One year into President Donald J. Trump’s second term, the state of our union is strong. For four years, President Joe Biden plunged our union into one crisis after another. Hoosiers faced skyrocketing inflation, the highest gas prices, the worst border crisis on record, and multiple wars began around the world due to Biden’s failed leadership. This is the mess President Trump, Congressional Republicans, and I inherited. We are working hard to right these terrible wrongs and usher America into her Golden Age.
The single largest achievement so far in President Trump’s term has been the Working Families Tax Cuts. I was honored to work with the president to pass this pro-growth legislation, which cut federal spending, delivered historic investments in rural America, and expanded tax cuts to farmers, small businesses, and middle-class families. I serve on the House Agriculture Committee, which has jurisdiction over a significant portion of this legislation. At long last, we have a president who is prioritizing farmers. With President Trump’s signature, this bill delivered a generational investment in our farmers and producers, expanded the farm safety net and crop insurance, funded successful conservation programs, and supported export growth so our farmers can sell more of their goods abroad.
Inflation rose dramatically under President Biden, driving up the cost of basic goods and groceries and making life unaffordable for Hoosier families struggling to make ends meet. This was a direct result of the prior administration’s tax-and-spend agenda. The Working Families Tax Cuts, by contrast, reduced federal spending by $1.5 trillion. President Trump has also been committed to reducing the size and scope of the federal government to save tax dollars and cut down on the wasteful, inflationary spending. I have supported multiple measures, including a $9 billion recissions package and appropriations bills that reduced our federal spending levels. As a result of President Trump’s successful agenda, inflation is down approximately 70 percent from its Biden-era peak. Hoosier families can now keep more of their hard-earned money, allowing workers to regain their purchasing power, improve their standard of living, and remain on track to see their take-home pay increase by as much as $11,500.
Hoosiers also deserve to feel safe in their own communities. President Trump is working to create the most secure border on record and make America safe once again. One of the biggest national security threats we faced under President Biden was our wide-open southern border. The Biden administration allowed over 10 million illegal immigrants into our country, and approximately two million “gotaways” evaded U.S. Border Patrol. Every state was a border state, even Indiana. That changed when President Trump took office. Under President Trump’s strong border policies, Border Patrol has not released a single illegal immigrant into the U.S. in nine months. Criminal illegal immigrants are finally being removed, restoring safety to our communities once again.
The wins have not just stopped at home. President Trump’s administration is restoring peace and security around the world. Since taking office, President Trump has secured eight peace agreements. His administration negotiated the release of every remaining hostage held by Hamas terrorists, and his team continues to work toward a more lasting peace in the region. We continue to pray for the Israeli and American families who lost their loved ones, as well as the survivors who lived through unimaginable horrors.
Under President Trump, our courageous troops crippled Iran’s nuclear facilities and captured the illegitimate dictator Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela. Maduro now faces justice here in the U.S. None of this would have been possible without President Trump’s bold leadership on the world stage and the unmatched capabilities of our U.S. military.
Though there is still more work to be done to reverse the damage done by President Biden, President Trump has hit the ground running and is restoring America to her previous position of strength. America is already better off under President Trump’s leadership, and the American people have much to look forward to in the coming years. In Congress, I will continue to work with President Trump to deliver meaningful victories for Hoosiers and make America prosper once again.
Rep. Jim Baird represents Indiana’s 4th District in Congress.
