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Americans expect a government “of the people, by the people, [and] for the people.” But our state of constant crisis has left Tennesseans feeling that the Biden White House has abandoned their responsibility to “We the People” almost entirely.
Volunteer State moms and dads don’t need to look any further than grocery store shelves to see Biden’s broken government in action. In Tennessee, 54% of the top-selling baby formula products are out of stock, and at least two children in Memphis have already been hospitalized as a result of the shortage. The White House initially laughed off concerns about the formula supply before switching course and blaming their own sluggish response on “greedy corporations.” Biden finally invoked the Defense Production Act last week, but this effort is too little to overcome the bureaucracy that created this crisis and too late for the Tennessee parents trying to feed their little ones.
The Biden blame game isn’t limited to a single supply chain issue. While Americans are paying an extra $5,200 a year to keep up with record high natural gas prices, grocery costs, and electricity bills, the White House is shifting responsibility for the failing economy: first, it was COVID, then it was supply chains, and now it is all Putin’s fault. In reality, Biden’s spending is to blame. During my telephone town hall with East Tennesseans last week, 94% of poll participants said that inflation is impacting their budgets. Still, Biden is passing the buck while trying to sign a check for another $321 billion to waive student loans.
Even when it comes to safety, the White House is unwilling to stand up for the American people. The crisis at our southern border is the worst it has ever been. In April, border agents encountered nearly 235,000 migrants — and that’s not including the thousands of got-aways. The leftists pushing for an out-of-control open border have hung a “welcome” sign for cartels, gangs, and traffickers to force their way into states like Tennessee. Local sheriffs tell me that the increase in illegal immigration has caused a crime spike and allowed drug dealers to take over our communities. For Americans ages 18 to 45, fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death, and most of this fentanyl comes through the southern border. Still, the Biden administration is actively rolling back policies to make it easier for traffickers to cross illegally. Despite the wishes of Tennesseans, under Joe Biden’s leadership, every town is a border town and every state is a border state.
To Tennesseans, this government under this administration is broken. The White House needs to spend less time shifting blame and more time improving the lives of Americans. On Capitol Hill, I’m taking the lead to strengthen the supply chain, get answers on the baby formula crisis, push back on government spending, secure the border, and back the brave men and women in blue.
No matter the crisis, Joe Biden has demonstrated that he will do everything in his power to make the problem worse before passing the blame onto someone else — but what he needs to realize is that We the People aren’t having it anymore. It’s time for Biden to lead his party to focus on cleaning up the mess they have made and rebuilding the trust they have broken.
(Sen. Marsha Blackburn represents Tennessee in the U.S. Senate)