Sen. Roy Blunt
–When he addresses a joint session of Congress and the nation during his sixth state of the union address, President Barack Obama is expected to call for a “year of action” for his chief priorities.
On Saturday, Missouri’s Republican U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt said Obama should “use the ‘year of action’ to have a little less talk, and a lot more action.”
“We don’t need more class warfare, and we don’t need more interference from Washington. No government program can replace what a good job means for the future of a family,” Blunt said while delivering the Republican Weekly Address. “Republicans are ready to turn these policies around and launch a ‘year of action’ – starting with fixing our broken health care system.”
Blunt was critical of the federal health care law’s implementation and called for Obama to embrace changes. Blunt also called on the administration to work to build the Keystone XL pipeline, which Blunt said will “ create economic opportunities for American workers by supporting increased domestic energy production.”
“More American energy means more American jobs; and not just the jobs to produce the energy, but also when you provide predictable utility bills and a dependable delivery system, you encourage more American manufacturing and more American technology jobs as well,” he said. “Republicans in Congress are ready for a ‘year of action.’ Ready to enact a pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda.”
Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary, said during a press briefing this week that the president intends to focus on administrative action in the coming year, as Congress enters an election year incredibly divided.
“You can expect that in the coming weeks and months of this year, as part of what we’re calling a Year of Action, you’ll hear the President discuss other things that he can and will do, and that the administration can and will do using the power of his office — both the pen and the phone — to help advance an agenda that expands economic opportunity, that rewards hard work and responsibility, and lifts up the middle class and makes it more secure,” Carney said. “Beyond that, you’ll have to wait and see what’s in the speech.”