AMAC Exclusive – By Claire Brighn
Joe Biden’s presidency has been replete with foreign policy disasters, from a botched Afghanistan withdrawal that left 13 American servicemembers dead, to an embarrassing diplomatic flub with longtime American ally France, to the complete sellout of American interests in an effort to return to the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal. Yet despite these failures, the Biden administration continues to pursue the same losing approach to national security that has undermined American interests at every turn. Here are just a few examples.
1. Biden Has Precipitated the Worst Border Crisis in History
Arguably the most immediate threat to national security precipitated by the Biden administration is the ongoing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, where millions of completely unvetted foreign nationals are escaping or are simply being released into the interior of the country. Each successive month continues to set new records for border encounters, with more than 220,000 in March of this year alone. In addition, Biden’s failure at the border has paved the way for a massive increase in drug smuggling and human trafficking, bringing untold suffering to families and communities in Latin America and the United States.
Recent data released by the Department of Homeland Security also shows that 42 individuals on the terror watch list have been apprehended at the border since Biden took office. In a hearing on the DHS budget last week, DHS Secretary Mayorkas couldn’t say if any of these terrorists had been released or provide any assurances that more people on the terrorist watch list hadn’t escaped detection and entered the country.
Yet in the midst of the worst border disaster in history, Biden is plowing ahead with repealing Title 42, a move that border experts warn would exacerbate the already unmanageable situation at ports of entry.
2. Biden Abandoned Energy Security to Pursue a Radical Climate Agenda
On January 27, 2021, while signing executive orders that would cut oil and gas production, Biden said that “climate change will be at the center of our national security and foreign policy.” This is one promise Biden has certainly made good on, with Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby saying in October that the threat of China and climate change are “equally important.” Last month, Biden also vowed to make the U.S. military “climate-friendly.”
But the disastrous consequences of those policies have been made all too clear for working Americans as gas prices have reached all-time highs. Now, Biden has resorted to begging OPEC for oil, leaving the U.S. at the mercy of hostile foreign powers.
3. The Military’s New Chief Concern: Going Woke
As China grows more aggressive in the South Pacific, Russia is on the move in Eastern Europe, and American adversaries in the Middle East threaten more attacks on American soil, the Biden administration is preoccupied with wokeifying the military instead of gearing up to face down threats to the country.
Military personnel under President Biden have been subject to discharge on account of refusing the vaccine and forced to embrace left-wing ideologies like Critical Race Theory. As if that weren’t enough, under Biden’s FY2023 budget proposal which claims to be “one of the largest investments in our national security in history,” military funding would not keep pace with inflation, and over the long haul would allow China to close the defense spending gap.
Biden’s budget would also cut thousands of personnel across all branches and shrink the size of the United States Army to its lowest point since 1940. Moreover, after Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal saw his administration turn its strategic attention to the Indo-Pacific region, the budget would ultimately lead to a smaller naval fleet – even as China and Russia build ships at a frantic pace.
4. Biden’s Economic Policies Have Left the Country Vulnerable to Economic Warfare
As events of recent years from the COVID-19 pandemic to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine have shown, economic security is national security. In an increasingly interconnected global economy, great power struggles are now often decided in financial markets or trade wars, rather than on battlefields with tanks and rifles.
Donald Trump understood this, and ensured U.S. national security by creating a strong national economy. But less than two years into Biden’s presidency, failed Democrat economic policies have led to record high inflation and falling real wages. Consumer sentiment is now at a decade low, and the share of small businesses reporting inflation as their top problem is the highest it’s been since 1981 – and yet Democrats still want to spend trillions more.
The drastic implications of this economic downturn for U.S. national security are clear; in recent weeks, China’s President Xi has signaled that his country aims to outpace U.S. economic growth this year. Already, according to April’s IMF World Economic Outlook, China is on track to do just that. The stronger China’s economy grows relative to the U.S. economy, the more the country is at the mercy of the Chinese Communist Party.
5. Biden Has Done Nothing to Secure Supply Chains and Food Supplies
It comes as no surprise that data trends show a strong economy and food security go hand in hand. But Biden recently warned of “real” food shortages following sanctions on Russia, highlighting a serious national security issue that his administration has failed to solve here at home. Fertilizer, glyphosate, and diesel prices – critical elements of crop production – are exorbitantly high, a trend which Biden appears powerless to stop.
Already, the USDA forecasts that “all food prices are now predicted to increase between 4.5 and 5.5%” in 2022 – and that’s after an expensive 2021. Food banks are also increasingly turning up empty shelves across the country.
Notably, other countries around the world are already kicking off a wave of protectionism to secure their own food supplies. But in the United States, Biden is doing nothing of the sort, and is instead proposing a new death tax which would, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, be “devastating to American agriculture and the broader U.S. economy.” Moreover, it would reduce GDP by an estimated $100 billion over ten years.
The most important job of any leader is to protect his or her people, which in turn helps build a strong and confident nation. On both counts Biden has failed spectacularly, and his polling numbers have reflected as much. Should Biden actually want to fulfil his sworn duty to the American people, he would do well to look to the strength displayed by past U.S. Presidents in times of crisis – particularly his most recent predecessor.
Claire Brighn is the pen name of a conservative researcher and writer with previous domestic and foreign policy experience in the Executive Branch.