year, Tennesseans have watched the Biden administration create a divide between the White House and the American people. According to the inhabitants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, America is thriving under their leadership; but this tale, manufactured by Democratic strategists, couldn’t be further from the truth. American families know the administration’s policies have made their lives all the more difficult.
For families trying to make ends meet, the cracks in the administration’s messaging are evident. Inflation in the US is at its highest since 2008. Budgets are shrinking, and across Tennessee, prices are higher for gas, groceries, and nearly everything in between. How has the Biden administration addressed this economic crisis caused by rapid spending and supply chain shortages? By doling out more of your hard-earned money and all but crushing American manufacturing. 
The administration’s disconnect impacts more than just our economy. At our southern border with Mexico, Biden’s promises of open borders and amnesty for all prompted a sudden surge of illegal immigration, resulting in a 21-year high in migrant encounters. Overnight, the cartels seized control of the border, smuggling caravans of migrants into human trafficking rings. The cartels are ruthless and unavoidable for those making the perilous journey into the US; cartels use GPS wristbands as a leash on their human cargo until the migrants pay for their passage across the border. The Biden administration doesn’t want the American people to see the reality of their immigration policies. Just last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) instituted flight restrictions to prevent capturing images of thousands of migrants flooding across the border. This blatant suppression of information will not change the fact that the lives of women, children, and families holding Biden to his campaign promises are now in the hands of drug and sex traffickers.
Most recently, the White House demonstrated their disregard for 20 years of American sacrifice by implementing a failed military withdrawal from Afghanistan. President Biden wanted the exit to serve as a victory lap for his administration, so he prioritized an arbitrary deadline circled on a calendar rather than focusing on the conditions our troops and allies were facing on the ground. Americans were not altogether opposed to exiting Afghanistan, but a large majority have criticized his inept handling of the situation. His incompetence directly resulted in the deaths of 13 US service members.
On every level, the Biden administration has created a divide with Americans. In Tennessee, people feel the administration treats their needs as an afterthought, and they’re exactly right. The same administration that ran on the promise of empathy has shown no evidence they care about the people who elected them. The White House would rather drown Americans in regulations or distract us with woke gymnastics than advocate for our best interests. 
We know the administration has put our country in much worse shape. No amount of political messaging can wholly distract from reality; President Biden is failing our country. It’s time for the administration to put their progressive agenda aside and listen to the citizens struggling under their reckless leadership. 
(Sen. Marsha Blackburn represents Tennessee in the U.S. Senate.)