- 2015
State
of
the
Union « Republican Responses to the State
of the Union Address
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)
2015 Republican Address to the Nation
[Video]
Good
evening.
I’m
Joni
Ernst.
As
a
mother, a soldier, and a newly elected
senator from the great State of Iowa, I am proud to speak with you
tonight.
A
few
moments
ago,
we
heard
the
President lay out his vision for the year
to come. Even if we may not always agree, it’s important to hear
different points of view in this great country. We appreciate the
President sharing his.
Tonight
though,
rather
than
respond
to
a
speech, I’d like to talk about your
priorities. I’d like to have a conversation about the new Republican
Congress you just elected, and how we plan to make Washington focus on
your concerns again.
We heard the message you sent in November — loud and clear. And now we’re getting to work to change the direction Washington has been taking our country.
The new Republican Congress also understands how difficult these past
six years have been. For many of us, the sting of the economy and the
frustration with Washington’s dysfunction, weren’t things we had to
read about. We felt them every day.
We
felt
them
in
Red
Oak
—
the little town in southwestern Iowa where I
grew up, and am still proud to call home today.
As
a
young
girl,
I
plowed
the
fields of our family farm. I worked
construction with my dad. To save for college, I worked the morning
biscuit line at Hardees.
We were raised to live simply, not to waste. It was a lesson my mother taught me every rainy morning.
You see, growing up, I had only one good pair of shoes. So on rainy
school days, my mom would slip plastic bread bags over them to keep
them dry.
But I was never embarrassed. Because the school bus would be filled
with rows and rows of young Iowans with bread bags slipped over their
feet.
Our parents may not have had much, but they worked hard for what they
did have.
These days though, many families feel like they’re working harder and
harder, with less and less to show for it.
Not just in Red Oak, but across the country.
We see our neighbors agonize over stagnant wages and lost jobs. We see
the hurt caused by canceled healthcare plans and higher monthly
insurance bills. We see too many moms and dads put their own dreams on
hold while growing more fearful about the kind of future they’ll be
able to leave to their children.
Americans have been hurting, but when we demanded solutions, too often
Washington responded with the same stale mindset that led to failed
policies like Obamacare. It’s a mindset that gave us political talking
points, not serious solutions.
That’s why the new Republican majority you elected started by reforming
Congress to make it function again. And now, we’re working hard to pass
the kind of serious job-creation ideas you deserve.
One you’ve probably heard about is the Keystone jobs bill. President
Obama has been delaying this bipartisan infrastructure project for
years, even though many members of his party, unions, and a strong
majority of Americans support it. The President’s own State Department
has said Keystone’s construction could support thousands of jobs and
pump billions into our economy, and do it with minimal environmental
impact.
We worked with Democrats to pass this bill through the House. We’re
doing the same now in the Senate.
President Obama will soon have a decision to make: will he sign the
bill, or block good American jobs?
There’s a lot we can achieve if we work together.
Let’s tear down trade barriers in places like Europe and the Pacific.
Let’s sell more of what we make and grow in America over there so we
can boost manufacturing, wages, and jobs right here, at home.
Let’s simplify America’s outdated and loophole-ridden tax code.
Republicans think tax filing should be easier for you, not just the
well-connected. So let’s iron out loopholes to lower rates — and create
jobs, not pay for more government spending.
The President has already expressed some support for these kinds of
ideas. We’re calling on him now to cooperate to pass them.
You’ll see a lot of serious work in this new Congress.
Some of it will occur where I stand tonight, in the Armed Services
Committee room. This is where I’ll join committee colleagues —
Republicans and Democrats — to discuss ways to support our exceptional
military and its mission. This is where we’ll debate strategies to
confront terrorism and the threats posed by Al Qaeda, ISIL, and those
radicalized by them.
We know threats like these can’t just be wished away. We've been
reminded of terrorism’s reach both at home and abroad, most recently in
France and Nigeria, but also in places like Canada and Australia. Our
hearts go out to all the innocent victims of terrorism and their loved
ones. We can only imagine the depth of their grief.
For two decades, I’ve proudly worn our nation’s uniform: today, as a
Lt. Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard. While deployed overseas
with some of America’s finest men and women, I’ve seen just how
dangerous these kinds of threats can be.
The forces of violence and oppression don’t care about the innocent. We
need a comprehensive plan to defeat them.
We must also honor America’s veterans. These men and women have
sacrificed so much in defense of our freedoms, and our way of life.
They deserve nothing less than the benefits they were promised and a
quality of care we can be all be proud of.
These are important issues the new Congress plans to address.
We’ll also keep fighting to repeal and replace a health care law that’s
hurt so many hardworking families.
We’ll work to correct executive overreach.
We’ll propose ideas that aim to cut wasteful spending and balance the
budget — with meaningful reforms, not higher taxes like the President
has proposed.
We’ll advance solutions to prevent the kind of cyberattacks we’ve seen
recently.
We’ll work to confront Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
And we’ll defend life, because protecting our most vulnerable is an
important measure of any society.
Congress is back to work on your behalf, ready to make Washington focus
on your concerns again.
We know America faces big challenges. But history has shown there’s
nothing our nation, and our people, can’t accomplish.
Just look at my parents and grandparents.
They had very little to call their own except the sweat on their brow
and the dirt on their hands. But they worked, they sacrificed, and they
dreamed big dreams for their children and grandchildren.
And because they did, an ordinary Iowan like me has had some truly
extraordinary opportunities because they showed me that you don’t need
to come from wealth or privilege to make a difference. You just need
the freedom to dream big, and a whole lot of hard work.
The new Republican Congress you elected is working to make Washington
understand that too. And with a little cooperation from the President,
we can get Washington working again.
Thank you for allowing me to speak with you tonight.
May God bless this great country of ours, the brave Americans serving
in uniform on our behalf, and you, the hardworking men and women who
make the United States of America the greatest nation the world has
ever known.
Rep. Curt Clawson (R-FL)
Tea Party Response to State of the
Union
Rep. Carlos Curbelo
Repeusto Republicano en Español al Estado de la Unión
Text via Office of Rep. Carlos Curbelo/Video