A bag of hammers, courtesy of Senate Democrats.

August 1 – August 8, 2022

This week, as Senate Democrats bulldozed the American people by passing yet another reckless, partisan taxing-and-spending bill, Senator Romney joined his Republican colleagues in opposing the so called “Inflation Reduction Act,” and called on Democrats to consider the further harm they are inflicting on an already lackluster economy. Also this week, Senator Romney joined more than 90 of his colleagues in voting to ratify Sweden and Finland’s membership to NATO—a move that will bolster our alliance’s strength in the face of rising global threats. Keep reading for more news.

During a time of historic inflation and economic uncertainty, Senate Democrats pushed yet another reckless taxing-and-spending spree being wrongfully touted as “anti-inflation” legislation. Senator Romney, who joined all of his Republican colleagues in opposing the legislation, released the following statement after Democrats’ unilaterally passed the bill:

“In March of last year, the Democrats passed their $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Predictably, it contributed to the inflation we are seeing today. Americans are falling further and further behind as they face skyrocketing prices on everything from food to energy and medicines. Today, Democrats returned to their same tired playbook to raise taxes, spend more money, and expand the size of government. Every single Republican senator fought to stop their one-sided, partisan bill. Democrats called it an act to combat inflation. It does the opposite.

“Rather than listening to the American people who are suffering from inflation, Democrats have voted for a liberal wish list. It reduces oil and gas production, it raises taxes that companies will pass on to consumers, and it doubles the number of IRS auditors in order to audit more Americans.

“The American people, who are drowning in debt and inflation, needed a life preserver and Democrats gave them a bag of hammers.”

Earlier in the week, Senator Romney laid out some of the harmful provisions in the bill in a video message:

While the world watches Russia wage its unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine, our message must be clear: There is no daylight between NATO members for bringing Finland and Sweden into this alliance.

Senator Romney delivered remarks on the Senate floor to reaffirm his support for the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO.

We know far too little about both Russia and China's military budgets, but from what we do know, it is painfully clear that they are not messing around.

Senator Romney called on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to complete the mandatory, comprehensive reports comparing U.S. military spending with Chinese and Russian military investments required by a provision that Romney secured into law last year. Given that China and Russia do not report their military spending in the same way the United States does, this report will help the U.S. understand the actual purchasing power of China and Russia and inform decisions regarding how we should invest in defense capabilities.

Senator Romney shared the statement below following the announcement that the United States had killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda and one of the world’s most-wanted terrorists:

“The United States will never forget the horror of 9/11 and the countless other terrorist attacks at the hand of al-Qaeda. I applaud our intelligence and counterterrorism community for remaining vigilant in tracking down Ayman al-Zawahiri. The world is a safer place.”