FILE – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks during a news conference at Iowa Spring Manufacturing, Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in Adel, Iowa. Reynolds delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
SRDTF News
UPDATED 7:43 AM PT – Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds delivered the GOP response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, accusing him of failing to make America respected and united.
From the Iowa State Capitol Building Tuesday, Reynolds began her speech by criticizing Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal and how the U.S. sanctions on Russia are inadequate. While wearing a pin of crossed American and Ukrainian flags, she noted Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses a threat to democracy, freedom and the rule of law.
Earlier, Biden had touted the U.S. to be stronger today than it was a year ago. However, Reynolds insisted the country has changed for the worse.
“This is not the same country it was a year ago,” she noted. “The President tried to paint a different picture tonight, but his actions over the last 12-months don’t match the rhetoric. It’s not what he promised when he took office.”
Reynolds referred to the pandemic as COVID-19 theater, pushing the idea Americans are tired of Democrats making the country a place where elites tell people what they can and cannot say and believe. The governor said Republicans are offering an alternative vision for how the country can operate, one that does not require government mandates. She continued to stress the importance of Americans making decisions for their own families and future.
During her remarks, the governor attested that Biden has refused to protect the American people by allowing the ongoing border crisis to spiral out of control.
“Families also have every right to live in a safe and a secure community,” she stated. “And that begins with a safe and secure country, but the Biden administration has refused to secure our border. They have refused to provide the resources to stop human trafficking, to stop the staggering influx of deadly drugs coming in to our neighborhoods. They’ve refused to protect you.”
Reynolds also argued Biden has taken the country backwards for working families with runaway inflation driving Americans to feel the pain as a result of his decisions. She accused the administration of calling rising prices a “high class problem,” saying “it’s an everybody problem.”
Additionally, Reynolds blasted Washington D.C. for spending trillions and sending inflation soaring while Republicans around the country are balancing budgets and cutting taxes. Towards the end of the governor’s speech, she emphasized that Republicans are doing what they can to fill the nation’s leadership vacuum.
“We’re standing up for parents and kids, we’re standing up for life,” said the Iowa governor. “We’re keeping our communities safe and thanking those in uniform. We’re fighting to restore America’s energy independence and that includes biofuels. We’re getting people back to work, not paying them to stay home. Most of all, we’re respecting your freedom.”
Reynolds closed her speech by quoting Iowa’s state motto, asking Biden to remember that the greatness of this country lies within its people.