Click here or on the image above to watch Senator Capito’s floor speech.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address tonight, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, delivered remarks on the reality of the past three years and the current circumstances of our nation.

During her remarks, Senator Capito discussed how President Biden’s tenure in the White House has been defined by economic failures, a record-breaking border crisis, the rise of violent crime, and the weakened state of America’s standing on the global stage.

Senator Capito’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are included below:

“Mr/Madame President —

“I rise today in the hours before President Biden’s State of the Union address to discuss the reality of the past three years and the current circumstances of our nation.

“Together, my colleagues and I are here to speak on behalf of the American people who have been forgotten and left behind by President Biden.

“Those who know the true consequences of his administration’s policies, and who are feeling the pain created by the continued failures that have defined President Biden’s time in the White House.

“Throughout my time in Congress, I have been constantly guided by my eternal optimism. To see beyond the gloom and push towards a brighter future.

“However, it is clear that this is not the perspective felt in communities across our country, as Americans realize that the state of our nation is not as strong as it should be.

“They continue to battle economic challenges that are making the American dream unaffordable. There’s a continued assault on American energy, which started by canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, and now the disastrous halting of the construction of LNG export terminals.  

“They see the unmitigated flow of illegal crossings at the southern border. They face the threat of rising crime. And, they see the weakened state of America’s standing on the global stage.

“President Biden remains the common denominator across each of these issues, and he continues to prove that he is not up to the task of leading our country at a time when we need it the most.

“Perhaps the most consistent issue that has defined President Biden’s tenure in the White House, and one that I hear about constantly back home, is the state of our economy and the persistence of sustained high interest rates and inflation.

“Despite President Biden’s claims, inflation has not cooled and price hikes have worn down consumers over the past three years, making necessities like food and housing nearly unaffordable.  

“The price of food at grocery stores and restaurants increased 2.6% from January 2023 to January 2024. This is on top of the staggering 10% rise that food prices made over the previous 12-month period.

“What used to be $100 worth of groceries in 2019, now costs over $125, and just last week, it was revealed that food costs compared to income have hit a 33-year high, with American consumers spending over 11% of their disposable income on food.

“That means the last time Americans paid this much for food, Terminator 2 was in theaters, Michael Jordan won his second NBA MVP, and HP introduced the first color scanner.

“Adding to this, U.S., home prices hit an all-time high this past December. Housing costs have now become ‘unaffordable’ for a record number of U.S. renters according to a recent Harvard study.

“Make no mistake, this is the economy that President Biden campaigned on, and it’s the economy that his policies of reckless spending and high taxes were destined to create.

“The president has even gone as far as establishing a ‘Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing,’ which is nothing more than cover so that he can blame others for the effects of his policies.

“Another issue that will forever define President Biden’s tenure is the historic crisis we have seen on the southern border and the devastating consequences it has created.

“The most recent data shows that there were 176,205 illegal crossings along the southern border in January. This marks the worst January on record, and the 6th consecutive month setting a record. This brings us to over 9 million illegal border crossings under President Biden’s watch.

“Additionally, there were another 7,000+ migrant encounters at the southern border on Monday, marking the fourth day in a row of over 7,000 encounters.

“While the White House remains committed to messaging that 'no executive action' can alleviate this crisis, they fail to mention the executive action they took literally hours after President Biden was sworn into office.

“These executive orders on Day One of Biden’s administration dismantled the effective immigration policies of President Trump. The truth is: President Biden can take basic steps and end this chaos, but in far too many situations, it may already be too late.

“The barbaric murder of Laken Riley is a national tragedy and was completely avoidable. The catch-and-release policies of President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have allowed the catastrophe at our southern border to impact every community in our country.

“Crime is all too familiar to this administration, especially right here in the ‘president’s backyard.’ While the administration is touting a drop in crime across other cities, violent crime in Washington, D.C. is up a staggering 39 percent.

“Multiple members of Congress have been recent victims of crime in this city, as have multiple members of my own staff. We must remember that President Biden owns this issue more than he would like to admit. Last May, he vetoed bipartisan legislation to overturn police reforms enacted in Washington D.C.

“Speaking of ownership, another issue that President Biden owns is the recent weakness that America has displayed on the international stage. We are living in a time where our nation faces the most dangerous global threat level we’ve seen in decades.

“Yet, President Biden has proven to be a president of weakness, while our adversaries are watching how the United States reacts to the challenges of our times.

“This display of weakness started with the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which signaled unreliability to our allies and weakness to those who would do us harm.

“Then, President Biden did not establish a strong deterrent for Putin, suggesting that that NATO and the U.S. might not take any action if Russia undertook a ‘minor incursion.’

“Next, the Biden administration engaged with Iran on fruitless nuclear talks, while the regime built up their nuclear capabilities and their militias attacked U.S. troops.

“Now, there have been more than 170 attacks on service members with minimal responses taken, which culminated in the loss of three of our Army Reserve Soldiers earlier this year.

“During the State of the Union address tonight, President Biden will draw a proverbial line in the sand and will ask the American public which side they are on.

“I encourage my fellow Americans to not fall for this attempt to separate us or label us as enemies of one another. But rather, we should join together in realizing that it doesn’t have to be this way, and that the American people truly deserve better from their president.

“This leads to perhaps the president’s biggest broken promise of all – his pledge to unite our nation. In this administration, anyone who disagrees with their policies is an extremist and threat to our freedoms.  

“I know the people of our country deserve better from this White House, and that the State of our Union has become weaker because of President Biden and his policies.

“With that, I yield the floor.”

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