President Obama State Of The Union To Press Middle Class Proposals In Front Of Skeptical GOP Majority
6:00 p.m. PT - President Obama State of the Union Address
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WASHINGTON (CBS SF) -- President Barack Obama was scheduled to give his sixth State of the Union address Tuesday night, but for the first time before a Republican-controlled Congress.
The President is expected to take a defiant tone in his address to the new GOP majority, touting major improvements to the nation's economy while hammering his theme of preserving and helping the middle class.
"He'll put down his ideals to make sure that paychecks go a little farther, to make sure that people have the training and education they need for new jobs in the future and that we're making sure that we're helping create those jobs," said White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough.
Obama has called on Congress to increase taxes on the wealthy to pay for proposals such as tax cuts for others and programs for affordable community college and child care.
However, the new Senate majority leader is vowing resistance to any increased taxes."It all looks like the same old tax and spend that president's been advocating for the past six years," said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). "Hopefully that's just rhetoric. He knows we're not likely to pass these kinds of measures."
The Republican response to the president's State of the Union address will delivered by newly-elected Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. It's the second year in a row the GOP has called on a woman to give the party's response; an indication of the party's push to appeal to more female voters.