Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said on Tuesday that Republicans have a vision for America "that dreams big for everyone and turns its back on no one."
The GOP's vision is one that "empowers you, not the government," the Washington state congresswoman said in the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.
"It's one that champions free markets, and trusts people to make their own decisions, not a government that decides for you. It helps working families rise above the limits of poverty and protects our most vulnerable.
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"And it's one where Washington plays by the same rules that you do," she added. "It's a vision that is fair and offers the promise of a better future for every American."
McMorris Rodgers, 44, who is serving her fifth term, heads the House Republican Conference, making her the highest-ranking GOP woman in the lower chamber of Congress.
She said Republicans seek to "ensure that we are not bound by where we come from but empowered by what we can become. That is the gap Republicans are working to close.
"It's the gap we all face: between where you are and where you want to be."
McMorris Rodgers cited how the nation has fared under Obama's policies — chronic unemployment and millions of Americans having lost their health coverage under Obamacare — as reasons for a new vision for America.
"Last month, more Americans stopped looking for a job than found one," she said. "Too many people are falling further and further behind because, right now, the president's policies are making people's lives harder.
"Republicans have plans to close the gap — plans that focus on jobs first without more spending, government bailouts, and red tape.
"Every day, we're working to expand our economy, one manufacturing job, nursing degree and small business at a time. We have plans to improve our education and training systems so you have the choice to determine where your kids go to school, to help you take home more of your paycheck — with lower taxes, cheaper energy costs, and affordable healthcare."
Regarding Obamacare, McMorris Rodgers said: "We've all talked to too many people who have received cancellation notices they didn't expect or who can no longer see the doctors they always have. No, we shouldn't go back to the way things were, but the president's healthcare law is not working."
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"Republicans believe healthcare choices should be yours, not the government's, and that whether you're a boy with Down syndrome or a woman with breast cancer, you can find coverage and a doctor who will treat you.
"As Republicans, we advance these plans every day because we believe in a government that trusts people and doesn't limit where you finish because of where you started," McMorris Rodgers concluded. "That is what we stand for: for an America that is every bit as compassionate as it is exceptional."
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