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CNY GOP Congressional Representatives Critical Of Pres. Biden's Policies, Spending In Speech

C-SPAN.org screenshot

President Joe Biden's first joint-session address to Congress was received with skepticism and criticism by Republican Represenatives John Katko and Claudia Tenney.

Katko, in a statement, says it was heartening to hear the President speak on many of  the nation’s most pressing issues, especially as we continue to grapple with the public health and economic costs of the ongoing pandemic. He wants to make it clear he's actively involved in seeking solutions.  

I have and always will remain open to working across party lines to get things done for Central New York. Just last month, I visited the White House and discussed our nation’s infrastructure needs with the President, Vice President, and Secretary of Transportation. And last week, at a bipartisan infrastructure summit with over 25 Governors, U.S. Senators, and Members of the Congressional Problem Solvers Caucus, I unveiled a framework to serve as a starting point for bipartisan infrastructure reform legislation."

Katko says while he's glad the President tonight outlined some substantive proposals where he feels there can be common ground, including infrastructure reform, he says he has deep concerns with many of the policies Biden offered.

“After authorizing nearly $2 trillion in new spending last month, tonight President Biden proposed trillions of dollars in additional spending. This unprecedented sum would require trillions of dollars in taxes and borrowing, passing yet another financial liability to future generations."

Katko also continued to sound the alarm on the situation on the southern border.

As Ranking Member on the House Homeland Security Committee, I’ve also seen firsthand the impact of Biden’s border policies. The crisis on our southern border is emboldening drug and human traffickers, causing devastating human tragedies, and fueling the opioid epidemic. It is disappointing that President Biden did not adequately articulate a plan to reverse course and address this crisis."

TENNEY SAYS BIDEN'S SPENDING PLANS "EMBRACE SOCIALISM"

Utica-area Congressmember Claudia Tenney released a statement that echoed many of Katko's concerns, but also took a more politically divisive tone.

“President Biden promised unity, but in his first 100 days, he’s surrendered to the partisan far-left agenda that is causing irreparable damage to citizens across the nation.  The spending plan President Biden unveiled tonight sacrifices freedom and embraces socialism. The disastrous plan is a $1.8 trillion partisan grab-bag of liberal priorities that would bring his total spending proposed in the first 100 days to a record $6.6 trillion. That’s many times more than we spent during the Great Depression and the Great Recession combined when adjusted for inflation.

Tenney says the president is proposing tax hikes that will  hurt employers across all sectors, including middle class families and farmers. 

"These massive tax increases will have adverse consequences for all Americans. President Biden’s radical tax and spend policies will hurt our nation’s recovery, especially as we struggle to emerge from a pandemic. Saddling Americans with unsustainable debt will erode our economic freedom."

Tenney says President Biden also provided no solutions to what she calls "the human trafficking catastrophe" on our Southern Border, which she says he caused by rolling back commonsense border policies that were working.

"The approach the President outlined will not help the current crisis, safeguard our communities or save the lives of thousands of young people who are being exploited every day by brutal cartels. We must complete the wall, deploy 21st century technology, and give our law enforcement officers the resources and flexibility they need to ensure security to all affected at the border."

In the end, Tenney says Biden must prioritize unity and bipartisanship in order to gain the trust of the American people and support from elected leaders on both sides of the aisle. 

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.