Washington, D.C. – Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02) issued the following statement regarding the President’s State of the Union Address:

“The events of the past year have provided a stark reminder that the policies of the party in power affect the peace and prosperity of all Americans. As the country continues to lurch from crisis to crisis, the President’s policies are failing to address the problems that he and Speaker Pelosi have created. Whether it’s foreign policy, energy, the border, crime, or our economy, tonight I was not assured that the President understands the need to change course by rejecting the failing agenda of the far left.

 “I applaud the recent sanctions taken against Russia by the Administration. Unfortunately, he has ignored the number one issue – the energy exports. America pays roughly $70 million a day to Russia for energy exports. This is Ukrainian blood money that is propping up Putin and the Russian war machine. This is unacceptable. On Russia it is time to push back better Mr. President.

 “Further, I think the Administration could have done more to deter Russia’s decision to invade by sending higher technology air defense and anti-shipping capabilities to Ukraine months ago. In the end, Putin is responsible for this unprovoked and unjust invasion.

 “In addition, the President presented many ideas on how to address the environment and energy. However, he completely failed to address that increasing America’s energy production and natural gas infrastructure would help regain America’s energy independence and help us counter Russia’s energy exports. Canceling the Keystone Pipeline and not approving permits for other energy infrastructure while approving the Russian NS2 pipeline set the stage for his Presidency, and he should make a course correction now. Energy independence is a national security issue.

 “The rest of the speech was a partisan screed. He failed to take responsibility for inflation, Afghanistan, crime, and the border. He spent a huge portion of his speech trying to pass the Bernie Sanders Build Back Better Bill and pro-abortion agenda. He had an opportunity to reset his Presidency with his polls at 39 percent and formulate a better bipartisan vision.”

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