[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 21, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S301-S302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 POSITIVE CHANGES FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, last night, the American people heard 
two very different addresses. One was focused on the middle class and 
how Washington can work together in a serious way for better jobs, 
higher wages, and more opportunity. It was a call for constructive 
cooperation. It was a call for new ideas.
  I wish to commend Senator Ernst for her thoughtful address. She 
understands the needs of working people in a way those of a particular 
mindset in Washington simply don't understand. She knows that the 
middle class is looking for Washington to function again and that hard-
working Americans want DC to focus on their needs instead of the 
demands of powerful special interests. That is just what they told us 
in November when they sent this new Republican Congress here on their 
behalf.
  I was hoping for something similar from President Obama--not 
identical, of course. We don't agree on all the issues; that is clear 
enough. But there are enough areas of common ground where we should be 
able to work together. It would have been most constructive if he had 
put the focus of his address on those areas of potential agreement. The 
moment of high purpose called for the leader of the free world to show 
America what could be accomplished through constructive, bipartisan 
engagement.
  The State of the Union can be about more than veto threats or 
strident partisanship. This kind of partisanship is what we have become 
accustomed to from the President. We know the President may not be wild 
about the people's choice of a Congress, but he owes it to the American 
people to find a serious way to work with the representatives they 
elected.
  On some issues, such as cyber security, he sent a positive sign. He 
also began what I hope will be a sustained effort to move his own party 
forward to encourage them to work with us to help create more jobs by 
breaking down foreign trade barriers and allowing America to sell more 
of what it makes and grows.
  Those were the good signs. But that was only part of the speech. 
There is not a lot serious lawmakers can do with talking points 
designed specifically not to pass. Members in both parties would have 
welcomed serious ideas about how to save and strengthen Medicare, how 
to protect Social Security for future generations, and how to balance 
the budget without tired tax hikes.
  We listened closely for specific details on how he would work with 
both parties to achieve comprehensive tax simplification that focuses 
not on growing the government but on creating jobs.
  The President has expressed some support for ideas such as this 
previously. He should have expanded on it last night. There is still 
time for him to do it. But whatever he chooses, the new Congress will 
continue working to send good ideas to his desk.
  One of those good ideas is a bipartisan infrastructure project the 
Senate will resume working on today--the Keystone jobs bill. It is 
heartening to see a real debate and an amendment process on the floor 
of the Senate again. It is a result of a new spirit of reform that is 
being brought to Congress. It aims to give Members of both parties a 
stake in positive solutions so we can get Washington functioning again 
on behalf of our people.
  We are looking to the President to join us in our positive mission 
for the middle class. It is what the American people just voted for 
last November. It

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is what Senator Ernst articulated so well last night. And if the 
President is willing to put the veto threats away and the designed-to-
fail talking points aside, we can still cooperate to get some smart 
things done for the people we represent.

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