By Congressman Joe Wilson
I have just completed my annual bus tour around the Second Congressional District, making stops at local businesses, schools, and organizations, and heard from our fellow South Carolinians in all five counties.
Biden policies continue to hurt American families and destroy jobs. Under his direction, the country reached its highest inflation in 40 years. He does not understand or does not care and refuses to acknowledge that his borrow, print, tax, and spend policies are crippling the economy.
Biden incorrectly claims he has created jobs since he took office, yet 72 percent of those jobs are simply post-pandemic recovery, not new job creation, according to the House Budget Committee. It was the liberal Democrats that forced excessive pandemic lockdowns on the American people which eliminated these jobs in the first place. As the Committee notes, “On the other hand, in his first 2.5 years, job creation under President Trump was 5 million—1.3 million more jobs than the current President in the same time frame after factoring in the recovery from the pandemic.”
While Biden talks about how hourly wages have increased, the truth is that prices have risen faster, and incomes have actually reduced, causing families to suffer.
According to the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of hours worked per week have also declined, pushing weekly earnings down further. Groups like Nerdwallet study the spending of American households and estimated that in 2022 “Bidenflation” cost American families nearly $12,000 annually in purchasing power, putting extreme financial pressure on individual households. Just because Biden is not capable of managing his budget, does not mean he should pass along those financial struggles to American families.
Gas prices are up over a dollar a gallon since Biden took office. Yet while soaring prices at the pump are a direct demonstration of Biden’s failed Green New Deal policies declaring war on fossil fuels, energy isn’t the only area being crippled by Biden and liberal Democrats’ runaway spending.
Under Biden, the cost of basic items in grocery stores have increased over the last year – frozen vegetables are up 18 percent, bread up 12 percent, sugar up 11 percent, and baby food up eight percent, just to name a few.
Biden has clearly failed to comprehend the reality of his own policies, stating, “I don’t know what [Bidenomics] is. But it’s working.”
Fortunately, the recently elected House Republican majority has a plan and is working to correct these financial burdens. The Commitment to America will reduce the costs of everyday goods and services and help restore the pocketbooks of families.
In just the first seven months the House Republican majority showed they are ready to deliver solutions, including passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act to stop out-of-control inflationary spending and create lasting jobs.
My colleagues and I also passed legislation to unleash American energy independence and lower energy costs, address the crisis at the Southern border which terrorists cross freely, cut back Biden’s attack on American families by pulling funding for his army of 87,000 new IRS agents, eliminate the pandemic national emergency, reign in liberal school boards by passing the Parents Bill of Rights, and establish the bipartisan committee to strengthen America against threats from the Chinese Communist Party, just to name a few.
On behalf of the Second Congressional District, I advocated for and got language included in legislation — that House Republicans passed — bolstering the missions of the Savannah River Site, including the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, modernizing our nuclear triad for peace through strength, and supporting Defense Research Projects at South Carolina Universities, directly benefiting our community.
Additionally, I introduced the bipartisan Farm Support Operations Act, which would support the inflationary challenges affecting farmers, and ultimately grocery bills, by reverting the minimum hourly wages of workers who perform seasonal agricultural services in South Carolina and around the country.
Throughout all this, Biden has spent roughly 40 percent of his time in office on vacation, and when not enjoying the beach, continues to peddle his failed policies on America.
The work is not done, but on behalf of American families, I join my House Republicans in the fight to tackle inflation and lower the cost of living, defend national security, restore the voice of the American people, and much more.
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of South Carolina’s Second District.
Joe Wilson is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives serving South Carolina’s 2nd District.
