Several Ohio political leaders criticized the speech given by President Biden on Wednesday to a joint session of Congress.
Biden’s speech, given ahead of his 100th day in office, focused on the American Jobs Plan and gun violence, as well as a move to increase access to education, child care, family leave and tax credits for children. Biden also said that white supremacy is the “most lethal terrorist threat” to the U.S. and that he will not impose tax increases on people making less than $400,000 per ear.
Both Biden’s speech and his 100-day track record was panned by several Ohio politicians.
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) specifically went after Biden’s 100 days in office, saying the president did not deliver on his promise of unity and that “rhetoric has not been matched by action.”
“It hasn’t been matched by action when it comes to key policy initiatives they’ve already put forward, including the latest COVID-19 spending bill that passed in March. Remember, despite a 50-50 Senate and very tight majority in the House of Representatives, there was no outreach to Republicans on the COVID-19 legislation,” Portman said in a speech on the Senate floor. “Not a single Republican was consulted before unveiling the plan, and once it was out there, Democrats chose to work only among themselves and do it under what’s called reconciliation, where they don’t need a single Republican vote.”
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) went after Biden’s speech in an appearance on Fox News, comparing Biden’s speech to previous speeches by former President Donald Trump
“The big takeaway for me was just the lack of energy in the chamber,” Jordan said. “…This was socialism in slow motion.”
Jordan also slammed the speech for its future-forward tone.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) April 29, 2021
“They didn’t want to talk about what they’ve done in the 100 days, all the crazy things they’ve done and what they want to do now,” Jordan said. “The only time immigration really came up was when Biden talked about giving million of people amnesty. So I don’t think the American people bargained for all this.”
Jordan also said that it is time for Americans to “get our First Amendment liberties back.”
Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik also went after Biden on unity, saying that he feels “sad for the Ohioans…who voted for Joe Biden based on his campaign promise to ‘heal the nation’ with bipartisan cooperation.”
“In less than 100 days in office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have done more than just break that promise. They have turned their backs on American workers,” Paduchik said in a statement. “…For the sake of America’s working men and women, President Biden should make good on his campaign promise and work with Republicans.”
See Biden’s full speech to Congress here.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair.
