MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee’s state officials voiced their criticisms of President Joe Biden after he delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday, March 1, arguing that his speech disregarded America’s struggles, painting a false representation of the country’s current state.
Biden acknowledged the country’s constant progression under his administration, celebrating the creation or more than 6.5 million jobs within the last year. He positioned the economy’s growth as a result of changed polices.
“Our economy grew at a rate of 5.7% last year, the strongest growth in nearly 40 years, the first step in bringing fundamental change to an economy that hasn’t worked for the working people of this nation for too long.”
In a statement, Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty said Biden’s address to America was an attempt to cover his “destructive policies” with a “smokescreen” of deceit.
“President Biden’s speech tonight was a sad attempt to create an illusion of success and false hope, to distract from heartbreaking failures, both at home and abroad.”
Hagerty called Biden’s leadership “weak”, claiming that Biden’s government spending caused inflation to increase. Hagerty said that although he was happy to see Biden acknowledge the “crippling” effects of inflation, he would rather see Biden implement “sound, pro-growth, economic policies” that focus on relieving Americans from rising prices.
Senator Marsha Blackburn released a statement acknowledging her disapproval for the Biden administration's policies, stating that Biden’s celebration of the advancements that have been made during his administration was untimely.
Blackburn also shared her worries about the economy, while voicing her concerns about the increase of crime and drug distribution, which she believes is a direct result of open southern borders.
“Inflation is at a record high. Crime like we have not seen in decades. Much of that is because of that open southern border with illegal immigrants coming into this country—cartels that are setting up shop on U.S. soil,” Blackburn said. “Human trafficking, sex trafficking, record numbers, drug trafficking, and American citizens and Tennesseans who are losing their lives.”
According to Blackburn’s statement, 3,000 Tennesseans died from drug overdoses in 2021. Blackburn also said that America needs to work to become energy dependent, stating that America purchases 600,000 barrels of oil from Russia every day.
Despite Blackburn’s statement about crude oil imports from Russia, the U.S. Energy Information Administration confirmed that total crude oil imports from Russia make up a small percentage of America's total imports.
In 2020, America imported a total of 7.86 million barrels of crude oil per day, with 52.5% of America's crude oil coming from Canada and 9.6% from Mexico. According to the full 2020 report, America imported 6.6% of all its crude oil from Russia and only 11% of its imports derived from OPEC countries.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration also reported that crude oil imports from Russia distinctly decreased mid year in 2021, reporting that crude oil imports from Russia dropped to a low 3% in the mid-2021 data report.
Verify, the fact checking organization, fact-checked statements that Biden made in his State of the Union address. Verify found that Biden’s statements of economic progress were true, but some of his statements required more context.
Verify stated that although the U.S. has distributed 475 million Covid-19 doses to 112 countries, which is more vaccine doses than any other country has distributed, Biden’s administration has only reached half of its total donation goal.
Verify also reviewed reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, finding that the creation of more than 6.5 million jobs in 2021 came after the pandemic caused the country to lose more than 9.2 million jobs in 2020.
Lastly, Verify found that the pandemic caused the country’s GDP to drop 3.4%, but the significant drop allowed Biden to make the rapid increase to bring America’s economy up at an increase rate of 5.7%.
Tennessee Democratic Representatives of Congress Jim Cooper and Steve Cohen, with Cohen representing parts of Memphis, Cordova, Tipton County, and most of Millington and Cooper covering Davidson, Dickson, and Cheatham County, supported Biden’s progress, agreeing that he is leading the country in the right direction.
“In tonight’s #SOTU Address, President Biden showcased America's strengths — our people,” Cooper said in a tweet. “He laid out a bold vision to cut family costs, keep our democracy strong, and build a better America.”
Cohen backed Biden in a tweet, stating that Biden made a home run with his State of the Union address, “hitting it out of the park.”
Biden shared his administration's plans to continue progression by fixing more than 65,000 miles of highways, working to improve the American Rescue Plan, increasing child income tax credits, and more.