The American people have a lot to say to their leaders in Washington, but too often no one is listening.
Lately, the Democrats in control of Congress and the White House have downplayed the people’s legitimate concerns, insisting that all is well or that maybe Americans are too confused to realize how good things are (gas prices may still be at historic highs, but we should celebrate that they are down a few cents!). According to them, any problems that do exist are somehow the fault of “MAGA Republicans,” despite Democrats in total control of Washington.
I refuse to tune out or keep at arm’s length the people I work for. I spent the month of August crisscrossing my Southeast Alabama district, meeting with families, farmers, small business owners, and retirees. I held eleven town halls in eleven counties to hear directly from hundreds of Alabamians about their concerns with the direction of our nation and lay out what Republicans plan to do upon retaking the House.
The most immediate worries for most people today are economic. Historic inflation (no, it is not transitory) is robbing every American of the purchasing power of the dollars in their pockets, and rampant spending of your tax dollars by Washington Democrats is worsening the problem.
Energy prices are skyrocketing, too, and were doing so long before Putin, emboldened by President Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, invaded Ukraine. Yet Biden insists on anti-American energy policies that would lead to the Californication of our nation.
Inflation is a non-partisan disease that seeks hosts without regard [to] political ideology. And even those without cars suffer when gas prices grow, driving up the cost of all goods. I believe the November election will be the “two-G” election, with the high cost and availability issues of gas and groceries turning voters out in droves.
If Republicans earn the people’s trust and take back the House, we must prove we are worthy of it by working for their interests using the two primary tools available to us with a Democrat in the White House – the power of the purse and congressional oversight. After the past two years, we’ll have our work cut out for us.
Of course, Washington working for itself and not the people is nothing new. But lately, the federal government has taken unprecedented steps to weaponize itself. Included in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act – which nonpartisan studies show will increase inflationary pains – was $80 billion for the Internal Revenue Service to add 87,000 new agents. It was way back in 2018 that Democrats shut down the government to prevent $4 billion requested by Republicans to be spent on a border wall, a failure contributing to the current border crisis. Now Democrats want to spend 20 times that amount to hire thousands of IRS bureaucrats to hunt down taxpayers!
In response to that bill, I introduced the Bureaucrats to the Border Act that would require new IRS enforcement personnel hired through the Inflation Reduction Act to complete a 30-day detail supporting CBP and ICE at the southern border. We need to provide solutions to real problems instead of creating new ones. Republicans must commit to defunding this new army of IRS bureaucrats.
That’s not all [that's] worrying American families. The radical Left that controls the Democrat Party and most of corporate America is trying to destroy our culture too, including every traditionally held value, moral truth, and even objective right and wrong. There’s no more shocking example than attempts to normalize surgeries claimed to provide new genders to children. Congress must get serious about this issue, working to prevent federal funding for life-altering mutilation of children, and stopping our public schools from promoting this evil ideology.
America’s lack of leadership abroad is deeply concerning too, especially for the many veterans and active-duty Alabamians in our district. The wokification of our military is contributing to crisis-level recruitment shortfalls even as global unrest escalates. Vaccine mandates for healthy, young servicemembers, many with COVID immunity from previous infections, are jettisoning thousands of capable and trained soldiers, marines, and airmen from our ranks. And a hyper-focus on Critical Race Theory and other ideologies meant to divide us are irreparably harming the unity and cohesiveness any successful military unit requires.
Our military is supposed to kill people and break things, not serve as a laboratory for radical social experimentation. Joe Biden might be the Commander-in-Chief, but Republicans must commit to passing a National Defense Authorization Act that keeps our national defense focused on that – defending our nation.
Too often Republicans have won majorities only to take a knee deep in our own territory. We must not make that mistake again. Republicans plan to have four priorities in the next Congress: a strong economy, safety and security, freedom for future generations, and accountability in government. If Republican congressional leadership will focus on these priorities, I am confident in our commitment to defend your freedom, your faith, your finances, and your families.
I’ll be announcing town halls for the month of October soon, and I hope you can join me. Washington may not want to listen to the American people, but for our future to be secured, it had better begin before it’s too late.
U.S. Rep. Barry Moore is a Republican from Enterprise representing Alabama’s second congressional district
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