The Moore You Know

Politicians like to complain about the legislative logjam on Capitol Hill, but it’s amazing how quickly that logjam clears when there’s an opportunity to spend someone else’s money. I arrived in DC the other day to learn from my staff that the House was just a few hours away from voting on a massive $40 billion Ukraine aid package that no one had seen yet. To put that amount in perspective, the entire FY2021 budget for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the frontline law enforcement agency at our border, was $17.7 billion.

It is concerning to me that the White House has not articulated how this aid is part of a broader strategy, and I was concerned by the absence of oversight mechanisms. In fact, it says more aid will be needed. We should do what we can to aid the Ukrainian people against Russia, but I believe we must put Americans’ interests first. With Americans suffering so terribly from inflation, I could not justify voting for this package. Although this bill passed, I joined a letter formally asking for President Biden to provide accountability on the funds and weapons being sent to Ukraine.

***

Joe Biden declared war on American energy before he even took office. In fact, that may be the only promise he has kept. Yet now that energy prices are predictably out of control, he blames Vladimir Putin, American energy producers, and even capitalism. It is unfortunate he continues playing the blame game instead of taking real steps to address the issue head-on.

Biden continues leading us in the wrong direction. Days ago, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced it would no longer hold court-ordered offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, totaling over 1 million acres. Yet despite the Biden Administration doing all it can to reduce supply, House Democrats passed a bill blaming energy company price gouging for the high prices. Price gouging is already illegal, so if that was truly the issue, why isn’t the Administration taking action against it? This is the perfect illustration of why voters are increasingly losing trust in Washington Democrats to offer solutions for the crises they face.

***

Since a major baby formula producer was forced to shut down production in February to accommodate government inspections, the Biden Administration’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has dragged its feet to come up with a plan to solve the impending shortage. The answers they came up with were, to put it nicely, insufficient. In a reaction that is little more than a wildly expensive PR move, the House passed a $28 million emergency spending bill to dump a bunch of money on the FDA to hire more bureaucrats.

Nothing is swampier than the government asking you, the taxpayer, to bail it out of a crisis it helped create and failed to address for months. It is abundantly clear the only solution Democrats have for every government-caused problem is more government.

***

Do you need help with Social Security benefits, veterans’ services, passports, or any other federal matter? Staff in my district offices in Wetumpka, Dothan, and Andalusia can help you. Please call 334-478-6330 or visit barrymoore.house.gov if we can be of assistance.

Contact Me

Please reach out to my office at barrymoore.house.gov, calling (202) 225-2901, or mailing him at 1504 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Stay updated on my activities by joining me at:

• Facebook page at U.S. Representative Barry Moore

• Twitter page at Rep. Barry Moore