With a call for “unity,” President Joe Biden assumed the presidency pledging to bring Americans of all political backgrounds together. But just days into his presidency, Biden signed dozens of executive orders that fulfilled campaign promises to his farthest-left supporters and abandoned American workers.
His unilateral action goes far beyond the standard fare for a new administration; never has one president wielded executive power so frequently in his first days. Biden’s orders are already reverberating through the country, shuttering once-bustling construction sites, and relegating the livelihoods of hardworking Americans to irrelevancy.
But the president’s legislating by executive fiat threatens more than just the promise of unity on which he campaigned. His orders already killed the Keystone XL pipeline and have emboldened opponents of the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline Replacement Project, as well. This project, which is already underway, will result in a new oil transport pipeline to replace an existing, deteriorating pipeline. After dozens of public meetings, environmental reviews, and stakeholder negotiations – including unanimous approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission – the project finally got underway last year.
Line 3 has been the subject of piercing rhetoric for years; it is a favorite punchline of urban environmentalists and liberal special interest groups. Now, those far-left politicians and special interest groups – buoyed by the president’s action to deny the Keystone XL pipeline its necessary federal permits – are demanding the administration ground Line 3, too. If they succeed, it would be catastrophic for northern Minnesota.
For years, communities around the pipeline’s proposed route have embraced its promise of an economic boost. With $2.9 billion in private investment, it is the largest privately financed construction project in the state’s history. The project is expected to bring more than $160 million in construction-related revenue to communities near the pipeline’s proposed route and will support thousands of jobs.
These are skilled labor jobs filled by hardworking Minnesotans who cannot simply “build solar panels instead,” as one of the president’s top advisors suggested.
Additionally, the communities of northern Minnesota rely on the tax revenue generated by Enbridge. In fact, Enbridge estimates it will contribute an additional $35 million in property taxes the first year Line 3 is fully in service. This tax revenue supports our schools, funds essential services and helps protect our environment. Line 3 will be a major boost to long-term, reliable energy in Minnesota, and will aid in our pursuit of affordable, sustainable energy for Minnesota consumers.
Despite his promises to bring the nation together, Biden is bowing to the radical left. At a time when the American people need every competitive advantage, the president threatens to stifle our “Great American Comeback” in its tracks.
To be sure, our nation’s significant challenges require bipartisan solutions. Minnesotans – like the American people – are resilient, innovative, and hardworking.
But we need a partner in the White House.
Biden said he’d be an American president, whether you voted for him or not. Now, he needs to make good on his pledge.
Michelle Fischbach, a Republican, represents Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
