Restoring Confidence in our Future
From rising inflation to spiraling energy prices to unaccountable schools and rising crime in many parts of our country, America is on the wrong track. That’s not just my opinion. According to the RealClearPolitics average on nine regular surveys of public opinion, more than two-thirds of Americans – 66.9 percent – feel this way. While President Biden has failed to recognize how his policies are making these failures worse, I am confident things can turn around when American families have the opportunity to earn a living, make the right choices for their children, and live safely in their communities.
It has been two months since President Biden signed the Inflation Act into law, and the most recent indicator of inflation, the Consumer Price Index, continues to show the burden created by Democrats’ indiscriminate spending – 8.2 percent inflation. Families everywhere are feeling the pain. The cost of food at home is up 13 percent. Nebraskans on average are paying 56 percent more per gallon of gas since President Biden took office and almost 92 percent more per gallon of diesel. Health insurance has seen the largest cost increase ever, rising by more than 28 percent over the last year. Like you, I am worried about the future. At the same time, wage growth is failing to keep up with inflation and the values of homes – often families’ single biggest asset – are falling in response to rising interest rates.
In many places around the country, schools aren’t faring much better. A recent Gallup poll shows parents are more concerned than ever about the state of our education system, with Americans’ confidence in public education at just 28 percent. Overzealous school closures during misguided pandemic lockdowns severely set back student learning. While these children will never get that time back, students are the future of our nation, and we must do everything we can to invest in their growth. At the same time, special interest groups continue to fight parental involvement in school systems and curriculum content.
To address these, and many other, ongoing failures, House Republicans recently released our Commitment to America agenda, The best solutions rarely come from Washington, and we must empower Americans with the freedom and flexibility to do what is best for their families and futures. The pillars of this Commitment – working to build a strong economy, a safe nation, and a future built on freedom through an accountable government – will help us achieve those goals.
Our plan will ensure the success of every student and empower parents to make the best decisions for their children’s education through the Parent’s Bill of Rights Act. This legislation will ensure greater transparency in public education so students are given the best instruction and protected at school. I recently took over as the lead sponsor of another important piece of our commitment to students, which had been previously introduced by my late colleague and friend Rep. Jackie Walorski, to encourage donations to scholarship granting organizations in every state. By increasing school choice through private action we can help families escape schools failing their children and supplement resources for families with special needs in rural communities when the local district can’t meet the needs of the most challenged children.
Our future depends on our commitment to our values. To achieve a future that’s free, we must rein in the spending triggering runaway inflation. We must restore the rights of parents to determine what is best for their children. And we must put the American people first.