Arizona’s newest senator, Republican Jeff Flake, gave his first speech to the Senate Tuesday. Among the items he addressed, bipartisanship was the focus.
“There is a time and a place for using super-majority rules to block legislation and/or nominees from coming to the Senate floor, “said Flake. “There is a time and a place for partisanship, but not every time and not every place.”
Flake included that the time the senators have together should be more constructive.
“There are profound and meaningful differences between the parties,” said Flake. “But I want to spend more time exercising my franchise, while debating the legislation itself, and less time on whether the legislation should be debated on the Senate floor.”
Foreign and domestic issues, such as terrorism and transparency, were also identified by Flake. He advocated for tighter legislation on federal agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service.
"The parade of missteps and abuses of the IRS and other federal agencies stand as exhibit A for more robust legislative and direction oversight,” said Flake.
Flake is the 10th senator from Arizona to serve for the United States. He joins Sen. John McCain.
Click here to listen to Flake's entire speech.