Speaker Mike Johnson address borders, crime, and economy in response to State of the Union

Good evening, this is Speaker Mike Johnson, and let me be the first to say: President Biden and I have a decidedly different view of the present state of our union.While I appreciate his optimism tonight, no amount of flowery prose or aspirational promises can mask the failures of his time in office.In recent days, I have met with community leaders and business owners throughout Louisiana who feel acutely the pain of President Biden’s policies.Our wide-open border has turned every state into a border state. Ask any local police officer or sheriff. Cities like Shreveport and so many others - hundreds of miles away from any port of entry - have been forced to expend local resources to deal with this crisis.Millions of illegal immigrants have flooded our borders, fentanyl continues to be the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45, and violent criminals have contributed to a well-founded sense of fear among our communities.And President Biden could end it all tomorrow if he wanted to. That fact was noticeably absent from his speech tonight.Whether I am in South Florida, the Midwest, our West, upstate New York, the message from the American people is the same: our country is in decline.Our debt is soaring past $34 trillion. Under President Biden, we have spent nearly $8 trillion, while raising taxes and making life more expensive for hardworking Americans.Despite his rose-colored depiction of our economy, prices are up, purchasing power is down, and home ownership has become increasingly out of reach for most Americans.President Biden has turned the American Dream into a mirage.And this Administration continues to double down on policies - like the national LNG export pause - negatively impacting hardworking Louisiana families and our state’s critical industries.Louisiana has also not been immune to the surge of crime that has rocked American communities. Three cities in Louisiana now rank among the top 10 in violent crime, thanks to soft on crime policies of the people in charge.Thankfully, newly-elected Governor Jeff Landry made this issue a hallmark of his campaign and the Legislature has already acted swiftly to pass policies that will empower prosecutors, deter crime, and make our streets more safe.We’re going to chart a different course.  We will not be passive bystanders to America’s decline.Our unique values, innovation, and ideals have led America to be the freest, most powerful, most benevolent nation in the history of the world. It’s not even close.And I believe the people of Louisiana deserve a government that both acknowledges and protects this spirit, not one that seeks to destroy it.The state of our union is in chaos, but it doesn’t have to be this way.If we lead with conviction, transparency, and common sense, we can reverse this decline and usher in a new era of American greatness. And we will.God bless you Louisiana, God bless America, and good night.