Washington: President Barack Obama and the incoming Republican Senate majority leader pledged Wednesday to find common ground and try to overcome Washington's chronic gridlock, while also warning of inevitable conflicts a day after sweeping Republican gains in midterm elections.
Obama said he heard the message from voters who on Tuesday put Republicans in power in the U.S. Senate and extended their majority in the House of Representatives, in a clear repudiation of the president's leadership.
“There is no doubt that Republicans had a good night,” the president said at the White House.
Obama said he is eager to hear Republican ideas for governing together, citing trade expansion and construction of roads, bridges and other facilities as areas ripe for cooperation. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, who will become the Senate majority leader when the new Congress takes over in January, also said there was potential for agreement on trade pacts.
At the same time, Obama noted, “Congress will pass some bills I cannot sign. I'm pretty sure I will take some actions that some in Congress will not like.”
Tuesday's vote gives Republicans momentum heading into the 2016 presidential race, which becomes the focus of American politics for the next two years. At issue now is whether Obama, congressional Democrats and the newly robust Republican majorities will be able to break the partisan fighting and legislative inaction that has gripped the U.S. capital in recent years.
Immigration, which has been seen as potential point of agreement, immediately emerged as an early irritant.
Obama said that unless Congress takes action by the end of the year, he will order a reduction in deportations of working immigrants living in the country illegally.
He made his pledge a short while after McConnell warned that any executive action that Obama might take on immigration would only antagonize Republicans. He said the new Republican majority in the Senate wants to act on immigration.
“It's like waving a red flag in front of a bull to say if you guys don't do what I want I'm going to do it on my own,” McConnell said at a news conference in Kentucky, where he won re-election.
McConnell said he spoke with Obama on Wednesday and says he looks forward to finding areas where Republicans and Democrats can agree, including rewriting the tax code.
Beyond that, he made it clear Congress will vote on legislation to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada through the United States, and work to repeal portions of the health care law that stands as Obama's signature domestic accomplishment. He said a tax on medical devices and a mandate for individuals to purchase health insurance are Republican targets.
