Murkowski on State of the Union Speech: “That’s Not Cooperation”
“It’s One Thing to Say We Need to Be Working Together; It’s Another To Put Your Actions To Those Words,” President Continues to See Government as the Answer to America’s Problems
Senator Lisa Murkowski tonight responded to President Obama’s State of the Union address, in which he spoke of cooperation and working with Congress, while at the same time threatening to veto any Congressional initiatives he disagrees with:
(Click image to watch Senator Murkowski’s response.)
“Tonight the President had an opportunity to say, ‘Let’s work together in the last two years of my administration, let’s look to the fact that we have a Republican Congress and a Democratic Executive, let’s come together and make some things happen.’ He could have said that, and in a way he did say that, but he went on the say, ‘But only on my terms, and if you fail to do so on my terms, I’m going to move forward on a veto’ … That’s not how you bring together a government. That’s not how you govern together. So it’s one thing to say we need to be working together, it’s another thing to put your actions to those words.
“What we heard tonight was we’re going to increases taxes instead of making economic opportunities available to people so that they can better themselves and their families. Instead of finding those ways that we can provide better jobs and opportunities for our families so that they can put their kids through college and really better themselves, put retirement away. What we heard is that government is the answer. It will be government that will provide for free community college education, it will be government that sets minimum wages, it will be government that provides childcare, it will be government that leads on so many of these areas. I don’t think that most of us view the government as that answer. And in the president’s speech, not only did he say government was the answer, but if you don’t like the proposals that I’m putting forward, I’m going to veto them. That’s not cooperation. That’s not governing together. So, it was a bit of a disappointment from my perspective tonight.”
