Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, who offered to work with President Biden on bipartisan solutions, says the Democratic president has sidelined some Republicans with a barrage of executive orders that reversed the policies of the former government.
“Looking at what he did on his first day, it wasn’t a great start,” Van Duyne, R-Texas, told Fox News.
She led a group of 17 freshmen from the Republican Party to send Biden a letter on Inauguration Day offering assistance in passing legislation on coronavirus relief, protecting Americans with pre-existing health problems, improving infrastructure and restoring the economy. .
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During Biden’s inaugural address, he spoke repeatedly about unity and the importance of listening and respecting differences of opinion. He promised to be a president of all Americans.
Biden, however, started his presidency with a series of executive orders that directly targeted President Trump’s signature policies related to border security, energy production and climate change that were popular with the Republican Party base.
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Van Duyne is not alone in his disappointment.
Other Republicans satisfied with Biden’s calls for unity in his Wednesday speech were frustrated because his first executive actions reflected the priorities of the left. Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Accused Biden of taking “several big steps in the wrong direction”.
Van Duyne called Biden’s immigration actions “very dangerous” and said the Democrat’s reversal of the Keystone XL pipeline and gas project for environmental reasons would end jobs and increase energy costs for struggling Americans.
“It’s $ 1.6 billion in wages that he just eliminated with a subscription,” said Van Duyne of the reversal. “There are thousands and thousands of jobs that have been wiped out overnight. You think of the people that Democrats claim to represent – poor workers, people with a fixed income – and, literally, with a flick of the pen, he has now raised his labor tariffs. electricity, increased their gas rates … Now, your utility costs will skyrocket. “
Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, addressed a letter with 17 freshman Republicans to President Biden, offering to work with him on bipartisan solutions. “It is clear that the party division between Democrats and Republicans does not serve a single American,” they wrote in the letter of January 20, 2021.
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TC Energy, the Canadian company behind the pipeline, said it laid off 1,000 workers as a result of Biden’s executive action. Trump approved the construction of the $ 9 billion, 1,200-mile pipeline that would transport up to 830,000 barrels of crude oil daily from Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska.
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According to the Keystone XL website, the project, initially proposed more than a decade ago, would sustain about 11,000 jobs in the United States in 2021 – including 8,000 union jobs – and generate $ 1.6 billion in gross wages.
In another action, Biden ordered the suspension of wall construction along the southern border, ended Trump’s so-called “travel ban on Muslims” and reversed one of Trump’s first executive orders that made anyone in the country illegally a priority for deportations. .
In response to the latest action, the Department of Homeland Security announced a 100-day moratorium on certain deportations. The break does not apply to persons who have entered the country illegally in or af
Van Duyne said that, according to Trump’s policies, his home state has finally made progress in improving border security.
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“He basically received an invitation for gang members, the drug cartel and human traffickers to enter our country … This is very dangerous for me. And it will affect border states, specifically states like Texas, ”Van Duyne said.
Van Duyne led the Republican freshman’s letter to Biden because he saw how the country suffered when Democrats worked for four years to resist Trump and were very concerned about Russian impeachment and collusion to find solutions, she said.
“Honestly, I think I am like most Americans who are tired of this fight,” said Van Duyne. “They want to move on. They want to know if there are any elected adults who are willing to work on political issues that will affect them. And I raised my hand and asked 16 of my freshman colleagues to do the same thing.”
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She said Biden needs to work more closely with Republican lawmakers to avoid issuing more damaging executive orders.
“You need to have Republicans at the table who are talking about how to better defend and fight for working families, and this is now being completely lost,” she said.
Audrey Conklin of Fox Business contributed to this report.