South Carolina Senator Tim Scott delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden's address to a joint session of Congress.
Scott said that while Biden called for unity during his speech, his policies are "pulling us further and further apart."
"Our nation is starving for more than empty platitudes," he said. "We need policies and progress that bring us closer together. But three months in, the actions of the President and his party are pulling us further and further apart."
He said the Democrats have refused to work with Republicans to find common ground on a variety of issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, police reform, and Biden's massive infrastructure plan.
"Last year, under Republican leadership, we passed five bipartisan COVID packages. Congress supported our hospitals, saved our economy, and funded Operation Warp Speed, delivering vaccines in record time," Scott said."All five bills got 90 or more votes in the Senate. Common sense found common ground."
But, when Biden took office, Scott said the Democrats decided to throw bipartisanship out the window.
"In February, Republicans told President Biden we wanted to keep working together to win this fight. But Democrats wanted to go it alone."
"They spent almost $2 trillion on a partisan bill that the White House bragged was the most liberal bill in American history! Only 1% went to vaccinations—no requirement to re-open schools promptly. COVID brought Congress together five times. This Administration pushed us apart," Scott continued.
Scott then said the Democrats are wrong when they call America a racist country, saying they just want to divide Americans.
"When America comes together, we've made tremendous progress, but powerful forces want to pull us apart," Scott said. "One hundred years ago, kids in classrooms were taught the color of their skin was their most important characteristic. And if they looked a certain way, they were inferior."
"Today, kids are being taught that the color of their skin defines them again, and if they look a certain way, they're an oppressor. From colleges to corporations to our culture, people are making money and gaining power by pretending we haven't made any progress at all by doubling down on the divisions we've worked so hard to heal. You know this stuff is wrong. Hear me clearly, America is not a racist country," he added.
Scott wrapped up his speech by saying our "future won't come from Washington schemes or socialist dreams. It will come from you — the American people."
"Black, Hispanic, white, and Asian. Republican and Democrat. Brave police officers and Black neighborhoods. We are not adversaries. We are family! We are all in this together. And we get to live in the greatest country on Earth. The country where my grandfather, in his 94 years, saw his family go from cotton to Congress in one lifetime."
"So I am more than hopeful — I am confident — that our finest hour is yet to come.
Photo: Getty Images