Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds went after President Joe Biden in the Republican response to rising inflation, foreign policy and the Democratic Party's handling of the pandemic in President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.
Reynolds outlined a long list of GOP criticisms, arguing that reckless government spending has driven inflation, that Democrats have mishandled the pandemic by imposing overly restrictive mandates, and that Biden has taken the world stage. Weakness is predicted.
"Instead of advancing America, it seems President Biden and his party have sent us back in time," Reynolds said.
On foreign policy, the Iowa Republican called the US withdrawal from Afghanistan under Biden's watch "disastrous." Referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Reynolds called for unity and solidarity with Ukraine, but argued, "We should not ignore what happened after Putin's invasion."
"Weakness comes at a price on the world stage, and the president's approach to foreign policy has been consistently low," she said.
"We cannot show strength abroad if we are weak at home," he said, accusing Biden and his party of "either ignoring the issues facing Americans last year or making them worse." "
As she lamented high inflation and its impact on Americans, Reynolds said: "The Biden administration believes inflation is an 'upper class problem,' I can tell you it's everyone's problem. Is." Reynolds said the American people share the view that "enough is enough" on ambitious Democratic spending plans.
Reynolds also went after Democrats in their handling of the pandemic across the country and cited his own record on the issue. The governor of Iowa has made a name for himself as a proponent of limiting government mandates amid the pandemic, and Republican congressional leaders praised his handling of COVID-19 when he announced he would give a GOP response.
"Republican governors faced the same COVID-19 virus, but we respected your independence and immediately saw that because of the lockdown and school closures, they came with their own significant costs; that mandate was not the answer," she said. .
He said, "What happened to our children over the past two years and is still happening is unconscious: learning loss, isolation, anxiety, depression. In so many states, our children are left behind and many never Will be able to catch it."
Reynolds signed legislation into law last year that prevents mask mandates from being enforced in K-12 schools and prohibits cities and counties from requiring face coverings in businesses. She also signed a bill into law last year that gives unemployment benefits to people who lose their jobs because they refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
The speech gave the governor of Iowa a major national platform to speak to the country and criticize the agenda of the Biden administration. It comes as Republican chiefs work to make their case for the American public ahead of the midterm elections that will determine which party controls the House and Senate.
It is Washington's tradition for the party disenfranchised in the White House to choose a rising star within its ranks to deliver a rebuttal speech following the president's annual State of the Union speech. Nationally broadcast speech serves as a way to attract counter-programs and vice versa.
At the same time, the format – rebuttals typically delivered directly to a camera – can prove challenging and comes with far less dynamic background than the House Room, where the president delivers the State of the Union and is greeted by cheers. and his party members applauded.
Biden is facing challenges on several fronts, including facing the lowest approval rating of his presidency just months before the crucial upcoming midterm elections.
The Union State also came under threat of the biggest military crisis in Europe since the Cold War as Russia continued its attack on Ukraine after launching an unprovoked attack on the nation.
While Democrats are hopeful that State of the Union will address Biden, and by expanding his party, Republicans are looking to use the opportunity to pinpoint what the president's agenda and the major flaws and weaknesses in his term are. What do you see?
This story and title have been updated with additional developments from Tuesday.