U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) offered the following remarks regarding what he hopes to hear during the president’s State of the Union address tonight:
“The president has said that 2014 “has to be a year of action,” and I agree. Tonight I want to hear the president focus on action—on the 'kitchen-table' action items that matter to struggling middle-class families, issues such as job creation, energy production, and ObamaCare relief. I hope to hear the president offer to work with Republicans to help pass policies that will make it easier and less expensive to create jobs, and there are several things I believe he could do:
“The president could call on Democrats in the Senate to take up any one of the dozens of House-passed jobs bills to help get Americans back to work. The president could actively support the Keystone XL pipeline to create thousands of shovel-ready jobs and stimulate $2 billion in wages and earnings. The president could work with Congress to repeal ObamaCare’s job-killing medical device tax, which already has bipartisan support in the Senate. And, he could actively support Trade Promotion Authority to help U.S. farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, and job creators gain access to one billion new consumers around the globe.
“I am one of many Republicans, here in the Congress, who stands ready and willing to work with the president to solve our nation’s problems and get the economy growing again. Pro-growth policies will raise the standard of living and quality of life for middle class families in South Dakota. I am eager to hear what the president has to say tonight, and I look forward to working with him and Congressional Democrats to get serious about solving our nation’s problems.”