Michigan’s new U.S. Senator says President Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday will kick off discussions that will shape next year’s elections.
The president is expected to lay out tax changes to benefit the middle class. He would pay for the plan by raising taxes on the wealthy. That would likely be a non-starter with the now Republican-controlled Congress.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., thinks the idea is to make it an issue in the 2016 elections.
“The end game may not be now, but that doesn’t mean you should not start the debate,” said Peters. “And, certainly, the American public needs to be brought into that debate.” “This is the opportunity for the president to lay out a proposal to the entire country. This is not about just within the walls of Congress, but the entire country and get the American public talking about it.”
Peters says Republicans in Congress are now in a position to lay out their own contrasting policy goals and sell them to the American public.
“They need to propose ideas,” he said. “And you’re going to have a good old fashioned debate about two sets of ideas, and the American people will have the final say.”
The president is also expected to call for free community college and paid sick leave for all workers during Tuesday’s speech.
