State of the Union: Republicans urge Biden to address Chinese spy balloon, federal
Ahead of President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Republican lawmakers told DailyMail.com that they want to see the commander-in-chief pledge to rein in federal spending and be ‘truthful’ with Americans about the current threats to U.S. homeland security.
The president will be delivering his first speech to a divided Congress, tasked with bringing a unifying message to a Republican-controlled House of Representatives and a Democrat-held Senate.
But before he even begins, Biden’s address is already likely to be overshadowed by the recent diplomatic incident caused by a suspected Chinese ‘spy balloon’ floating over multiple U.S. states at a low enough altitude to be seen with the naked eye – alarming millions across the country. Multiple GOP lawmakers told DailyMail.com that he will need to address the near-crisis.
Meanwhile, some House Republicans indicated they’re already skeptical of what Biden will bring to the table.
Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern (R-OK), among the conservatives leading the charge for spending cuts to offset raising the U.S. debt limit, pointed out that the president’s speech is coming one day after he’s expected to miss a statutory deadline for submitting a budget proposal 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 on what happened regarding China’s suspected 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 speech
Waltz also called on Biden to broach the crisis at the southern border – an issue that’s been an albatross for the White House for much of his term.
‘This Chinese spy balloon was a wake-up call and I believe a Sputnik moment for the country,’ Waltz told DailyMail.com in reference to the infamous Soviet satellite that epitomized the 20th Century space race.
‘President Biden needs to be honest with the American people that the Chinese Communist Party is in a Cold War with the us and this needs to be made a priority for our country.’
Johnson, a member of the House Select Committee on China, shared a similar call for accountability on Tuesday night.
‘President Biden should absolutely use this moment to express to the American people what in the world happened,’ the South Dakota congressman told DailyMail.com.
Waltz also said Biden ‘needs to be truthful about the threat of our open southern border.’
Biden made his first visit to the border as president just last month, amid growing pressure from federal, state and local authorities. He did not appear to meet with any migrants during the brief trip.
Among the House Republicans who shared what they want to hear from Biden are Armed Services Committee member and ex-Green Beret Mike Waltz (left) and Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern (right)
Back home in Washington, meanwhile, the president is facing pressure from GOP critics to present his budget for the next fiscal year – which Roll Call reported won’t be given to Congress until next month.
Hern, who unveiled the Republican Study Committee’s own proposals for cutting spending to raise the debt limit last week, questioned what Biden could share with Congress about the country’s future without details on how he wants to spend its dollars.
‘February 6th is the deadline for Biden’s budget request – and he’s coming to speak to Congress the very next day. Without a budget, what does he have to present to us?’ the Oklahoma Republican asked.
‘Americans made it clear that they’re sick of the spending; they know what the Biden Administration refuses to admit, that every dollar Biden spends comes from the American taxpayers.
‘Anything short of a full commitment to cut spending and balance the budget is a failure of leadership from this president.’
South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson, a member of the Select Committee on China, said Americans deserve answers for what occurred with the suspected Chinese spy device last week
The White House and House Republicans are gridlocked on how to move forward raising the debt limit in order to avoid a massive national default.
Conservatives have made clear that they won’t allow a clean increase without offsetting it with future spending cuts. But Democrats are standing firm on the debt ceiling being an ‘obligation’ of the U.S. government rather than a bargaining point.
At the RSC’s regular luncheon last week, Hern unveiled a set of proposals to cut back on discretionary spending and advancing ‘targeted, paid-for, pro-growth tax policies’ among others.
The set of proposals, obtained by DailyMail.com, also includes calls to enact ‘inflation-busting reforms to increase domestic energy capacity and reduce associated regulatory and permitting barriers.’
Hern’s plan would also streamline ‘duplicative programs’ and attempt to avert another such crisis by codifying ‘procedures to ensure the federal government honors certain critical obligations’ like debt payments, veterans’ care, social security and Medicare.