WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria to discuss how President Biden’s bad policies have left the state of our union in suffering. Leader Scalise slammed President Biden for refusing to address critical issues facing families like the open southern border, crime, inflation and energy prices in his address. Additionally, Leader Scalise highlighted how President Biden’s policies have destabilized Social Security and Medicare, while House Republicans are working to strengthen them. 
  Highlights from the interview:

On Gov. Sanders response to President Biden’s State of the Union address:

“[Governor Sanders] did a great job. She just is getting started as governor of Arkansas, but of course we know her from the Trump Administration. And, you know, she's a new generation of leadership in the Republican Party. But I think it was a really sharp contrast, you know, what she talked about and what [President] Biden had just rambled through. You know, kind of an angry divisive speech where he continued talking about all the old 70s adages, raising taxes, more government – baggage fees and resort fees seem to be the biggest complaint coming into the White House. 

“But I can tell you, Maria, the biggest complaint I hear is about inflation. The spending in Washington, the open southern border, crime rampant in communities – the state of the union is not good right now because of [President] Biden's policies, and it seemed like he just wanted to double down on it. He wants to raise taxes even more, [on] the heels of an over trillion dollar tax-and-spend bill that he just signed into law on a partisan basis when [Congresswoman] Nancy Pelosi was Speaker. The American people are fed up with it. It's why they gave us a Republican House. 

“In fact, when you look at polling today, most Democrats, the vast majority of Democrats, don't even want [President] Biden to run for reelection. So, you know, I thought [President] Biden's speech was out of touch with reality. [Governor] Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave a really good dose of reality about the contrast between freedom, which we're fighting for, and this government control, big government socialism, that [President] Biden wants to hang on to.”

On President Biden’s self-created inflation crisis:

“Let me make this perfectly clear, Maria: In this Republican House, there will be no more tax increases. The trillions in new taxes that [President] Biden passed under all Democrat controlled House, Senate and White House – those days are over. We're going to get focused on fighting for those hardworking families who are struggling under the weight of all [President] Biden's policies. He didn't talk about them. 

“You know, the fight for the families who can't get by – most people can't afford to go to resorts. As he's worried about resort fees, they can't afford to put gasoline in their car because gas prices are 40 percent higher since [President] Biden took office. You know, what's happening at the grocery store is double digit increases in the price of everything you buy. All of these problems that families are having, it seemed like they were left at the doorstep when he walked into the House chamber. 

“And he talked about a lot of divisive issues. He continues telling this lie about Medicare and Social Security. Maria, if you look at the numbers, when [President] Biden spent hundreds of billions paying people not to work, literally paying millions of people to sit at home when everybody is looking for workers – those are people not paying into Medicare and Social Security. In fact, [President] Biden's policies have made Social Security more insolvent, less stable, because he's paying people not to work instead of having those people working, paying into and shoring up Social Security.

“We want to strengthen Social Security and Medicare. And he told that lie on the House Floor and it went over very poorly. And in fact, in the end, he even walked it back. So, I hope he stops telling that lie on the campaign trail, but it seems like he wants to revert back to the far-left tropes that he's been talking about for a long time.”

On President Biden’s confusing outburst about Chinese President Xi Jinping:

“I was sitting next to [Congressman] Tom Emmer, the Majority Whip, and I was looking at him going, ‘What is he talking about?’ He's yelling, he’s angry, he's talking about [President Jinping] – it was almost like he's jealous because there's a leader who has embarrassed him on the world stage. 

“[President] Biden for a week looked inept. When you’ve got this spy balloon – literally, [it] was telegraphed days before, you could have shot it down over the Pacific Ocean – he let it run across every military base in America. [He] didn't even talk about it last night. I think most Americans are outraged by the weakness [President] Biden displayed.”