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Floor Speech
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Mr. SCHMITT. Mr. President, I am here today to talk about my time back in the State in August. It was a great recess in the ``Show-Me'' State. To paraphrase one of our most famous Missourians, Mark Twain, when Congress is in session, no American is safe. So Americans and Missourians could feel safe that their pocketbooks were not at risk for at least a month.
But I was able to get all around the State, the four corners of our State, and tour a couple of really critical military installations we have. Of course, we have Fort Leonard Wood. I was there a couple months ago. It is a critical Army installation. We have Whiteman Air Force Base. Whiteman, of course, is home to the B-2 stealth bomber. I spent some time there visiting with leadership, talking to them, and also getting up to the Rosecrans Air National Guard Base up in the northwest corner of the State, which plays a critical role not just in natural disasters but in wartime. They are in desperate need of the new C-130J aircraft. They give training on all the aircraft, including aircraft they don't have there. So we are certainly advocating for that in addition to some of the big wins we got in the NDAA.
It also reaffirmed--one of my great passions right now is to root out this divisive DEI training we have in our military. The U.S. military has been one of the great meritocracies in the history of the planet. People can rise from the lowest rung of the socioeconomic ladder to ticker-tape parades. There is a reason why there are uniforms, and there is a reason why there are haircuts, but what we don't need to be doing is separating people by race. This divisive ideology is hurting recruitment, and we have real recruitment challenges when we should be focusing on readiness and the threat China poses.
So we were able to get around and focus on some of those issues as well, along with getting around and talking to some of the business leaders. We talked to job producers in Springfield and in Kansas City about how they are dealing with some of the challenges they have in the labor market and also making sure we have great jobs in the ``Show-Me'' State and a ready workforce.
I had the opportunity also, on a lighter note, to have some ribs and burnt ends at the world-famous Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City. And to all those who may think they have better barbecue in Texas or Tennessee or the Carolinas, I got news for you: In Missouri, we have the best barbecue, no doubt. Arthur Bryant's--if you have a Mount Rushmore of barbecue, Arthur Bryant's is the Mount Rushmore. I got to the Sikeston Rodeo, one of the bigger rodeos in the country. I got to the State fair in Sedalia.
One thing that was abundantly clear with everybody I talked to is that Bidenomics isn't working. Regardless of how this administration tries to sell this, Missourians understand what the truth is, and that is that everything has gotten way more expensive. The spending spree has made it tougher for American families to make ends meet--working families--and that is continually reflected in some of the more recent economic reports. For example, rapidly rising inflation has hollowed out savings. Skyrocketing interest rates have made it more difficult for people to afford things.
Since Biden took office, overall prices have increased 16.8 percent. Grocery prices have risen over 20 percent. Electricity prices have risen over 24 percent. Gasoline prices have risen a staggering 54 percent. Auto loan rates are at a 17-year high. Credit card interest rates are at alltime highs. Thirty-year interest rates are at a 23-year high.
Bidenomics isn't working, but it is making working families put in more overtime.
Lastly, I had a chance to catch up with some of the great farmers and ranchers and agricultural leaders at the Missouri State Fair. It is a great State fair. I spent time at the Cattlemen's Beef House, the Pork Place, and the dairy center. I saw the butter cow. I met with folks from the Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Corn, and the Farm Bureau. Everybody was there--the co-ops.
The farmers and ranchers in our State are essential to the Nation's food supply, and times have been immensely tough for them as they deal with rising inflation that has raised the prices on everything from diesel to basic operating costs. Most of this is due to overreach from regulators who have never stepped foot on a farm. These officials are implementing harsher regulations on farmers and doing so in the name of climate alarmism, telling these farmers, who know how to care for their land--they are great stewards of the land--things they have no business telling them.
By the way, Congress never voted on any of this stuff. It is some Deputy Secretary in some Department you have never heard of.
The best thing the government can do is get out of their way and let these folks provide the food our country needs.
It is always great to get around the State. It is one of the great joys of being in office--just visiting with people, real people, listening to what their concerns are. I had a chance to do that. I promised them I would always come and fight for them. Visiting for that month in particular--as we always do but certainly that amount, that block of time--only inspires me to fight even harder.
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