Since Congress controls the federal government’s purse strings, one of our primary responsibilities is holding hearings and meetings with officials from the President’s administration so we can ensure they are doing their job properly and being good stewards of taxpayer dollars.

Last week, two of my Appropriations subcommittees held hearings with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. These were good opportunities to ask them both tough questions and let them know what we’d like them to do differently.

With the recent collapse and bailout of two liberal banks in California, my first question to Secretary Yellen was asking her if the Biden administration is picking winners and losers in the business community. She could not give me a direct answer when I asked her if the Administration would have been as quick to help a bank in a Red state that does not fit their political agenda. She got angry and wouldn’t give me an answer. I also made it clear to her that under no circumstance should taxpayers be on the hook for these bailouts, or for any future bailouts.

At the same time, another one of my subcommittees was holding a hearing with Secretary of State Blinken so we could question him about the State Department’s budget request for next year.

I’ve been frustrated with the State Department and the Biden administration for its weak response to the Mexican military unlawfully seizing the private property of Vulcan Materials, an Alabama company operating in Mexico. Just a few days ago, the Mexican government forcibly seized Vulcan’s private property, and the Biden administration has done very little to stand up for them.

I told Secretary Blinken how disappointed I am in their response and let him know it’s a real issue that the State Department wants to spend money around the world advancing the Biden administration’s left-wing agenda instead of standing up for American interests and American businesses around the world.

I ran for Congress to bring some common sense back to Washington and make sure the federal government is working for the people instead of against the people. I’ll continue doing all I can to hold the Biden administration accountable and ensure your tax dollars are being spent wisely instead of being wasted on radical political agendas or bailouts of California banks.

Jerry Carl represents Alabama’s First Congressional District. He lives in Mobile with his wife Tina.