State of the Union: TPA Response
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
February 7, 2023
Washington, D.C. — Despite President Biden’s claims tonight, the reality is this administration has pushed policies that have caused historic inflation and crippling debt, soaring gas prices, government overreach by federal agencies, and more.
Following President Biden’s State of the Union address, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) offers the following advice to the President.
Economy / Debt Ceiling
What President Biden Said:
“Instead of cutting the number of audits of wealthy tax payers, I signed a law that will reduce the deficit by $114 billion by cracking down on wealthy tax cheats. That’s being fiscally responsible.In the last two years, my administration cut the deficit by more than $1.7 trillion – the largest deficit reduction in American history. Under the previous administration, America’s deficit went up four years in a row. Because of those record deficits, no president added more to the national debt in any four years than my predecessor. Nearly 25% of the entire national debt, a debt that took 200 years to accumulate, was added by that administration alone. How did Congress respond to all that debt? They lifted the debt ceiling three times without preconditions or crisis. They paid America’s bills to prevent economic disaster for our country. Tonight, I’m asking this Congress to follow suit. Let us commit here tonight that the full faith and credit of the United States of America will never, ever be questioned.”
What President Biden Should Have Said…
“America’s spending habits are unsustainable. While my administration has managed to get deficits down to pre-pandemic levels, they are still amongst the highest in our nation’s history. It is past time for bipartisan solutions that call for spending cuts to be made to ensure future generations are not saddled with this burden when the bill comes due. I call on leaders of both chambers to address the debt ceiling in a fiscally responsible way that includes spending cuts and to initiate these conversations with an eye towards a balanced budget in the next decade.”
Healthcare
What President Biden Said
“Let’s cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month…This law also caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare at a maximum $2,000 per year when there are in fact many drugs, like expensive cancer drugs, that can cost up to $10,000, $12,000, and $14,000 a year.
“If drug prices rise faster than inflation, drug companies will have to pay Medicare back the difference. And we’re finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices…
“A record 16 million people are enrolled under the Affordable Care Act. Thanks to the law I signed last year, millions are saving $800 a year on their premiums.But the way that law was written, that benefit expires after 2025. Let’s finish the job, make those savings permanent, and expand coverage to those left off Medicaid.”
What President Biden Should Have Said…
“Lawmakers and bureaucrats have spent decades trying to ‘reform’ the healthcare system and lower costs, but the reality is that Americans have far fewer choices than they should have. Patients shopping around for a reasonably affordable insurance plan are stymied by federal mandates requiring coverage for add-ons such as smoking cessation even if the patient has never touched a cigarette. It’s also harder than ever for providers and entrepreneurs to deliver high-quality medical goods and services to patients. Hospitals need permission from state bureaucrats to open a new wing and bring in new equipment while drugmakers must jump through too many hurdles to bring promising new medications to market. I’m going to change that, and work with agency officials and states to provide Americans with quality care choices that will not break the bank.”
Green Energy
What President Biden Said:
“We’re building 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations installed across the country by tens of thousands of IBEW workers. And helping families save more than $1,000 a year with tax credits for the purchase of electric vehicles and energy-efficient appliances.”
What President Biden Should Have Said…
“Excessive subsidies for green energy alternatives must come to an end. I have promoted these subsidies in the past, but it is clear they do not serve to advance uptake of these alternatives and only drain the budget and resources of our nation. It is time for us to look for new and innovative ways to support the development of clean energy without wasting taxpayer dollars on ineffective subsidies. The era of handouts must come to an end, and the focus must shift to free-market solutions that promote competition, efficiency, and affordability.”
Tech
What President Biden Said:
“Pass bipartisan legislation to strengthen antitrust enforcement and prevent big online platforms from giving their own products an unfair advantage…We must finally hold social media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit.
“And it’s time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on kids and teenagers online, ban targeted advertising to children, and impose stricter limits on the personal data these companies collect on all of us…
“Investing in American innovation, in industries that will define the future, and that China’s government is intent on dominating.”
What President Biden Should Have Said…
“The innovation that has come from the U.S. economy has been an inspiration to the whole world. In perhaps no sector of our economy is that more evident than in technology. Companies that started in just the last few decades went from garages to revolutionizing the way we communicate or access critical products and services. An increasingly technological world requires vigilance as well. I promise to withhold support from or veto any legislation that would threaten the cybersecurity capabilities of American tech companies. Further, I am instructing executive branch officials to refrain from using the time and resources of this government to harass American businesses with frivolous antitrust lawsuits.”
Taxes
What President Biden Said:
“And I think a lot of you at home agree with me that our present tax system is simply unfair. The idea that in 2020, 55 of the biggest companies in America made $40 billion in profits and paid zero in federal income taxes?
Pass my proposal for a billionaire minimum tax.”
What President Biden Should Have Said…
“The tax code is still too complicated, and taxes are simply too high for everybody. I pledge to reduce the tax burden on all Americans. Even though my fellow Democrats want me to raise taxes on billionaires, I will resist that urge because any tax increase on business is a tax increase on consumers. I will also ensure that the bureaucratic footprint of the Internal Revenue Service is reduced, and lower income Americans are not targeted unfairly with audits.”
Broadband
What President Biden Said:
“Now we’re coming back because we came together to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the largest investment in infrastructure since President Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System. Already, we’ve funded over 20,000 projects, including at major airports from Boston to Atlanta to Portland. These projects will put hundreds of thousands of people to work rebuilding our highways, bridges, railroads, tunnels, ports and airports, clean water, and high-speed internet across America…
We’re making sure that every community has access to affordable, high-speed internet. No parent should have to drive to a McDonald’s parking lot so their kid can do their homework online. And when we do these projects, we’re going to Buy American…Tonight, I’m also announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. American-made lumber, glass, drywall, fiber optic cables.”
What President Biden Should Have Said:
“The experiment to build government-owned networks has failed with billions of wasted taxpayer dollars on failed projects. Throwing more taxpayer money at these networks will expose the funding to waste, fraud, and abuse so I will not permit any of the infrastructure money to go toward these projects. America has become a leader in broadband growth thanks to the private sector’s efforts in deploying 5G wireless services and continued fiber growth. Today, speeds are faster and Internet service is less expensive. We must encourage the private sector to continue its efforts.”
“To increase the ability for providers to build out internet infrastructure rapidly with fewer supply chain concerns, and since many of the materials needed for such projects have few – if any – American manufacturers, I will allow providers to buy these materials from any manufacturer, foreign or domestic. This will help ensure the digital divide is closed as rapidly as possible.”
Defense
What President Biden Said:
“Modernizing our military to safeguard stability and deter aggression.”
What President Biden Should Have Said…
“We have the strongest military in the world. With that said, we need to thoroughly review the DoD’s budget and root out all waste, fraud, and abuse. The DoD’s long list of unfunded priorities cost taxpayers tens-of-billions just last year. These circumvent my annual budget proposal; if our defense officials believe they are critical, they should include them in the budget.
We also spend too much of our citizens’ hard-earned dollars on costly projects, such as the F-35. The F-35’s cost, which was originally supposed to be cost-shared among allied nations, will equate to over 5% of our $31 trillion national debt over its lifecycle. American taxpayers deserve better.”
Tobacco Harm Reduction
What President Biden Said:
“Our goal is to cut the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years. Turn more cancers from death sentences into treatable diseases. And provide more support for patients and families…Let’s end cancer as we know it and cure some cancers once and for all.”
What President Biden should have said…
“Smoking kills an estimated 480,000 people per year in the United States. That is unacceptable considering the technology available to help people quit. Putting control in the hands of the American people means approving tobacco harm reduction products that have helped people millions of people quit combustible cigarettes. I call on the Food and Drug Administration to stop dragging their feet and approve these life-saving products.”