A day before U.S. President Barack Obama makes his annual State of the Union address, Senate leaders from both parties say they hope the president will outline his plan to grow the economy.
Speaking on the Senate floor Monday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said he is looking for a fresh approach, and one that will appeal to lawmakers of both parties.
“Tomorrow, the president will come to the Capitol to tell us what he thinks about the state of our country, and to outline his plans for the future. We welcome him. We look forward to his address. We stand ready to work with him, as always, on an agenda that will get our nation moving again, not an agenda to divide. Not a repackaging of the same ideas that have made our economy worse and our future more uncertain. But a truly bipartisan agenda that gets us beyond past skirmishes.”
Senator McConnell said he thinks Mr. Obama's policies have make the government too unwieldy.
“President Obama's 3-year experiment with big government has made our economy worse and our future more uncertain. Americans want a government that is simpler, streamlined, and secure.”
But his counterpart from the president's Democratic Party, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said the government needs to step in when the economy is suffering. He says Mr. Obama's policies, like his economic stimulus packages, are needed to help more people from falling into poverty.
“Congress must do whatever it takes to help create jobs and strengthen our economy. Democrats believe it will take common-sense policies that protect the middle class and smart investments to rebuild our roads, bridges, schools, water systems, and sewer systems. We must combat income inequality now, or the rich will keep getting richer, and the poor getting poorer, while the middle class disappears.”
Mr. Obama is scheduled to deliver his third State of the Union to Congress on Tuesday. It will also be televised nationally. It is the president's final State of the Union address before he comes up for re-election in November.
