President Obama on Saturday talked about higher education, affordable housing, the resurgence of the auto industry, health-care reform, growth in the manufacturing sector and a variety of other issues — virtually everything except the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which is at the top of Republicans’ agenda now that they have full control of Congress.
In his weekly address, Mr. Obama touted positive economic trends and his recent plan to offer two years of free community college to all Americans. He also said that the U.S. economy now is in “calmer waters” following the recession of 2008 and is poised to take off, thanks in large part to the work of his administration.
“It has been six years since the crisis. Those years have demanded hard work and sacrifice on everybody’s part. So as a country, we have every right to be proud of what we’ve got to show for it. America’s resurgence is real. And now that we’ve got some calmer waters, if we all do our part, if we all pitch in, we can make sure that tide starts lifting all boats again,” the president said, casting his comments as a preview of his looming State of the Union Address. “We can make sure that the middle class is the engine that powers America’s prosperity for decades to come.”
While the president did tout massive increases in domestic oil-and-gas drilling, he didn’t mention the Keystone pipeline, which has dominated debate this week in Washington. Mr. Obama has delayed a decision on the project for six years, and lawmakers once again are trying to force his hand.
The House on Saturday passed legislation approving the pipeline. The Senate could do the same as soon as Monday.
Republicans also are using Keystone as something of a test case to determine whether they can work with Mr. Obama over the next two years.
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“If the President isn’t willing to get on board with the Keystone XL pipeline — which nearly 70 percent of the American people support, all the states along the route have approved and a bipartisan majority of Congress has passed — what will it take for him to work with us to get something done?” said Sen. John Hoeven, North Dakota Republican and one of Keystone’s most outspoken supporters, in the weekly GOP address.
Mr. Obama has threatened to veto the pipeline bill now working its way through Congress, but on Friday he lost one of his central reasons for issuing that threat.
The White House has maintained that Congress should wait for the resolution of a crucial Nebraska court case before advancing any Keystone legislation. The case centered on whether the pipeline’s route through the state had been approved in an unconstitutional manner by the state legislature and Republican Gov. Dave Heineman.
On Friday, the Nebraska Supreme Court tossed a lawsuit challenging the route, removing a major legal obstacle to the pipeline.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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