>
Ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Republican lawmakers told DailyMail.com they want the commander-in-chief to commit to reining in federal spending and being ‘truthful’ to Americans. about current threats to US national security.
The president will deliver his first address to a divided Congress, tasked with delivering a unifying message to a Republican-controlled House of Representatives and a Democratic-controlled Senate.
But even before it begins, Biden’s speech is likely to be overshadowed by the recent diplomatic incident caused by an alleged Chinese ‘spy balloon’ hovering over several US states at an altitude low enough to be seen with the naked eye, alarming millions around the world. country. Multiple Republican lawmakers have told DailyMail.com that it will need to address the crisis.
Meanwhile, some House Republicans have indicated they are already skeptical about what Biden will bring to the table.
Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern (R-OK) among conservatives leading the charge for spending cuts to offset the increase in the US debt limit. budget bill to Congress for the next fiscal year.
And China hawks within the GOP conference, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) and Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), are demanding that Biden give Americans answers about what happened regarding the alleged China surveillance device.
President Joe Biden is set to deliver his first address to a divided Congress on Tuesday night with his State of the Union address.
Waltz also called on Biden to address the crisis on the southern border, an issue that has been a drag on the White House for much of his tenure.
“This Chinese spy balloon was a wake-up call and I think a Sputnik moment for the country,” Waltz told DailyMail.com, referring to the infamous Soviet satellite that epitomized the 20th century space race.
“President Biden must be honest with the American people that the Chinese Communist Party is in a Cold War with the United States and this must become a priority for our country.”
Johnson, a member of the House Select Committee on China, shared a similar call for accountability Tuesday night.
“President Biden should absolutely use this moment to express to the American people what has happened in the world,” the South Dakota congressman told DailyMail.com.
Waltz also said that Biden “needs to be upfront about the threat of our open southern border.”
Biden made his first border visit as president last month amid mounting pressure from federal, state and local authorities. He did not appear to encounter any migrants during the brief journey.
House Republicans who shared what they want to hear from Biden include Armed Services Committee member and former Green Beret Mike Waltz (left) and Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern (right)
Meanwhile, in Washington, the president is facing pressure from Republican critics to present his budget for the next fiscal year, which role call reported will not be delivered to Congress until next month.
Hern, who unveiled the Republican Study Committee’s own proposals to cut spending to raise the debt limit last week, questioned what Biden might share with Congress about the future of the country without details on how he wants to spend his money. Dollars.
‘February 6 is the deadline for Biden’s budget request, and he will come to speak before Congress the next day. With no budget, what do you have to present to us?’ asked the Oklahoma Republican.
‘Americans have made it clear that they are fed up with spending; they know what the Biden Administration refuses to admit, that every dollar Biden spends comes from American taxpayers.
“Anything short of a full commitment to cut spending and balance the budget is a failure of this president’s leadership.”
South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson, a member of the Select Committee on China, said Americans deserve answers about what happened to the alleged Chinese spy device last week.
The White House and House Republicans are deadlocked on how to move forward by raising the debt limit to avoid a massive national default.
The Conservatives have made it clear that they will not allow a clean increase without offsetting it with future spending cuts. But Democrats are adamant that the debt ceiling is an ‘obligation’ of the US government rather than a bargaining point.
At last week’s regular CSR luncheon, Hern unveiled a set of proposals to cut discretionary spending and promote “targeted, paid, growth-friendly fiscal policies,” among others.
The set of proposals, obtained by DailyMail.com, also includes calls to enact “anti-inflationary reforms to increase national energy capacity and reduce associated permitting and regulatory barriers.”
Hern’s plan would also simplify “duplicate programs” and try to prevent another similar crisis by codifying “procedures to ensure that the federal government meets certain critical obligations” such as debt payments, veteran care, Social Security and Medicare.