Reversing the President's Failed Agenda

The annual State of the Union address is rich in tradition, but the President used this year’s speech to once again defend his failed policies at home and abroad. Though he believes his government-down approach is the answer, I hear from Nebraskans every day who strongly disagree as they shoulder the consequences of an overgrown federal bureaucracy.

In his speech to the nation, President Obama said he recognizes the need to cut red tape. However, his administration has increasingly bypassed Congress and governed through the use of new regulations and executive orders. In fact, I launched my ongoing Regulation Rewind initiative to push back against the Obama administration’s endless flow of burdensome rules.

The President also touted Obamacare. Meanwhile, millions of Americans continue to struggle under rising premiums and tax penalties. Many had their policies cancelled after being told they could keep them. More than half a million Americans lost coverage due to the collapse of Obamacare’s own co-ops, like Nebraska’s CoOportunity Health, which have already squandered more than $1 billion in federal loans.

Additionally, President Obama tried to defend his foreign policy. A recent New York Times/CBS News poll found only 34 percent of Americans approve of his foreign policy decisions. As terror attacks continue around the world, including one within our own borders only weeks ago, the President is abdicating his responsibility as Commander-in-Chief by failing to propose a comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS and to address provocations by Iran and North Korea.

Mere hours before the State of the Union address, Iran captured 10 American service members at gunpoint and detained them overnight. Once the soldiers were freed, Secretary of State John Kerry thanked Iran for “their cooperation and quick response.” In turn, Iran released humiliating photos and videos of the incident on its state television network.

This State of the Union address was President Obama’s last. Even before he leaves office, we have opportunities to advance sound policies and reverse parts of his failed agenda.

This week, the House voted to pass the Senate companion to my resolution to kill the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Waters of the U.S. rule, or WOTUS. Under this rule, the EPA would have the power to dictate local land use decisions and farming practices nationwide. The agency tried to push WOTUS forward in defiance of a court-ordered stay and promoted it with, as the Government Accountability Office found, illegal “covert propaganda.”

Immediately after the EPA finalized the rule, I introduced the resolution of disapproval in the House on behalf of all farmers, land owners, and local officials frustrated by the administration’s refusal to acknowledge their concerns. The legislation now goes to the President’s desk.

Earlier this month, Congress sent an Obamacare repeal bill directly to the President for the first time. Though the President issued an expected veto, this path to repeal shows Obamacare is on borrowed time. Either a new president will sign repeal into law next year, or the health care law will eventually collapse – as we have seen with its co-ops – under its own regulatory weight.

The House has also passed numerous solutions to ensure the safety of Americans, such as strengthening the Visa Waiver Program to prevent terrorists from exploiting loopholes, pausing the President’s refugee resettlement plan until updated screening procedures are in place, and imposing stronger sanctions on North Korea in the wake of recent nuclear activity.

Though the President’s State of the Union address was largely out of touch with the challenges our country faces, I remain optimistic we can reverse many of the failures of this administration’s agenda both here at home and around the world.