Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday said Republican obstructionism, not political gridlock, is to blame for the lack of action on high-priority issues in Washington.
Speaking at a meeting with Gateway City newspaper editors at the offices of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Warren said most political observers believe the stalemate in Washington is caused by political gridlock, which she defined as Democrats and Republicans taking opposing political stands and refusing to budge from their positions. But Warren said the reality is that a handful of Republicans are simply blocking action on a new budget and a series of other bills addressing pressing issues facing the nation.
“That’s not gridlock. That’s obstructionism,” she said. “The Republicans are protecting those who have already made it and the Democrats are fighting to give everyone a shot. I’m sorry to be so political about it, but that’s the way I see it.”
The senator said Republican obstructionism is preventing the House and Senate from agreeing on a new budget that would end across-the-board sequestration cuts and provide funding for such priorities as transportation, research, and disaster relief for Massachusetts fishermen.
“We can’t continue as a country in the direction we’re headed in now,” she said. “We’re not building a future.”
Warren said she believes the economy is showing signs of life, but the sequestration cuts are slowing down the recovery. “Sequestration is like an anchor on our boat,” she said, adding that the across-the-board cuts are trimming funding for Meals on Wheels and Headstart programs while failing to provide funds for transportation, research and development, and other investments in the country’s future. She said South Coast Rail, a commuter link between Boston and the cities of New Bedford and Fall River, is a good example of the type of transportation investment the country needs. “The future of the South Coast hinges on getting South Coast Rail and other transportation projects completed in a timely fashion,” she said,
The senator said the country needs to invest in disease research, singling out Alzheimer’s Disease in particular. She said that if research could help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s for five years, the country would save $40 billion a year in costs. “The payoff here is potentially enormous,” she said.
Warren noted that the country is aging rapidly and the elderly in the future will be increasingly dependent on a shrinking younger population. As a result, she said, the country should be spending heavily on programs to support young people from all walks of life so they all succeed.
“Every child in this country should be treated like a little gold nugget,” said Warren, who showed up at the meeting toting an LL Bean backpack. “If we throw away one in every four children, then not only do they lose but the whole country loses,” she said.
While Warren was not shy about labeling Republicans as obstructionist, she was less forthcoming on the hot-button issue of Massachusetts gambling and the White House ambitions of Scott Brown, the man she defeated to win her Senate seat.
Warren repeatedly refused to say where she stood on the issue of casino gambling, saying it is a decision best left to individual municipalities. She said she is very familiar with the harm gambling can cause to families but also the jobs casinos can bring to communities. She said she was encouraged by the process of selecting casino operators in Massachusetts, which she said attempts to minimize the harm of gambling while maximizing the economic benefits.
On Brown’s rumblings about a possible White House run, Warren chuckled and said “that’s up to the Republicans.” As for any White House ambitions she may hold, she said: “I have a job. I love what I’m doing.”
