Washington, DC — Iowa’s rookie U.S. Senator is getting a prime speaking slot next week.
Republican congressional leaders have picked Iowa Senator Joni Ernst to deliver the Republican response to President Obama’s “State of the Union” address next Tuesday. This is the first time Republican leaders have asked a first-year senator to speak in the prime time slot. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says Ernst understands that middle-class Americans want Congress “to get refocused on their concerns.”
Ernst released a written statement, saying Congress must “…implement real solutions as we chart a new path forward for our great nation.”
Ernst says that during this Congress, we must help grow a vibrant economy, see to it that our veterans receive promised quality care and that our military has the tools to defend our nation’s security.
She says we also need to, “ensure the federal government begins to run more effectively and efficiently.”
The televised response to the president’s annual “State of the Union” speech is carefully crafted and has lately been used by whichever party does not hold the White House as a forum to showcase its future leaders.
Senator Marco Rubio and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal have both delivered the Republican response during President Obama’s presidency and both are now considered possible presidential candidates in 2016.
Radio Iowa assisted with this story.
