Sometimes you can tell a lot from what a person doesnt say. And in this case the President spoke more than 6000 words and he didnt mention the word Keystone in one of them.
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn R-Texas spoke on the Senate floor calling on the President to listen to a bipartisan majority in Congress and a majority of Americans and approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Excerpts of his remarks are below:
Its ironic in a lot of ways because the President came to the peoples House to give his State of the Union speech. Thats the House of Representatives. But his speech was anything but for the people.
At least to my mind reality wasnt what was driving the Presidents remarks. If it was he would have focused on the biggest concerns that Americans have right now.
But sometimes you can tell a lot from what a person doesnt say. And in this case the President spoke more than 6000 words and he didnt mention the word Keystone in one of them.
So instead of using this opportunity when millions of Americans and people around the world were listening to the President to lay out sound reasons why he continues to oppose this jobs and infrastructure project year after year the President merely said We should look beyond a single pipeline to meet Americas infrastructure needs.
One person in particular I want to close with is a gentleman I met by the name of Mr. Kenneth Edwards who is the Vice President of the United Association the Union of Plumbers Fitters Welders and Service Techs.
Mr. Edwards speaks on behalf of many union workers nationwide who as he put it earn their living from a series of temporary jobs that happen to add up to a lifelong career. He told me last week he wants the President to put his famous veto pen away and to take out his approval pen and to sign his approval of this project right away.
With the Keystone XL pipeline bill that a bipartisan majority of Congress will soon send his way we are presenting him an opportunity. An opportunity to say I heard the message that the voters delivered on November the 4th and I heard the American people say were tired of the dysfunction in Washington D.C."
Senator John Cornyn a Republican from Texas is the Senate Republican Whip and a member of the Senate Judiciary and Finance Committees.
He served previously as Texas Attorney General Texas Supreme Court Justice and Bexar County District Judge.
