WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement in response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address:
“Today, thanks to three years of Biden’s failed foreign policy, America’s adversaries are emboldened and our homeland is less safe. From the hazardous withdrawal of Afghanistan to the inability to deter Putin, the lack of pushback against China’s economic coercion to the failure to curb illegal migration, there is no shortage of mistakes this administration has made that have led us to where we are today.
“In the last year specifically, Biden has not only failed to deter Iran, but he has actually emboldened the regime. Iran has dramatically expanded operations against the United States, aided Hamas in its attacks against Israel, and supported the Houthis in their attacks on international commerce in the Red Sea. Instead of putting the pressure back on Iran and reestablishing deterrence, the administration has failed to enforce sanctions, unfroze Iranian assets in exchange for Americans, allowed Iranian drones and ballistic missiles to fuel Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and stood by while Iran uses its oil and oil reserves to fund its lifestyle.
“The Biden Administration’s bad policies have allowed Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea to transition from transactional partners to strategic allies. This is a severe failure of American policy that will have consequences for years to come.”
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