As We Gather With Friends And Family This Holiday Weekend, Let’s Honor The Sacrifices Of Our Veterans And Remember What Biden’s Failed Leadership Has Led To

BIDEN HAS FAILED TO HONOR AMERICA’S VETERANS

• America’s veterans put their lives on the line to defend our country and protect our freedoms, and we are forever indebted. 
• Under Biden’s leadership, service members, veterans, and Gold Star families have been treated disgracefully.
  • Because of Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal, 13 brave U.S. service members lost their lives – deaths that Biden claimed were inevitable.
    • During the dignified transfer of the 13 service members killed in Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal, Biden repeatedly checked his watch in a blatant show of disrespect.
      • Biden has never even said the names of these 13 heroes out loud in public.
  • In Biden’s first year as president, he completely ignored the anniversary of D-Day, and the following year waited until 8:45pm to acknowledge the bravery and sacrifice of America’s heroes.
  • Last year, Biden abruptly walked out of a Medal of Honor ceremony, even before the closing benediction.
  • In October, Biden doxxed U.S. special forces soldiers in Israel by sharing a photo on Instagram that showed the faces of service members on assignment.
  • Biden’s administration provided unauthorized access to the military records of seven Republican congressional candidates in 2022.
  • As vice president, Biden called American service members who didn’t clap for him “stupid bastards.”
• One national poll of veterans found, 73 percent have a negative view of the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
• 83 percent of veterans say they have been dissatisfied with the “lack of accountability from senior civilian and military officials in how they handled the withdrawal.”

BIDEN’S TREATMENT OF GOLD STAR FAMILIES HAS BEEN A DISGRACE

• Biden has never taken responsibility for his exit from Afghanistan, saying he makes “no apologies” and has even claimed that his deadly withdrawal was a success.
• Instead, the Biden administration has attempted to brush off and downplay their Afghanistan disaster.
  • In June 2023, Biden denied that mistakes were made during the Afghanistan withdrawal and claimed that he was “right.”
  • Biden has never backtracked on that claim despite the death of 13 U.S. servicemembers, Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian crisis under the Taliban, and the danger to U.S. national security.
• In the two years since this tragic accident, Gold Star families have relentlessly demanded answers and accountability from the Biden administration.
  • Kelly Barnett, whose son, Marine Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, was killed in the withdrawal: Biden “needs to be a grown man. He needs to come out and say, 'Yeah, I made a mistake ... I was looking for a photo op, and I messed up.'"
  • Christina Shamblin, mother-in-law of fallen Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee: “When our leaders, including our secretary of defense and our Commander-in-Chief call this evacuation a success as if there should be celebration, it is like a knife in the heart for our families and for the people who came back.”
  • Cheryl Rex, whose son, Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, died in the Kabul airport bombing: “I feel I deserve real answers, real truths, facts and for someone to be accountable for the failures that occurred, that took my son’s life.”
• This year, three U.S. soldiers were killed and more than 40 were injured in a drone attack launched by Iran-backed militants.
  • 16 days prior to the attack, Biden said he “delivered the message to Iran” and “they know not to do anything.”
  • Iran clearly wasn’t listening – Iranian terror proxies have mounted over 165 attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since October.
• Despite Biden telling Iran to stop aiding Houthi attacks on shipping, the Iranian-backed pirates continue to severely disrupt trade in the Red Sea.
  • Two U.S. Navy SEALs were declared dead after they went missing on a mission to seize Iranian missile parts being sent to the Houthis.
• Biden’s poor treatment of Gold Star families is not new – a Gold Star father described his 2016 meeting with Biden as a “horrible experience” and that he left their conversation “feeling worse” than before.

IN ADDITION TO FAILING VETERANS, MEMORIAL DAY WILL COST EVERY AMERICAN MORE

• Heading into Memorial Day weekend, Americans will be forced to spend significantly more of their hard-earned money on their barbeques, shopping, and travel plans thanks to Bidenflation.
• Memorial Day cookouts will cost more this year, with groceries for the holiday up 10 percent from just a year ago.
  • In just the past year, the price of burgers has shot up by more than 14 percent.
• This follows an upward spike in grocery prices that has plagued Americans since Biden took office.
  • Ground beef is up 22 percent, condiments are up 25 percent, beer is up 15 percent, and prepared salads are up 16 percent since January 2021.
  • Desserts like ice cream, cookies, and pies are up 19 percent, 26 percent, and 32 percent, respectively, since January 2021.
• Biden has also made it increasingly difficult to travel for the long weekend, with gas prices up 55 percent, airline fares up 38 percent, and hotel prices up 50 percent under Biden.
  • Many airlines have also increased checked bag fees due to Bidenflation.
• Those looking for Memorial Day entertainment can expect to pay 32 percent more for sporting event tickets and 19 percent more for movie and concert tickets compared to when Biden took office.

VACATION INFLATION

• 2024 is predicted to be the most expensive summer for travel, with travelers spending an average of nearly $10,000 on their trips.
  • The average cost of a summer trip is up 7 percent from last year and up nearly 36 percent from 2021.
• Unwilling to sacrifice a vacation, many Americans will find their finances strained this summer to keep up with Bidenflation.
  •  40 percent of Americans said they would go into debt for a vacation, adding to the record household debt reached under Biden.
  • 35 percent of Americans still have credit card debt from their last vacations.
  • 65 percent of Americans think about post-vacation credit card bills while they’re on vacation.
• On the other hand, nearly half of Americans are choosing to skip a summer vacation, with 65 percent citing affordability as the main barrier to taking a break.

BIDENFLATION IS CRUSHING AMERICANS

• Biden and Democrats’ failed policies are squeezing Americans’ wallets and robbing them of their hard-earned money.
  • Inflation has been at or above 3 percent for 37 months straight while prices have risen 19.9 percent overall since Biden took office.
  • Bidenflation outpaced wages for a majority of Biden’s presidency – both year-over-year real average hourly earnings and real average weekly earnings were negative for 25 months.
• Nearly half of Americans consider themselves “broke” and 66 percent worry about covering one month of expenses if they lose their job.

ON DAY ONE, PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL RESTORE RESPECT FOR AMERICA’S VETERANS

• President Trump understands that veterans are “America’s greatest living heroes, and we will cherish you now, always, and forever.”
• President Trump made historic accomplishments for America’s veterans, and is poised to do so again.
  • President Trump signed the VA MISSION Act, which revolutionized the VA health care system and gave veterans more choice in their health care.
  • President Trump expanded access to telehealth services for veterans, including through the VA’s “Anywhere to Anywhere” program.
  • President Trump signed the Forever G.I. Bill, improving educational benefits for veterans, service members, and their families.
  • President Trump ordered that federal student debt for America’s totally and permanently disabled veterans be automatically forgiven.
  • President Trump ordered the formation of the PREVENTS Initiative, a task force that has created a roadmap to prevent veteran suicide.
  • President Trump signed legislation making it easier to fire VA employees for misconduct or poor performance.
    • In the first 30 months of the Trump Administration, more than 7,600 VA employees that have failed our veterans were fired.
  • President Trump also signed into law a resolution honoring active-duty soldiers who served in Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield.