Van Drew Reacts to State of Union

U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd) issued the following statement responding to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Mar. 1:
“It has been just over one year into Joe Biden’s presidency and our country is faced with a plethora of crises,” said Van Drew. “Despite telling the American people we are moving in the right direction, President Biden’s policies have continually harmed our America. On day one of his presidency, Joe Biden killed the Keystone XL Pipeline forcing the United States to become reliant on foreign adversaries instead of being energy independent. Inflation, which has gone up every single month of Joe Biden’s presidency, has negatively affected every American from feeling the repercussions at the gas pump to the grocery store. A crippled supply chain has resulted in empty shelves at grocery stores across the nation, exacerbated by President Biden’s authoritarian vaccine mandates. 
“President Biden’s foreign policy ‘strategy’ has been reactive rather than proactive. Because of this, we are witnessing an unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation because Putin feels emboldened after the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and President Biden failing to display strength on the world stage.
“Since Joe Biden took office, 2 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at our southern border. Enough fentanyl has poured into our communities to kill every American seven times over again and is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45. Yet, President Biden doesn’t believe the border crisis is out of control and has signed legislation forcing taxpayer dollars to be spent on benefitting those who entered our country illegally. 
“More police officers were killed in the line of duty in 2021 than in any year since 1995. The anti-cop rhetoric calling for the defunding of our police spewed by Democrats and the Biden Administration has contributed to this devastating increase. We have also seen how weak on crime policies led to over a dozen U.S. cities setting new homicide records in 2021.  
“Our children have lost two years of face-to-face education all because President Biden and congressional Democrats have made children’s education a political matter, rather than making decisions in our children’s best interests. Conveniently, with the President’s approval rating tanking, COVID-19 is no longer an issue and mandates have been lifted just in time for his State of the Union address.  
“This is not the America we know and love. The America we know is strong, prosperous, and the shining city on the hill. President Biden’s State of the Union should have been an apology to the American people for failing to lead our country and failing to uphold the very principles that makes our country great. I truly wish President Biden was sincere in his address to the American people, but his actions speak louder than words and they have proven to not be consistent.”