After a historic wave election that brought Republican control of the Senate and the largest GOP House majority since 1930, President Barack Obama pledged to work with Republican leaders Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters from the East Room, Obama said, “Obviously, Republicans had a good night, and deserve credit for running good campaigns.”
Obama continued, “What stands out to me, though, is that the American people sent a message, one that they’ve sent for several elections now. They expect the people they elect to work as hard as they do. They expect us to focus on their ambitions and not ours. They want us to get the job done.”
The president acknowledged that Americans are still hungry for the change he promised as a candidate six years ago and that people are tired of gridlock that has plagued the politics of recent years.
“All of us, in both parties,” the president said, “have a responsibility to address that sentiment. Still, as president, I have a unique responsibility to try and make this town work. So, to everyone who voted, I want you to know that I hear you. To the two-thirds of voters who chose not to participate in the process yesterday, I hear you, too. All of us have to give more Americans a reason to feel like the ground is stable beneath their feet, that the future is secure, that there’s a path for young people to succeed, and that folks here in Washington are concerned about them. So I plan on spending every moment of the next two-plus years doing my job the best I can to keep this country safe and to make sure that more Americans share in its prosperity.”
USA Today reported that Obama’s comments came minutes after Sen. Mitch McConnell, (R-Ky.) presumed to be the Senate Majority Leader in the next Congress, outlined his agenda to reporters in Louisville: trade deals, tax reform and changes to unpopular provisions of the Affordable Care Act. But McConnell also repeatedly noted that Obama’s veto pen was a powerful tool.
Obama, never using the word “veto,” said at the press conference: “Congress will pass some bills I cannot sign. I’m pretty sure I will take some actions that some in Congress will not like. That’s natural. That’s our how democracy works.”
Obama and McConnell spoke by phone Wednesday. McConnell called it a “good discussion.” Obama said he congratulated McConnell and appreciated his words about working together.
The new Congress will be sworn in early next year.
