By Congressman Tom Cole
At a time when we are facing so many challenges and threats, the need for strong national security is as important as ever. Yet, the Biden Administration’s displays of weakness both at home and abroad have put our nation’s national security is at risk.
In 2021, the President assumed office with an aggressive pro-illegal immigration agenda, resulting in record-breaking illegal border crossings, an unprecedented fentanyl epidemic, and an influx of bad actors pouring across our border, including hundreds of individuals whose names appear on the terrorist watch list and thousands of “special interest aliens” from countries like Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Yemen. This is a serious threat to our national security, as it sends a message of weakness to the rest of the world.
Furthermore, his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which included the tragic loss of thirteen brave American service members, was chaotic, embarrassing, and demonstrated the wrong message to our adversaries. Now, as a result, the Taliban, a known supporter of terrorism, has retaken control of Afghanistan.
Then, just six months later, we watched Vladimir Putin wrongfully invade Ukraine, igniting the largest war in Europe since World War II and significantly impacting the global stage. If we allow Putin to overcome Ukraine in this war, it will show our adversaries that we are not willing or ready to aid those who are facing unjust aggression. During this unstable time where Chinese hostility against both our nation and our partners in the Western Pacific region has significantly increased, we must send a strong message to the world: the United States of America will not allow tyrannical leaders to prevail against sovereign nations.
Then, most recently, on October 7, 2023, after three years of President Biden’s pathetic strategy of appeasement towards Iran, we saw Hamas, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization, invade Israel and carry out the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. As a result, the Middle East has become further destabilized. In fact, since then, there has been over 150 attacks on American military installations in the Middle East.
Sadly, these events make it very clear – the Biden Administration’s questionable and ineffective national security missteps have emboldened our adversaries and made the world a much more dangerous place. During this time of instability on the world stage, it is imperative that this Administration begin to seriously prioritize our national security to ensure that the American people are safe and secure from threats both at home and abroad. We must send a strong message to the rest of the world that the United States of America is strong and our men and women in uniform are more than ready to fight if need be.
