Sen.-elect Cory Gardner. (AP/David Zalubowski)
WASHINGTON — Keeping with tradition, freshman U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner on Tuesday struck a lofty and optimistic tone as he delivered his so-called “maiden speech” on the floor of the upper chamber.
In the roughly , the Colorado Republican touched on the beauty of his home state and compared the opportunities of the Western frontier to those available today to the entire country.
“Our love for Colorado drives us to be better stewards of the land. To reach for solutions to great challenges,” said Gardner in . “For generations, we have challenged our sons and daughters to always look up — look up to that great Rocky Mountain horizon, as our ever-young state and ever-hopeful attitude lives peak to peak, the honor of living in the west, a land of opportunity and new beginnings.”
In many ways, the speech was a continuation of the 2014 campaign Gardner ran against then-U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo. He spoke broadly about the major issues of the day without dwelling too long on specifics, other than to note the need to strike a balance in coming up with a solution.
Gardner expressed his support in finding ways to make it easier for oil and gas companies to export liquefied natural gas — a big business in Colorado — but also the necessity of jump-starting the renewable energy sector.
“Common sense Colorado energy solutions also means focusing on renewable energy as well — harnessing the winds in Weld, the sun in the San Luis, and the power of water in the west, we can lessen pollution and help clean up our air,” he said
He took a similar approach in talking about poverty issues, particularly the earned income tax credit, which helps supplant the wages of Americans with lower wages.
“A healthy economy means everyone benefits, not just those who already have found success,” he said. “That is why I will work to expand the earned income tax credit. By eliminating the waste, fraud and abuse all too common within the EITC we can save billions of dollars and then use that money to expand the credit, making a program that has already helped lift millions of people out of poverty do even more good for people throughout Colorado, and in our urban centers.”
At the heart of the speech was a legislative blueprint the Yuma native called his Four Corners agenda. Central to the idea was the importance of re-investing in rural communities, assisting the business sector in cutting-edge arenas such as aerospace, supporting energy development and boosting Americans of all income levels.
“We are living in a veneered economy — while the numbers on Wall Street look good and profits are looking up, scratch the surface and too many people continue to suffer,” he said.
