In a few months, Americans will vote to elect their representatives in Washington. The choices we make in November will decide which leaders confront the challenges facing our nation.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, America has become less safe and more expensive. In the U.S. Senate, I am working to reverse both trends. When the 119th Congress convenes in January 2025, I intend to continue improving Americans’ safety through my leadership role on the Armed Services Committee. I also look forward to promoting economic policies that will drive down costs for Mississippi households.

Achieving Peace Through American Strength

For the past three years, the administration has repeatedly tried to cut defense investment while amplifying a diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda at the Pentagon. The cost-cutting could not have come at a worse time. Our adversaries are sowing chaos in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, South America, and Africa. Each new crisis chips away at the stability that has secured American freedom and prosperity for decades.

The Vice President merits particular scrutiny, since she is now asking to be our commander-in-chief. On her watch, American stature and safety has diminished. She has fully supported the calamitous 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal – even boasting that she was the “last one in the room” with the president as he oversaw the disaster. Recently, the Vice President skipped the Israeli prime minister’s address to Congress, signaling that she did not stand with an ally while it is under attack. And she has backed every one of President Biden’s proposals to cut the Pentagon budget.

Meanwhile, I have been working to rebuild the military strength the administration has neglected. I have published a detailed plan to grow our naval fleets, restock our munitions, and improve our homeland nuclear defenses. Success will rely on a temporary but significant increase in defense spending, and I have already rallied a bipartisan group of senators around a higher national security investment. These efforts are coming to life in Congress’ annual appropriations and defense legislation. Ultimately, they will tap into the resources of the military installations, research laboratories, and defense industry sites across our nation and state.

Jumpstarting the American Economy

Defense is not the only item on the agenda in the 119th Congress. We will have a chance to extend tax cuts that have been keeping more money in Americans’ pockets. In 2017, I enthusiastically supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a law which spurred business investment and job creation. It also included personal income tax decreases, which are set to expire at the end of this year. Congressional Republicans are eager to maintain these lower tax rates. I suspect that most Americans will be, too.

This is the opposite of President Biden’s approach. His administration has recklessly spent trillions of dollars, which has inflated prices across the nation. Since he and Vice President Harris took office, costs have risen for every American. In our state, households now pay $132 more for food and $109 more for energy each month. American families have to spend over $13,000 more every year to maintain the standard of living they enjoyed before Biden’s inauguration.

A Vision for Our Future

Security and economic prosperity go hand-in-hand. When our world is more peaceful, we are free to create businesses, pursue meaningful work, and provide for our loved ones. In this and the next Congress, I will keep fighting for the legislation that will lead to that kind of future for all Americans.