Michigan Congressman John Moolenaar, R-Caledonia, said President Biden’s State of the Union address was out of touch with the issues hurting Americans.
Biden challenged Republicans to “finish the job” on the economy while highlighting federal investments he touted as working in the name bipartisanship.
The President pointed to the federal Infrastructure Law, the capping of insulin costs at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare, and the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Inflation was characterized as a “global issue” by Biden, and he said costs are going down for Americans and unemployment has reached a 50-year low for Black and Hispanic populations.
But Moolenaar criticized Biden for failing to address the issue of inflation “in a serious way,” and said this is the most important issue facing Americans and the people of Michigan’s second congressional district.
Following the State of the Union, Moolenaar told WCMU that high inflation can be linked to “reckless spending” in Congress over the past two years.
Moolenaar said lawmakers should focus on paying down the national debt with unobligated funds from the American Rescue Plan. Moolenaar is sponsoring a bill that would do that titledSaving Taxpayer’s Money and Paying America’s Debt Act.
Moolenaar did applaud Biden’s acknowledgement of the issue of fentanyl across the country, but said his effort to strike a bipartisan tone came up short, and there were moments that were divisive and uncalled for throughout the speech.
"I do think he taunted Republicans," Moolenaar said of Biden accusing Republican lawmakers of trying to make cuts to Medicare and Social Security. “He got booed because it was such a misrepresentation... We’ve been trying to build those programs.”
The recent shooting down of a Chinese space balloon off the coast of South Carolina was not directly acknowledged during the State of the Union address.
Moolenaar said foreign policy and national defense should be a uniting issue between Congress and the White House. But Moolenaar said Biden failed to give the American public a clear explanation.
“They still haven’t briefed Congress on the situation,” Moolenaar said. “So, to me, it’s really backwards.”
The mid-Michigan Republican has been appointed to a House select committee on China. He said he plans to raise the issue of the spy balloon along with gaining a better understanding on the Chinese military and its capabilities.
