The United States has "lost a lot of standing around the world" under President Joe Biden, Rep. Kevin Brady said on Newsmax Friday, while the president was arriving in Saudi Arabia for a bilateral meeting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz before his working session with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and ministers from the country.
"President Biden's foreign policy has, I think, disappointed and confused our allies," the Texas Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report." "It has emboldened our competitors and opponents."
The congressman added that he believes the world is "perplexed" that the United States can have an economy that can "produce natural gas and oil, help counter Vladimir Putin, and help lower energy prices," but instead, Biden is "traveling around the world, essentially begging others to turn on the spigot when in fact, we ought to be turning on that spigot here at home."
There is no other country in the world that can provide oil production "more affordably and more environmentally responsible than us," Brady continued. "I think we ought to be as energy independent as we can be, especially right now, when energy can be a very strong tool to hammer Russia in that war. I think we can help our allies with affordable, reliable energy."
Also on Friday, Brady told Newsmax that he is a "little skeptical" of reports that Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. will oppose a new version of the Build Back Better Bill if its provisions include climate or energy funds, or if it boosts taxes on the rich or corporations.
Manchin Friday told West Virginia journalist Hoppy Kercheval that he had told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., he'll oppose such measures, but Brady said he thinks the initial reports were part of an effort to pressure Manchin to agree to $1 trillion in tax hikes.
"I know there is a major focus on a drug control pricing scheme as well as a major expansion of these very lavish Obamacare subsidies," said Brady. "Those tax hikes, they are not dead yet until we reach September 30 when the budget year ends. We're going to stay on our toes battling them."
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