A lot can change in one year.
This time last year, President Biden was settling into the White House with Democrat control of both the U.S. House and Senate. Not much has gone well since, and the views of Americans reflect that. According to Real Clear Politics polling averages, only 27 percent of Americans think we are going in the right direction, while 66 percent believe we are on the wrong track.
So, what exactly changed?
Whether you watch Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, or your local news, one observation can be made after watching: This administration is continuously in crisis.
The number one issue I hear from my constituents is inflation. The consumer price index for January rose 7.5 percent compared to a year ago – the highest it has been since 1982 – according to the Labor Department this week. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in December reported food prices rose 6.3 percent last year. Inflation has gone up every single month of President Biden’s presidency, and folks right here in Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District are paying for it.
Beef, pork products, boneless chicken breast, milk, eggs, and coffee have all become increasingly more expensive in 2021 compared to 2020. Grocery store shelves are empty due to supply chain issues that have gone unaddressed by the President.
Regular gas in Ohio is $3.26 per gallon, whereas one year ago it cost $2.39 per gallon. According to the Ohio Trucking Association, 82.5 percent of everything coming into Ohio is trucked. With the spike in diesel fuel, this means we are going to see prices skyrocket on foods and consumer goods. As Americans experienced high gasoline prices and historic costs to heat their homes and businesses, the Biden administration cancelled the Keystone XL Pipeline on his first day in office, imposed drilling moratoriums, and threatened to end the operation of Line 5 in Michigan.
In addition, the ongoing pandemic is straining our health care system, workers, students, and communities. During the pandemic, our health care workers were cheered as “heroes” but now, they are being treated as “villains” with top-down vaccine mandates. Now, nearly 23 percent of hospitals report critical staffing shortages.
People are feeling less safe due to rising crime rates. Alarmingly, 16 U.S. cities set new homicide records in 2021.
And then there is the growing immigration crisis, with recent reports of immigrants who entered our country illegally being flown or bused across the country instead of being deported.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there have been 2 million illegal migrant crossings since the President was sworn into office, with 178,849 crossings in December. Also in December, illegal migrant crossings increased 142 percent from the year before. However, only 44 percent of illegal migrants were expelled from the U.S. under Title 42.
When our borders are weak, the American people are less safe and secure. This is a matter of national security. As we are seeing more and more people cross into the United States illegally, we are also seeing more and more drugs cross the border and infiltrate our communities.
Drug overdoses took over 101,ooo lives in a twelve month period due to isolating lockdowns and open borders where narcotics flood into our country with little repercussions.
With the drug overdose death rates at an all-time high, people of all ages, including kids, are dying because of these powerful substances. Specifically, fentanyl and fentanyl related substances (FRS) contributed to the significant uptick in overdose deaths over the past year. Over 11 thousand pounds of fentanyl has been interdicted at our southern border between October 2020 and September 2021. That is enough to kill every American about seven times over. That does not include the amount of fentanyl that is not stopped! Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. Just a pinch of fentanyl can kill you.
I’m working in Congress to hold the Biden administration responsible for their actions. I’ve joined with my Republican colleagues to force a floor vote that would require the Biden administration to use their Title 42 authority, which allows border patrol to turn back illegal immigrants under health protocols. In addition, I’ve authored legislation that would ensure that vaccine mandates wouldn’t result in a shortage of our health care workers. Nobody should lose out on care because their hospital or health care facility is understaffed due to vaccine mandates – it’s simply unacceptable. I also have legislation, the HALT Fentanyl Act, to ensure that fentanyl continues to be classified as a schedule 1 drug – a classification that expires on March 11 without action.
While it will take different leadership in the House and Senate before we can truly reverse some of the greatest missteps by this Administration, I will continue to work to use every tool at our disposal to hold them to account and provide relief for Ohioans.
U.S. Rep. Bob Latta
Ohio Fifth District
