Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott delivered the GOP’s address to the nation Wednesday night, sharing issues he believes the GOP should be focused on.
“We just heard President Biden’s first address to Congress. Our President seems like a good man. His speech was full of good words. “But President Biden promised you a specific kind of leadership. He promised to unite a nation. To lower the temperature. To govern for all Americans, no matter how we voted,” Scott said in his speech.
“That was the pitch. You just heard it again. “But our nation is starving for more than empty platitudes. We need policies and progress that bring us closer together. But three months in, the actions of the President and his party are pulling us further apart,” he continued.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced Thursday that Scott will be delivering the GOP’s address to the nation after Biden addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time in his presidency. Scott shared key issues the Republican party are focused on and slammed Democrats for being too partisan.
“I get called ‘Uncle Tom’ and the N-word — by ‘progressives’! By liberals! Just last week, a national newspaper suggested my family’s poverty was actually privilege because a relative owned land generations before my time,” Scott added.
“Believe me, I know our healing is not finished. In 2015, after the shooting of Walter Scott, I wrote a bill to fund body cameras. Last year, after the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, I built an even bigger police reform proposal. But my Democratic colleagues blocked it. I extended an olive branch. I offered them amendments. But Democrats used the filibuster to block the debate from even happening. My friends across the aisle seemed to want the issue more than they wanted a solution. But I’m still working. I’m still hopeful,” he went on.
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Republican leaders Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy praised Scott for his leadership in the party, saying he is one of the most “inspiring and unifying leaders” in the U.S.
“Senator Tim Scott is not just one of the strongest leaders in our Senate Republican Conference. He is one of the most inspiring and unifying leaders in our nation. As Sen. Scott likes to say, he is living his mother’s American dream, and he has dedicated his career to creating more opportunity for our fellow citizens who need it most. Nobody is better at communicating why far-left policies fail working Americans. Senate Republicans are looking forward to this address from our distinguished colleague,” McConnell said in a statement. (RELATED: McConnell, McCarthy Announce Tim Scott Will Deliver Republican Address To The Nation)
“I couldn’t be more proud as a friend, as a Republican, and as an American to have Senator Tim Scott deliver the Republican response to President Biden’s address next week. He is a conservative optimist with the right vision for a stronger, more united country. Today’s Republican Party is a growing coalition of working Americans who value freedom in pursuit of the American dream. No member in Congress epitomizes the essence of today’s Republican Party more than my friend and colleague Senator Scott,” McCarthy said about Scott. (RELATED: McConnell Rips Biden’s First 100 Days In Office Before Joint Session Of Congress, Lists Policy Failures)
Before the speech, Scott said he will have an “honest” conversation with the American people and give them a better sense of what to look forward to in the future.
Scott, who is up for reelection, picked up an endorsement from former President Donald Trump despite his decision to not object during Congress’ counting of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6 and to certify then-President-elect Joe Biden’s win against Trump.