Liberal agenda is hurting America

By Bruce Poliquin

Common-sense Americans should be alarmed about the Biden Administration’s swift lurch to the political far left. Candidate Joe Biden sold himself as a moderate Democrat. He’s certainly not governing that way, and you should be concerned. 

In nine short weeks, look at the hurt he and his extreme liberal majority are inflicting on American families.

They’ve contributed to an illegal immigration crisis along our border with Mexico. During February alone, 100,000 individuals poured across the border. We’re on pace for the highest level of illegal entry in more than 20 years, and they’re still coming. President Biden and the Democrats worsened this public health and national security mess by stopping reconstruction of the border barriers and ending the deportation of immigrants waiting for asylum hearings — reversing highly effective security measures by the Trump Administration. 

It puts U.S. families at risk by opening the border to migrants, many of whom are coming here illegally and with unknown health histories, including COVID-19, and releasing them into the heartland. Forcing struggling taxpayers to foot the bill for healthcare, housing and education is just not fair. It’s also not fair to put up illegal entrants in hotel rooms when there are more than 550,000 homeless Americans, including veterans, living on the streets.

Speaking of spending, Biden and spendthrift liberals ignored Republican concerns and rammed through the largest spending and debt “COVID relief” package in U.S. history. So much for bipartisan unity. Less than 10 percent of the behemoth $1.9 trillion bill will help battle the pandemic, like administering more vaccinations. But it does send $1,400 each to felons and some illegal immigrants instead of targeting checks to low-income families. Married couples earning up to $150,000 per year receive $2,800 plus more money for the kids. 

The new law no longer requires welfare recipients to work in order to receive cash assistance and $130 billion is headed to public schools without requiring them to reopen, even though the CDC confirms it’s safe for students and teachers to return to in-person learning. Another $350 billion will bail out massive unfunded pension liabilities for government employees in financially reckless states like New York, Illinois and California – nothing to do with the pandemic. 

Every penny of this $1.9 trillion goody grab-bag is borrowed and must be repaid by taxpayers, with interest. It’s not free money. This unprecedented surge in government spending will likely push up interest rates and inflation, resulting in higher mortgage and car loan payments for working families. 

Believe it or not, the Biden Administration and Democrats are crafting another $3 to $4 trillion spending and borrowing bill to implement the Green New Deal. Expect bigger subsidies to help purchase expensive solar panels, electric cars and heat pumps paid by taxpayers who themselves cannot afford these luxuries. 

Have you noticed the price of gas at the pump has shot up since the election? Democrats’ goal appears to be forcing Americans to give up using gasoline, diesel, heating oil, propane, kerosene and natural gas by making it too expensive, in hopes we’ll embrace wind and solar (which is also too expensive). How about increasing the supply to drive down the price of all forms of energy, and let consumers choose what fits their needs? 

Earlier this month, House Democrats passed their top priority, H.R.1. The bill takes away Maine’s constitutional right to decide how we conduct our own elections. It would allow 10 days of ballot counting beyond Election Day, ballot harvesting and taxpayer funding for political campaigns for federal offices while undermining states’ voter ID laws.

By passing H.R.1, Democrats voted to allow and encourage every state to use sloppy, unsecure procedures. Maine’s two U.S. representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden voted with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other extreme lawmakers to nationalize this voting circus. It’s now up to the U.S. Senate to decide whether or not we Mainers will be allowed to control our voting destiny.

Far left Maine Democrats in Augusta are following the lead of Democrats in Washington. Closed government schools, more spending, more debt, more welfare, higher gas prices, higher taxes, fewer jobs and less freedom. It’s time common sense Mainers of all political stripes put pressure on their elected officials to stop this craziness.

Poliquin is the former U.S. representative for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.