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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, delivered remarks on the Senate floor detailing the failures of the Biden administration over the past three and a half years.

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

“Mr/Madame President,

“I rise to remind the American people that from the day he took office, President Biden and his administration leaves much to be desired.

“And as we look to the future, it’s imperative that we consider this administration’s track record over the last three and a half years.

“President Biden’s record has made an enormous impact on Americans directly in their wallets as the people of our country continue to deal with the consequences that come with the reckless tax-and-spend agenda this administration has championed.

“President Biden has long pledged to get a hold of inflation, and passed the ironically misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, that did the exact opposite.

“That law, along with other spending-sprees passed with only Democratic support, have stifled economic growth.  

“Though President Biden talks about the middle class, he has failed to deliver for them.

“Truly, actions speak louder than words.

“Instead, we have dealt with the continuous impacts of an economy that isn’t working, out-of-control prices at the grocery store and the gas pump, a housing market that has made homeownership impossible for many families, and for those locked out of the housing market: long-term rent inflation that continues to threaten renters and small businesses.

“Just last week, we celebrated our nation’s independence on the Fourth of July.

“What is normally a joyous time for Americans to come together, instead became the most expensive Independence Day on record.

“This follows the most expensive Halloween and the most expensive Thanksgiving, leaving Americans little to celebrate. 

“The cost of a cookout is up five percent from one year ago, and up thirty percent from just five years ago.

“Additionally, gas prices this past weekend averaged $3.50 a gallon, a 27 percent increase from 2019.

“Couple those statistics with the June Jobs Report that showed our country’s unemployment rate at its highest in over two and a half years, or that home prices are up 49 percent since 2020, far outpacing wage growth, and the Joint Economic Committee’s recent report that the average American family has lost $25,920 paying for the increased cost of living under President Biden.

“It’s clear to the American people that ‘Bidenomics’ is not working, and that President Biden’s economic policies have failed.

“This is something I hear about frequently from my constituents in West Virginia: that the savings they worked hard for, that they sacrificed to accumulate, are dwindling in front of their eyes due to the skyrocketing cost of living under this administration.

“There are policies to employ, and regulations to cut, that would improve our economic standing, but instead, ‘Bidenomics’ has severely jeopardized the American dream for millions of our citizens.

“Additionally, we have seen immigration surge to the top of mind for voters across the country, and it’s no wonder why.

“The Biden administration has proven time and time again that they have no genuine interest in closing our southern border or any desire in enforcing the immigration laws that are already on the books.

“President Biden has allowed over 10,000,000 illegal border crossings throughout his tenure, all beginning with his decision to rescind the effective immigration policies of President Trump on Day One of his administration.

“This mass influx of unchecked immigration has led to widespread repercussions and endangered the lives of both American citizens and migrants.

“It has also left the door wide open for individuals on the terror watch-list to enter our country, something that is nearly unthinkable in a time of heightened national security concern like this.

“I haven’t even mentioned the drug crisis that President Biden’s border inaction has fueled as mass amounts of fentanyl stream across the border, endangering the lives of residents in every state of our country.

“The bottom line is this: addressing the issues at the southern border is something that President Biden has the tools to do.

“If he was serious, he could step in and bring an end to the humanitarian crisis that has developed under his guidance.

“Even here, his inconsistent messaging and leadership is baffling, saying he doesn’t have the tools one minute and then attempting to enforce too-little too-late policy changes the next.  

“Perhaps the most alarming area that President Biden has faltered is on the international stage where his indecision and ill-advised policies have signaled unreliability to our allies and weakness to those who would do us harm.

“We are living in a time where our nation faces the most dangerous global threats we’ve seen in decades.

“Yet, President Biden has proven to be a president of weakness, wavering during some of the most tumultuous episodes of modern history.

“This display of weakness is best exemplified by President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“It continued with President Biden suggesting that a ‘minor incursion’ into Ukraine might not invoke a strong U.S. or allied response.

“Next, Iran strung President Biden along on fruitless nuclear talks while the regime built up nuclear capabilities and their militias attacked U.S. troops.

“And now, most recently, President Biden has thrown our commitments to Israel into question, conditioning aid for our ally during an existential moment.

“There is no denying that President Biden’s weakness has created a world where our adversaries are emboldened and growing closer together.

“That is something we cannot allow to happen. Not now, not ever.

“It’s important to remind the American public that it doesn’t have to be this way.

“Americans shouldn’t be forced to choose between paying rent, putting food on the table, or filling up the gas tank.

“They shouldn’t turn on the TV and see our southern border in chaos and continually hear alarm from our nation’s counterterrorism experts.

“And they shouldn’t have to harbor such doubt about the international standing of our country which has long stood as the pillar of strength and freedom around the globe.

“My Republican colleagues and I are not here to just spectate and to throw stones, we have ideas.

“That is why I, alongside my Republican colleagues, continue to fight for solutions that reduce taxes and combat the crippling inflation that has become a defining feature of this administration, that put forward policies to bring order to our southern border, like re-instating Remain in Mexico or ending catch and release, and that restore American strength on the international stage, reminding both our allies and adversaries of who the United States of America is and always will be.

“While the three and a half years of failure from the Biden administration have damaged our nation, it is never too late to get back on the right track.

“Senate Republicans remain united in our efforts to fight on behalf of the American people and deliver on the priorities that mean the most to them.

“There is no doubt that the people of our country deserve better.

“With that, I yield the floor.”

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