OPINION:
The American people cannot afford another two years of one-party rule. Under President Biden and House and Senate Democrats, we’ve seen 40-year highs in inflation, record numbers of illegal border crossings, drugs pouring into our communities, a record number of overdoses, and elevated crime in our cities.
Like many of you, House Republicans are fed up with how Washington is run, and we recently unveiled our “Commitment to America.” This Commitment recognizes the important fact that hardworking individuals, families and businesses in central Arkansas need a square deal.
President Theodore Roosevelt summarized his domestic policy agenda as arguing for a “square deal.” He said, “When I say that I’m for the square deal, I mean not merely that I stand for fair play under the present rules of the game, but that I stand for having those rules changed so as to work for a more substantial equality of opportunity and of reward for equally good service.”
Our Commitment to America is exactly that — a square deal recognizing parents should have a voice in their child’s education, a square deal to strengthen our economy, a square deal to take a risk and not have to look over your shoulder thinking you’re about to receive a letter from the Biden administration’s beefed-up Internal Revenue Service, and a square deal to secure our southwest border and enhance public safety in our cities.
Central Arkansans continue to suffer the consequences of the Biden administration’s economic illiteracy. For 16 months, inflation has been over 5%, and since February 2021, total government spending has increased by over $9 trillion. We see it at the grocery store, the gas station, and when we pay our electricity bills — costs are up, wages are not keeping pace, and the Biden administration continues to spend money like drunken sailors.
To rebuild our economy, Republicans plan to rein in wasteful, untargeted government spending and stabilize the economy through pro-growth policies allowing American businesses to thrive and American workers to prosper through lower taxes and higher wages. We want to do away with burdensome regulations and take the boot off the neck of American businesses. It’s time we unleash domestic energy and become energy independent while opening our energy resources and offering a safe and reliable trading partner to our allies around the world.
Since Mr. Biden took office, there have been over 3.5 million illegal border encounters and over 900,000 known “got-aways.” This is a direct result of Mr. Biden repealing the Trump-era border policies and replacing them with nothing. He sent a clear message that our borders are open. In addition to an unprecedented number of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States — drugs, specifically the highly deadly fentanyl — continue to flow across the border and into our communities. Each week, roughly 300 Americans die from a fentanyl overdose, and now, the leading cause of death for those aged 18-45 is a drug overdose.
We can do better. That starts by supporting our police officers and cracking down on those who refuse to prosecute crime and ending policies that put criminals back on our streets. Years of “Defund the Police” rhetoric by progressives left our police demoralized and our police stations understaffed. Republicans plan to support our police officers through recruiting and retention bonuses.
Importantly, House Republicans want a government accountable to you — the American taxpayer. We want to put an end to Democrats’ plans to hire 87,000 new IRS agents to audit middle-class families to pay for their spending. Additionally, we will conduct oversight to rein in the government’s abuse of power and federal agencies’ practice of regulating far beyond their intended jurisdiction and congressional mandates.
These are just a few of the principles of our “Commitment to America.” Republicans stand as the party of growth and opportunity. We stand opposed to policies of the Biden administration that time and time again fail to reward the equality of opportunity and equally good service.
I ask each of our citizens who believes the country is headed in the wrong direction and that the Biden policies are wrong for our families, businesses, and communities, to join us. This fall, volunteer and help Republican candidates defeat the failed agenda, incompetent leadership and big government policies of Speaker Pelosi and Mr. Biden.
America is the greatest nation on Earth, and our Constitution provides each of us with a principal role in extraordinary self-government. There is much work to be done. Join us in our Commitment to America.
• French Hill is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District since 2015.
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