WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) issued the following statement reflecting upon President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' resoundingly bad first year in office. 

"Then-candidate Biden pledged that his administration would bring unity and normalcy to America, and a year into his term, America is more divided—and the new norm is constant chaos and uncertainty. The fate of our nation turned drastically in the wrong direction the moment Biden finished the words' so help me God' in the afternoon of January 20, 2021. Amid the power pendulum swinging from the America First policies of the Trump-Pence administration to that of the Biden-Harris administration, I hoped for the best—and still do—but nearly every action of this administration has cataclysmically failed. One year later, the list of failures continues to grow—leaving many Americans, including those in the president's party, to ask where we go from here? This assessment of Biden's tumultuous year isn't hyperbolic—it's in line with his falling poll numbers, some of the lowest in modern presidential history. Let's recap President Biden's failures:

• Halting the Keystone XL pipeline, thus killing thousands of jobs and making America more dependent on foreign oil.    
• Botching the withdrawal from Afghanistan, leaving 13 American troops dead, countless Afghans dead or injured, hundreds of Americans stranded, and a blemished stature on the world stage.  
• Refusing to build the wall and enforce immigration law on the southern border. In FY2021, more than 1.7 million illegal migrants crossed into our nation—the highest number in 20 years. 
  • Doubling the rate of deadly fentanyl and other drugs coming into our nation and drastically increasing the rate of overdoses in American communities. 
• Skyrocketing inflation—the consumer price index rose 7% since Biden took office, the fastest pace since 1982. Inflation is a TAX on lower and middle-income families. 
  • Gas UP 49.6%
  • Used cars and trucks UP 37.3%
  • Propane and firewood UP 33.8%
  • Beef UP 18.6%
  • Bacon UP 18.6%
  • Eggs UP 11.1%
  • Chicken UP 11.5%
  • Washing machines UP 12.1%
  • Restaurants and take-out UP 6%
• Plummeting wages—real wages are down under Bidenomics in the 8 out of 11 months since taking office. 
• Decreasing labor force participation rates for Black men, Asian Americans, and Hispanic/Latino Americans. 
• Spiraling out of control supply chain crisis, which led to empty shelves, delayed shipping, and massive frustration on behalf of American consumers. 
• Selling out American energy independence to our adversaries and the Green New Deal social activists on Twitter by closing pipelines and granting Russia approval to operate the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.  
• Supporting the indoctrination of our federal workforce and the United States Armed Forces through the teaching of critical race theory.   
• Mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. More Americans are dead under the Biden-Harris term than under the previous administration. 
  • The CDC listed every state and territory in America as a high transmission zone, with cases booming in highly vaccinated states.    
• Engaging in unconstitutional leadership through forced vaccine mandates for private businesses and first responders and creating disfunction in several sectors, including transportation, healthcare, retail, and emergency medical services.     
• Politicizing federal law enforcement through the unconstitutional and harsh treatment of those who broke into the Capitol on January 6—denying these Americans their due process.   
• Criminalizing parental involvement in their children's education by the DOJ targeting concerned parents as 'domestic terrorists.'  
• Waging war on the American people's constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
• Avoiding questions from the press regarding the mounting crises in America—making him the least transparent president in modern history.  
• Prioritizing the National School Board Association over parents, causing school closures in major U.S. cities and the continued forced masking of kids in school. 
• Fueling culture wars and racial divisions in America by promoting the 'Big Lie' that people of color will lose their right to vote—ignoring the fact that his home state of Delaware has some of the most restrictive voter laws.
• Overseeing one of the largest crime waves in modern history while supporting anti-law enforcement measures like ending qualified immunity and sympathizing with the Defund the Police movement. 

"As we enter year two of Biden's already turbulent tenure, the American people remain crippled by fear, distrust, and fatigue of their leader. While the president remains dramatically unpopular, he and those that control his agenda are moving full steam ahead. This year, our only hope rests in the hands of two very powerful senators, Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), who are the last roadblocks to Biden's radical and tone-deaf agenda. As your member of Congress, I remain committed to blocking the disastrous policies of Biden, Harris, Schumer, and Pelosi—and I'll continue to hold them accountable to the best of my ability." 

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