Press Releases

Today Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) published an op-ed in Newsweek outlining what he thinks President Joe Biden should say at tonight's State of the Union.
 
"For years President Biden has claimed that the border is secure and the economy is strong. Any deviation from this script now is simply election-year rhetoric," wrote Rep. Estes. "The American people, who from their daily lives know the real state of our union on the ground, should be able to sort fact from fiction come this evening."
 
You can read the op-ed here or below.

GOP Rep: Here's What I Wish Biden Would Say in State of the Union

"My fellow Americans, the Constitution demands that we—as elected officials—provide for the common defense of this nation. For a strong America, we need strong physical security.
 
"It's evident to anyone who hears the news that my policies, which have allowed millions of people to invade the United States, have failed.
 
"Releasing these illegal immigrants across the country has created a host of problems. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge and offer my condolences on the recent death of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley. Her tragic story was avoidable.
 
"Crime like this has become rampant in our cities, and children are being raped and murdered throughout the country. Our communities can't plan or pay for the burdens of dealing with the waves of people overwhelming them.
 
"And folks, here's the deal—we don't even know who all these people are. Approximately 20 percent of those who crossed the border did so undetected. But from those people Border Patrol has caught, we know that criminal gang members, Chinese nationalists, and individuals on the terrorist watch list have snuck into our country.
 
"It's not just ill-intended people infiltrating our nation, but illicit drugs, too. Each day, approximately 290 people die of fentanyl poisoning. That's about the number of people on a large airplane. If a large airplane crashed every day, my administration would act.

My hope is that the president devotes time in his speech to tangible actions his administration can take to address these problems:

"Effective today, I'm reversing the more than 60 executive orders and actions I took when I first came into office that have weakened our border security. The previous administration had it right—current U.S. law authorizes the president to protect America's borders. As the current chief executive, I can do that by reimplementing sound policies like Remain in Mexico, asylum justified by true threats, and selective parole on an individual basis, not everyone from particular countries.
 
"Any country, but especially the greatest nation on earth, should have responsible security at its borders."

President Biden would be applauded for addressing an issue a large plurality of Americans considers to be a major crisis. When I poll my constituents in Kansas about the issues they care about most, securing our border consistently tops the list, mirroring nationwide polling that shows a growing concern about the crisis at the border.
 
President Biden should also be well aware of our nation's dire fiscal state—and the accompanying consequences—so I would hope he addresses it also.
"America's debt stands at $34.5 trillion. That's more than the value of all the goods and services produced in the U.S. last year.
 
"Federal tax revenue is higher now than five years ago, but federal spending has significantly outpaced it. Current projections are that over the next 10 years, the debt will increase by another approximately $20 trillion.
 
"Next year, we will spend more on interest on the debt than on defense of the country.
 
"This must stop.
 
"There are two major factors contributing to our debt crisis—discretionary spending and automatic spending.
 
"To address the discretionary spending, I will propose a budget that reduces the deficit each year for the next 10 years and balances in the tenth year. And unlike in years past, this won't be a budget that uses gimmicky D.C. math to cover up increased deficits—deficits need to shrink yearly until we've reached a $0 deficit. It is irresponsible to keep spending more than we bring in.
 
"For the automatic spending programs, we can no longer bury our heads in the sand and expect these programs to continue to work. The excessive growth of automatic spending is starting to reduce our ability to fund other critical programs Americans expect and deserve—like the defense of our country.
 
"Social Security and Medicare are two programs that people pay into while working and draw out of during retirement. But for years, the amount most individuals paid in while working was less than the amount they took out while retired. That's a basic math problem.
 
"I know it can be easy to use Social Security and Medicare as a weapon during campaigns, but believe me, neither Republicans nor Democrats want to do away with these programs—doing nothing is the real enemy, as Social Security recipients will start receiving 75 cents on the dollar if no action is taken in the next decade."

As with our physical security, I hope President Biden provides Congress with a solid plan to tackle these financial security issues.
"Next week, I will require all Cabinet agencies to prepare their actions to reduce spending in their area of responsibility and identify programs that can be eliminated entirely. I will also call on the Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Department of Health and Human Services to develop plans to protect and preserve Social Security and Medicare for decades, including by eliminating fraud and inefficiencies so that those who need the services from these programs the most receive them.
 
"The physical and financial security of this nation is in peril, but I believe in the people of the United States. Now, my administration must rise to the occasion, put petty politics aside, and do what is right for this country."

All of this is what I would like to hear the president say this evening. We need a commander in chief who understands the importance of border security and is a good steward of taxpayer dollars. But if past behavior is an indicator of future behavior, I suspect we will hear the near opposite of what I've outlined above.
 
For years President Biden has claimed that the border is secure and the economy is strong. Any deviation from this script now is simply election-year rhetoric. The American people, who from their daily lives know the real state of our union on the ground, should be able to sort fact from fiction come this evening.