Nikki Haley opened her remarks at Friday’s Republican Party of Iowa Lincoln Dinner by praising Iowa’s elected women — Gov. Kim Reynolds, Sen. Joni Ernst and Congresswomen Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson.
She quickly pivoted to the $32 trillion in debt America owes.
“I would love to say Biden did that to us, but I’ve always spoken hard truths and I’m going to do that with you today,” she said. “Our Republicans did that to us too.”
Haley pointed to the $2.2 trillion COVID stimulus bill that passed without accountability and expanded welfare, leaving the U.S. with 90 million Americans on Medicaid and 42 million Americans on food stamps.
“And did Republicans try to make it right,” Haley asked. “Nope. They doubled down and opened up earmarks again for the first time in 10 years — pushing through 7,000 of them.”
American 13-year-olds are at the lowest levels of reading and math they have been in decades, Haley said. She noted the crisis at the southern border, expressing concern about the 5.5 million illegal immigrants who have crossed the border as well as the fentanyl.
“Don’t think for a second that China doesn’t know what they’re doing when they send it over,” Haley said. “So we’ve got some work to do.”
Haley said as President she would claw back the unspent $500 billion COVID money. She called on borrowing to stop if 8 percent of the budget is interest.
“Republicans and Democrats have a spending addiction in D.C.,” she said.
She called for transparency in the classroom and school choice. As for the border, she said she would implement a national E-Verify program and put 25,000 border patrol and ICE agents on the ground.
“We’ll defund sanctuary cities and instead of catch and release we’ll go to catch and deport,” she said. “Look at all those issues and D.C. hasn’t handled any of them. That’s why we have to have term limits in D.C. once and for all. And if this week didn’t prove it to you, we’ve got to have mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75. That’s not disrespectful, these are people who are making decisions on our national security. They’re making decisions on our economic policy.”
She poked at President Joe Biden when discussing questions that could be asked during such a competency test, listing how many grandchildren someone has as a potential question.
Haley hammered the Biden Administration for its weakness abroad, highlighting the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.
If military members are willing to fight for America overseas, Haley said we should be willing to fight for America here.
“But in order to do that, it’s going to take a lot of courage,” she said. “And courage for every one of you to remember don’t complain about what we get in a general election if you don’t play in this caucus. It matters.”
Haley said she is running for President for her husband and his fellow service members. For her recently married daughter. And for her son who is having to write papers on things he doesn’t believe in just to get an A.
“That’s not us. That’s not America,” she said. “And now 78 percent of Americans say that they don’t think their kids are going to live as good of a life as we did. We can’t be OK with that. I’m not OK with that. We have a country to save.”
