Facing multiple crises and a declining approval rating, President Joe Biden on Tuesday night delivered the first State of the Union address of his administration.
During his constitutionally-required duty to provide an annual update on the nation’s state of affairs to Congress, Biden drew the ire of Alabama’s U.S. Senate representation.
Following Biden’s address, U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) reacted to the speech by suggesting that the president had failed to deliver on his campaign promise of uniting the nation.
Shelby asserted that during his first year in the White House, Biden had embarked on a “far left” agenda.
“For over a year now, President Biden has proved that the many promises he made to the American people are empty,” declared Shelby. “Given the state of our country and the world, one would hope this Administration would be willing to reach across the aisle to find ways to work together. President Biden has instead continued to prioritize the far left’s social agenda, despite an evenly-divided Senate. The American people are feeling the repercussions.”
Shelby, lead Republican on the Senate Appropriation Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense, advised that the Democratic Party should place an emphasis on addressing the growing threats posed to the homeland by foreign adversaries.
“This evening during President Biden’s first State of the Union address, he spoke of unity and bipartisan cooperation,” added Alabama’s senior senator. “However, I have yet to see Democrats attempt to pass sensible legislation that’s palatable to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Instead of focusing on a failing economic agenda and the expansion of big-government programs, we should be funding our nation’s defense capabilities. Our adversaries need to know that our military remains the best trained, best prepared, and best equipped fighting force in the world. Russia and China are watching how the United States handles matters of national security. Now is the time for President Biden to prioritize the safety of our country.”
Shelby concluded, “Currently, Americans are experiencing record-high inflation rates triggered by Democrats’ reckless spending, as well as a drastic increase in violent crime and illegal immigration. Our economy has grown more and more fragile since this Administration has been at the helm. Something must change. It is my hope that President Biden will fulfill his promise to be a president for all Americans and work with Republicans to improve our country. His Administration must stand firm in the face of Russia and China, ditch partisan policies, and find real solutions to the problems facing our nation.”
Tuberville echoed Shelby’s sentiments and slammed the president over his administration’s mounting foreign and domestic crises.
“The State of the Union was the perfect opportunity for President Biden to assert leadership that has been sorely lacking since he took office,” stated Tuberville. “Families across the nation were watching and waiting for the President to address the issues keeping them up at night. Americans deserve a plan to combat rising prices and secure our borders. They deserve answers about the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Americans who were stranded there. And they deserve a commitment to regain America’s energy independence after it was completely undermined by the president’s embrace of far-Left climate policies.”
Tuberville said that the commander-in-chief failed to address the “real-world” issues facing the American people.
“Tonight, these real-world problems were willingly overlooked by President Biden, who instead focused on ways to pull our country farther Left,” proclaimed the freshman senator. “For example, he touted an infrastructure package that will spend more on his radical climate agenda than on repairing our roads and bridges. This moment required strong leadership and accountability. President Biden failed to deliver.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.