Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds criticized President Joe Biden in the GOP’s response to his State of the Union address Tuesday night, saying America is not the same country it was one year ago.
Reynolds, who was selected to give the Republican rebuttal to Biden’s address to Congress, slammed Biden over inflation, crime, immigration, and how he has dealt with Russia. She also mentioned keeping schools open and the Biden administration’s mask mandates.
“We’re now one year into his presidency, and instead of moving America forward, it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time—to the late 70s and early 80s,” Reynolds said.
“When runaway inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing our cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map. Even before taking the oath of office, the President told us that he wanted to ‘make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home.’ He’s failed on both fronts,” she continued.
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Reynolds also called out “liberal prosecutors,” saying they are letting criminals run loose, and mentioned some Democrats who still want to defund the police. During Biden’s address, he mentioned America should be funding police departments not defunding them, breaking with many left-wing Democrats in Congress. (RELATED: ‘FUND The Police’: Biden Calls For More Police While Promoting His Gun Control Agenda)
“We now live in a country where violent crime is out of control, liberal prosecutors are letting criminals off easy, and many prominent Democrats still want to defund the police. It seems like everything is backwards,” Reynolds said. (RELATED: Rep. Lauren Boebert Erupts At Biden’s SOTU, Shouts About The 13 Americans Killed In Afghanistan)
She also mentioned illegal immigrants flooding across the border on a daily basis, saying he has failed to protect the country.
“The Biden Administration requires vaccines for Americans who want to go to work or protect this country but not for migrants who illegally cross the border. The Department of Justice treats parents like domestic terrorists but looters and shoplifters roam free. The American people are left to feel like they’re the enemy. This is not the same country it was a year ago. The President tried to paint a different picture tonight, but his actions over the last twelve months don’t match the rhetoric. It’s not what he promised when he took office,” Reynolds added.
Iowa was the first state in the country to require schools to open for in-person learning during the pandemic, and Reynolds said she was attacked for her decision.
“I was attacked by the left; I was attacked by the media. But it wasn’t a hard choice. It was the right choice,” Reynolds said.
“And keeping schools open is only the start of the pro-parent, pro-family revolution that Republicans are leading in Iowa and states across this country. Republicans believe that parents matter. It was true before the pandemic and has never been more important to say out loud: Parents Matter. They have a right to know, and to have a say in, what their kids are being taught,” she added.