International crises and inflation worry Missouri senator as president prepares for State of the Union
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said the Biden administration is “making a disaster wherever they go.”
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - President Biden is preparing to address both chambers of Congress in a joint session when he delivers his first State of the Union speech since taking office.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said the Biden administration “lurches from crisis to crisis making a disaster wherever they go.”
Hawley points to international conflicts, including the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Ukraine and Russia discord, as examples he believes shows the president is coming up short for the nation.
“I’m expecting empty talk and empty promises that he won’t fulfill,” Sen. Hawley said.
Hawley also points to rising inflation, with Missourians paying more than $3 a gallon for gas according to AAA.
“Missouri families can’t pay for gas,” Hawley said. “That’s why you see a lot of discontent in the state of Missouri.”
But Democrats say the president is making progress his first year in office, pointing to the bipartisan infrastructure law as an example.
The U.S. Department of Transportation reports an estimated $7 billion will go towards repairing Missouri’s roadways and bridges over five years. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) spoke on the topic prior to the president’s Kansas City visit in December.
“Anything we can do to relieve the community of the problems they’ve been experiencing over the last few years in the terms of automobile damage is going to be good,” Cleaver said.
The president is scheduled to address Congress and the nation at 9 p.m. EST Tuesday. In Washington, I’m Nicole Neuman. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will deliver the GOP rebuttal to the president’s speech.
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