Sanders calls Biden ‘unfit,’ blasts Democrats’ record

By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

Democrats have failed the American people, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during the Republican response Tuesday night to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.

She said the choice in the country was no longer between right and left but between normal and crazy. The new Arkansas governor, who worked as press secretary during the Trump administration, told viewers watching across the country, “From out-of-control inflation and violent crime to the dangerous border crisis and threat from China, Biden and the Democrats have failed you.

“They know. And you know it,” said Ms. Sanders, daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a former presidential candidate. “It’s time for a change.

“Tonight, let us reaffirm our commitment to a timeless American idea: that government exists not to rule the people, but to serve the people,” Ms. Sanders said. She accused Democrats of wanting to impose more government control, but noted America’s strength lies in its freedom.

“I’ll be the first to admit, President Biden and I don’t have a lot in common,” Ms. Sanders said. “I’m for freedom. He’s for government control.

“At 40, I’m the youngest governor in the country. At 80, he’s the oldest president in American history,” Ms.Sanders continued.

“I’m the first woman to lead my state,” she noted, continuing her comparisons between herself and President Biden. “He’s the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke

FRAUD

Continued from Page A2 higher than state systems were designed to handle,” Mr. Turner said in written testimony. Within five months, the Department of Labor reported 57.4 million initial claims, the largest increase since the agency began tracking unemployment insurance data in 1967. Problems with the unemployment insurance program predated the pandemic. Mr. Turner said the program had among the highest improper payment rates in the federal government. It had been above 10% for 15 of the previous 19 years. In the last two years, the agency has estimated an improper payment rate of 18.71% and 21.52%, respectively.

Comptroller General of the United States Gene Dodaro told the committee that some improvements have been made to prevent fraud, but more remains to be done.

“I think we’re slightly better prepared, but not fully prepared for the next crisis,” he said. “A number of our recommendations at the Labor Department have been not fully implemented yet. I think states are trying to mob that can’t even tell you what a woman is.

“In the radical left’s America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire, but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves, and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country,” Ms. Sanders said.

She noted President Biden inherited the fastest economic recovery in history, the most secure southern border, fast-rising wages, a rebuilt military and a world that was stable and at peace. “In the last two years, Democrats destroyed it all.”

Ms. Sanders pointed to the 100,000 Americans dying a year from drug overdoses, largely from fentanyl coming across the southern border.

She called President Biden “unfit to serve as commander-in-chief,” saying his weakness was putting the U.S. and the world at risk. She cited Afghanistan, Ukraine, North Korea and Iran as some of the troublespots.

“The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left,” she said.

“The choice is between normal or crazy.”

Ms. Sanders said that after taking office as governor a few weeks ago, she signed executive orders to ban teaching critical race theory, as well as racism and indoctrination, in schools.

She also repealed COVID-19 orders.

“Here in Arkansas and across America, Republicans are working to end the policy of trapping kids in failing schools and sentencing them to a lifetime of poverty,” she said. “We will educate, not indoctrinate our kids, and put students on a path to success.”

During his State of Union address before Ms. Sanders’ speech, President Biden touted make improvements – there have been some improvements that have been made, but they’ve all be ad hoc. There hasn’t been a systematic approach to doing this.”

He said while the government should work to recover as much fraud as it can, prevention would go further.

“The only way to effectively deal with this is to prevent it up front,” Mr. Dodaro said.

Michael Horowitz, chairman of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, told the House Ways and Means Committee that the fraud was not limited to U.S. residents.

“One of the biggest challenges we have is following the fraud through overseas gang activity and fraudsters,” Mr. Horowitz said. “The Secret Service has reported that they’ve seen that occur through entities in Nigeria, China, Russia. That will be our biggest challenge.”

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, RFlorida, asked for an estimate of how much that type of fraud cost U.S. taxpayers.

Mr. Horowitz said no such estimate was available.

“That’s among the hardest fraud to find, track and figure out,” he said. “Because it is through overseas networks ... the process is very challenging.” recent declines in inflation and gas prices and pointed to the creation of new jobs as well as bipartisan efforts such as the law financing infrastructure improvements. President Biden’s speech was covered in Wednesday’s News-Press, and that story remains at newspress.com. email: dmason@newspress.com