House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield says a mostly-Republican Congress would be willing to work with President Obama to accomplish several of the things he outlined in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
McCarthy said Obama can find common-ground with Republicans over cyber security and clarifying certain aspects of tax law.
“I think there is an opportunity here where we can come together,” McCarthy said. “That’s what I look forward to – working with anybody that would be willing to work toward that.”
But he said Obama needs to be willing to work with Congress.
“His actions are different – I mean, in the first week, he’s offered five veto threats on bipartisan bills we’ve got in the house,” McCarthy said. “So, I look forward, in the words he used tonight, to actually see if we can work together in the future.”
He also said there are certain areas where Obama and Republicans in the House and Senate will not find common ground.
“It made me concerned – especially for our district – when he talks about taking action on global warming and not walking through legislatively,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy also said he’s concerned about Obama’s proposed tax increases on families earning more than $250,000.
– Anthony Pollreisz