[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 36 (Wednesday, March 1, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1509-S1510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I think we were all really pleased last 
night to hear the President's unifying message. It was refreshing for 
everyone after such a difficult election season. It was great to see 
even my friend the Democratic leader occasionally applauding the 
President last night. It is a reminder that we are all in this 
together.
  Yesterday, I laid out my hopes for his address to Congress. I said 
that the middle class is ready for a new direction after 8 years of 
disappointments. I said that we all knew what needed to get done, too--
issues like simplifying taxes to create more jobs, reforming 
regulations to get the economy moving, and repealing and replacing 
ObamaCare to bring relief to the middle class. It was great to hear the 
President touch on each of those issues last night.
  It was also great to hear him talk about his outstanding nominee to 
the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch--a judge who has earned 
widespread acclaim and who will be a worthy successor to Justice Scalia 
on the High Court.
  Last night President Trump talked about a new spirit of optimism in 
our country. He talked about repositioning us for success, both at home 
and in a dangerous world. He talked about growing opportunity, better 
jobs, and a thriving middle class. Then, he actually put forward 
policies that could get us there. What a change from the last 8 years.
  He also outlined some of the actions he has already taken to move 
these priorities forward. For instance, he took action yesterday to 
send the so-called waters of the United States rule back to the drawing 
board. He demonstrated that there are realistic ways to protect our 
Nation's waterways without excessive and duplicative regulations that 
infringe on the property rights of individuals.
  Let me again commend him for protecting the middle class from yet 
another regulation based more on ideology than fact. It is just the 
type of thing Americans are so tired of--leftwing regulations spun as 
one thing, but that really do another; left-leaning laws that purport 
to help the middle class, but that actually hurt middle-class families.
  A great example of that is ObamaCare. Americans were promised that 
costs would go down, but, of course, they went up. Americans were 
promised more choice, but they got less. Americans were promised that 
they could keep their plans, but that was a broken promise as well.
  No wonder Americans were so tired of what they have seen over the 
last 8 years. They are ready for something entirely new. They are ready 
to start believing in the future again. The President made clear last 
night that he is ready to work with Congress on policies that can 
actually move us forward. He will find many partners in Congress 
excited to get those things accomplished.
  We share his commitment on other issues he outlined too. We agree 
that our children deserve better than failing schools. We agree that 
our veterans deserve better than failing bureaucracy. We agree that our 
brothers and mothers and friends and neighbors deserve better than the 
scourge of heroin and prescription opioid abuse.
  In an era of divided government, Congress took what action we could 
on those issues. It was often significant action, and we are all proud 
of it. But we now have a chance to achieve even more. So, of course, we 
are excited about the opportunity to improve the lives of the men and 
women who sent us here. That is why we all signed up for this job in 
the first place.
  I am not just talking about Republicans. I know our Democratic 
friends have different ideas than us on many of these things. I know 
the far left is pressuring them to burn the place down because it can't 
accept the results of last year's election. But everyone knows that 
won't get us anywhere at all.
  Let's remember that we have a historic opportunity before us. We can

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keep refighting the last election over and over and over, or we can 
heed the President's message of unity last night. We can come together 
to accomplish big things. We can pull down the barriers of the past. We 
can uphold, in the words of the Democratic leader himself, our ``moral 
obligation'' to ``avoid gridlock and get the country to work again.''
  Now, I know he said that just before the election. I know he hoped 
the election would turn out differently. But we each have a duty to 
accept the results. We each have a duty to bring the country together 
and to move it forward. That is now the challenge before our Democratic 
friends.
  I ask them to meet the moment--to meet the moment. I hope they will 
because the American people are counting on us all. They are ready for 
a new start. We are determined to work hard on their behalf. As the 
President himself said last night, so is he.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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