Just last week, Joe Biden once again reaffirmed his commitment to killing the fossil fuel industry. Ironically enough, it was fossil fuel development, namely natural gas and the fracking boom, that accounted for the vast majority of growth and job creation during the economic “recovery” of his President Barack Obama. The wannabe 46th president wants to end fossil fuel production by 2035, beginning at a time when the nation will be rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic. Should Biden have his cake and eat it too?

Congress may be out of session this week, but when lawmakers return, we all know they will get back to their favorite pastime of spending taxpayer dollars. The phase four coronavirus relief bill, which will almost certainly be in the ballpark of $1 trillion or more, is inevitable. In addition to increasing the deficit, lawmakers, particularly Democrats, are willing to incentivize Americans to stay far more than six feet away from the economy.

The tide has turned in the economy. Jobs are coming back and Americans are returning to work. The latest figures make it clear that the nation is on the road to recovery, with a substantial decline in unemployment. In keeping with the trend under President Trump of surpassing expectations, the jobs report blew previous predictions out of the water. Instead of 8 million additional lost jobs, as some predicted, gross employment rose by more than 2 million jobs, and unemployment fell to 13 percent. What could be next?

If you took a walk around Washington, D.C., last week, you weren’t alone. Strolling through my neighborhood, things felt almost the same as May 2019. People and families were out and about. Folks were out at the farmers market. While nearly everyone wore masks and made an effort to give each other the proper amount of space, I was struck by how normal life has started to seem once again. People are quite obviously ignoring local restrictions to stay inside and refrain from arbitrarily designated “non-essential activities.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages and the economic fallout of the widespread lockdowns continues to harm the livelihoods of millions of people, the November elections are rapidly approaching. In just six months, Republicans will attempt to retake the House of Representatives, retain their majority in the Senate, and ensure that President Trump serves an additional four years in the White House.