Scalise: Dems Ignore Crises Facing Americans

Statement

Today, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Congressman Bob Latta (R-Ohio), and Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) at today's leadership press conference to urge President Biden and Congressional Democrats to address their self-made crises that are hurting American families, workers, and small businesses. Whip Scalise slammed the Biden Administration for creating the national security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border through their open-door immigration policies and pointed out that the opioid crisis is surging because of the illicit substances and drugs that are able to enter the United States undetected.

Whip Scalise also highlighted that Democrats' trillion-dollar spending spree has fueled the unprecedented increase in inflation which is leading to higher prices gas prices and an increase in the cost of food at the grocery store. Whip Scalise called on President Biden and Speaker Pelosi to stop their radical agenda that has caused the opioid, border, inflation, and energy crises that are hurting American families.

On President Biden's open-door immigration policies fueling the worsening border crisis and the opioid crisis:

"Well, thank you [Congressman Griffith] and [Congressman Latta] for your important work on addressing this opioid crisis. And look, the opioid crisis is a direct result of President Biden's open borders. The border crisis has led to many other [crises], but especially when we see this infusion of drugs coming across our southern border. Border Patrol agents will tell you it's a direct result of the open borders, but it's also made every community in America a border town now because the crisis at the border is affecting every community in America. There is not a district -- of all 435 House [districts] -- that [hasn't] been affected by deaths from opioids that are coming across the border.

"And when [Conference Chair Stefanik] talked about that important statistic, the devastating statistic that there are enough illegal drugs in our country now to kill every American seven times. These are real numbers. These are real people that are dying in our communities, and President Biden needs to step up and secure our border. It's a national defense issue. But it's a life and death issue in communities all across America. [President Biden is] allowing an open border that, among other things, is allowing all of these illegal drugs to come into our country and kill our young people at alarming numbers."

On the National Defense Authorization Act passing the House of Representatives:

"I do want to point out something important that happened last night, and that was the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act. [The bill's passage] may be one of those rare moments in these days where Congress came together, Republicans and Democrats, to make sure year we're taking care of our men and women in uniform. The bill had important victories. I want to applaud Mike Rogers, our Ranking Member, for helping secure some of those important wins, including a pay raise for our troops that's much needed.

"Especially in these days of high inflation. It affects our men and women in uniform, and there was a pay raise for our troops that was included in [that] bill, along with some other important victories. So, you know, [bipartisanship] gets lost a lot of times when we're having these big battles over big issues that we were able to come together last night for our men and women in uniform."

On the Biden Administration's far-left, socialist policies causing inflation:

"I wish we were able to have some of those same kind of bipartisan efforts on some of the other crises that are facing our country. Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi will not work with Republicans to address the inflation crisis that's causing the cost of goods for so many things, as families are trying to shop for the holidays, if they can even find the gifts that they're looking for, for their loved ones. They're paying dramatically more for it when they go to the grocery store. They're paying 20 percent or more for the food that they're buying."

On the need to reverse the Biden Administration's costly green energy policies:

"We all know the problem, and with the gasoline and energy crisis where you're paying maybe 60 percent more for gasoline, and many families can't even afford to fill up their tank because the price is so high. President Biden has created these crises, and it's affecting hardworking families all across the country.

"Congress needs to be dealing with these [crises], and it's a shame that Speaker Pelosi won't bring any bills to the floor to address those many crises. In fact, they're going in the opposite direction by continuing to bring bills to spend trillions more dollars as we saw with the bill last week to continue raising taxes and spending more money that is driving inflation even higher."

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